Trams in Istanbul - History

History

Istanbul inaugurated horse trams in 1872 and these served the people of Istanbul until 1912. Following this date, electric trams were put in place and they were the main means for urban public transport until 1966. Many routes were built step by step, and it reached their most widespread network in 1956 with 108 million passengers in 270 shuttles in 56 lines. But starting from the mid-1950s, traffic congestion increased rapidly. Bus and taxi services grew very rapidly. The number of private cars also increased gtreatly, and many narrow streets, which were ideal for trams, now started filling up with motor vehicles. Tramcars were not modernized for many decades, and some of the 1911 electric cars were still running in the 1960s. At that time modern buses provided faster and smoother journeys, whereas the trams were still slower, narrow, single coach and had many out dated features like bow collectors. Poor maintenance of tracks caused some derailments and bumpy rides. Due to the city's rapid growth, reconstruction of Istanbul's infrastructure became urgent, and many streets were widened. The transport authority thought that a slow tram transport with fast bus transport on middle of a wide road would cause many problems for smoother city transportation. The tramway had little comfort and was slow because it was caught in the traffic jam caused by the cars. The tracks were also outdated, noisy and in the middle of the street. Cars had to pass the tramway on the right, causing danger for the pedestrians boarding and alighting the tramway. Side by side, trolleybuses proved a good alternative of tram in many countries. Trolleybuses are like ordinary rubber tired buses, but runs with electricity drawn from overhead wire via trolley poles like tram. By justifying all ways, transport department decide to replace trams by trolleybuses.

Trolleybuses started service very well, but due to continuous high investment and maintenance, it was not affordable by transport authority, and it survived only 23 years.

After closing tram network in mid-1960s, people of Istanbul thought the only old-fashioned obstacle to smooth city traveling has removed, and the city can move faster than before, but it proved false some years later. Uncontrolled increasing of petrol vehicles like bus, taxi, and private car started choking the streets of Istanbul. For situating mostly in Asia, Turkey suffered by many problems of developing countries, including pollution, traffic jam, illegal migration, low literacy and high increasing of population etc. Increasing population started increasing urbanization of Istanbul, and it started increasing motor vehicles, which started increasing air and noise pollution, traffic jam & smog. The city even became slower than pre-tram closure era. From starting '70, all this problems started and by the mid-1980s, Istanbulians realized that non-controlling of motor vehicles & closure of tram was a great mistake. Many cities around the world like Tunis, Buenos Aires etc. also understood that error, and like them, Istanbul also planned for return of tram.

As an experiment, Istanbul first opened a heritage tram at European side in 1990. Due to increasing popularity, they opened a modern tram in 1992, also at European side. They opened another heritage tram in 2003, but now at Asian side.