17 January 2019•Update: 17 January 2019
By Hikmet Faruk Baser
ISTANBUL
The Karakoy Tunnel, located in the heart of Turkey’s largest metropolis, Istanbul, celebrated its 144th anniversary on Thursday.
The tunnel opened on Jan. 17, 1875, just hours after the London Underground.
At a ceremony, Ahmet Bagis, the head of Istanbul’s electricity, tramway and tunnel management, hailed the anniversary.
Haydar Ali Yildiz, the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party’s mayoral candidate for Istanbul’s Beyoglu district, called Istanbul a “lucky city,” and added: “Binali Yildirim, former minister of transport and communications and former prime minister, is the AK Party’s candidate for greater Istanbul mayor.”
With Yildirim at the helm, he said, Istanbul’s transportation would thrive.
An exhibit about the historical subway will be open until the end of January.
Karakoy station, formerly known as Galata and Pera, connects the districts of Karakoy and Beyoglu and is considered one of the oldest subterranean urban railway stations in the world.
