Istanbul nostalgic tramways
The Istanbul nostalgic tramways are two heritage tramlines in the city of Istanbul, Turkey. The city has two completely separate heritage tram systems, one on the European side (the Taksim-Tünel Nostalgia Tramway, aka. T2 line), the other on the Asian side (T3 line, aka. the Kadıköy-Moda Nostalgia Tramway).
| Istanbul nostalgic tramways | |
|---|---|
Top: Two heritage trams on the European side, on the Taksim-Tünel (T2) Nostalgia Tramway. Bottom: Istanbul 202 (ex-Jena 102) on the Asian side, on the T3 circular nostalgia tramway. | |
| Overview | |
| Locale | Istanbul, Turkey |
| Transit type | Heritage Tram |
| Number of lines | 2 (1 European side, 1 Asian side) |
| Number of stations | 5 (T2) 10 (T3) |
| Website | http://nostaljiktramvay.iett.istanbul/ T3 Nostalgia Tramway |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | 29 December 1990 (T2) 1 November 2003 (T3) |
| Operator(s) | IETT (T2) Metro Istanbul (T3) |
| Technical | |
| System length | 1.6 km (0.99 mi) (T2) 2.6 km (1.6 mi) (T3) |
| Track gauge | 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) |
Istanbul, the former capital of Turkey, once had a large tramway network on both the Asian and European sides. These started as horse trams in 1871, but gradually changed to electric. Many routes were built step by step, and the network reached its greatest extent in 1956 with 108 million passengers in 270 cars on 56 lines. But as happened in most cities around the world, tram service in Istanbul began to close in 1956, and ended completely in 1966.
Trams returned to Istanbul in 1990, with the opening of the Taksim-Tünel Nostalgia Tramway (T2 line). The city is divided between Asia and Europe, and while the Asian side has a heritage tram system (T3 line, which opened in 2003), the European side has both a heritage tram (T2 line) and a modern tram system (T1 and T4 lines, which opened in 1992 and 2007, respectively).