The Ankara Metro () is the rapid transit system serving Ankara, the capital of Turkey. At present, the system consists of three lines – the Ankaray (A1), the M1 - M2 - M3 and the M4. The Ankaray, M1, M2, M3 and M4 lines transported 173.2 million passengers in 2025, corresponding to a ridership of approximately 474,448 per day. In July 2018, the M1 and M3 lines were merged into a single service; subsequently, in February 2019, the M2 line was also integrated, providing uninterrupted service between Koru and OSB-Törekent.
History
Ankaray
The Ankaray (from , meaning Ankara rail), a light rail transit system ( Sistem, though the line does operate as more of a "light metro" line) was the first phase of the modern rapid transit network of the city. The Ankaray was constructed by a consortium headed by Siemens over a period of four years (1992–96). It opened on 30 August 1996. The line runs between AŞTİ ( – Ankara Intercity Bus Terminal) and Dikimevi, covering a distance of , of which is through tunnels. The line has 11 stations.
Ankara Metro The Ankara Metro has been operating since 29 December 1997, with the opening of its first full metro line, M1, traveling between Kızılay, the city center, and Batıkent. The M3 line, which serves almost as an extension of the M1 line, operating from Batıkent to OSB-Törekent, opened on 12 February 2014. The M2 line, operating from Kızılay, the city center, to Koru, opened a month later on 13 March 2014. For the first few years of operations on lines M2 and M3, both of them ran separately from the M1 line; since early 2019, the three lines are operated as one continuous service between OSB-Törekent and Koru.
Test running on the M4 line, which launched construction in 2004, started in August 2016. The first section of the line, running from Şehitler-Gazino to Atatürk Kültür Merkezi, opened on 5 January 2017. The second section of the line, running from Atatürk Kültür Merkezi to Kızılay, opened on 12 April 2023.
In 2019, the Turkish defense firm ASELSAN began traction and control upgrades on the older Bombardier cars.
Operations
Lines This table lists the three metro lines (including the Ankaray line) currently in service on the Ankara Metro:
Line Route Opened Length Stations ANKARAY (A1) AŞTİ ↔ Dikimevi 1996 11 M1 M2 M3 15 Tem. Kızılay Millî İrade ↔ Batıkent 1997 (as ) 12 15 Tem. Kızılay Millî İrade ↔ Koru 2014 (as ) 12 Batıkent ↔ OSB-Törekent 2014 (as ) 12 15 Tem. Kızılay Milli İrade ↔ OSB-Törekent 2018 (merger of and ) 23 Koru ↔ OSB-Törekent 2019 (merger of , and ) 34 M4 15 Tem. Kızılay Millî İrade ↔ Şehitler 2017 12 TOTAL: 57
Stations
Ankaray (A1-A2)
Station Line Status Connections Notes Söğütözü A1 under construction , Havaş (airport shuttle) (Ankara Şehirlerarası Terminal İşletmesi) in service Intercity buses; AnkaraAir, Havaş (airport shuttles), 442 airport bus Emek in service Bahçelievler in service Beşevler in service Anadolu/Anıtkabir in service formerly known as Anadolu/Tandoğan Maltepe in service , TCDD Başkentray (suburban rail), mainline, regional and high speed trains, AnkaraAir (airport shuttle), 442 airport bus Demirtepe in service in service , , , AnkaraAir (airport shuttle), 442 airport bus formerly known as Kızılay Kolej in service Kurtuluş in service TCDD Başkentray (suburban rail) in service Dikimevi A2 under construction Abidinpaşa under construction Aşık Veysel under construction Tuzluçayır under construction General Zeki Doğan under construction Fahri Korutürk under construction Cengizhan under construction Akşemsettin under construction Natoyolu under construction
M1
StationStatusConnectionsNotes in service Ankaray, , , AnkaraAir (airport shuttle), 442 airport bus formerly known as Kızılay in service TCDD Başkentray (suburban rail) in service 442 airport bus, metrobus (future) (AKM) in service , AnkaraAir (airport shuttle), metrobus (future) Akköprü in service Havaş (airport shuttle), metrobus (future) İvedik in service Yenimahalle in service Yenimahalle cable car (permanently closed) Demetevler in service Hastane in service in service Park & Ride facility Orta Doğu Sanayi ve Ticaret Merkezi (OSTİM) in service in service
M2 StationStatusConnectionsNotes Koru in service Park & Ride facility Çayyolu in service officially known as Çayyolu 1-2 Ümitköy in service Beytepe in service Tarım Bakanlığı-Danıştay in service formerly known as Köy Hizmetleri Bilkent in service Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi (ODTÜ) in service Maden Tetkik ve Arama (MTA) in service Söğütözü in service Ankaray (future expansion), Havaş (airport shuttle) Millî Kütüphane in service Park & Ride facility Necatibey in service in service Ankaray, , , AnkaraAir (airport shuttle), 442 airport bus formerly known as Kızılay
M3
StationStatusConnectionsNotes in service in service in service in service İstanbul Yolu in service Eryaman 1-2 in service Eryaman 5 in service Devlet Mahallesi/1910 Ankaragücü in service formerly known as Devlet Mahallesi Harikalar Diyarı in service Fatih in service Gaziosmanpaşa (GOP) in service in service
M4
StationStatusConnectionsNotes in service , , Ankaray, AnkaraAir (airport shuttle), 442 airport bus formerly known as Kızılay Adliye in service Gar in service Ankaray, TCDD Başkentray (suburban rail), mainline, regional and high speed trains, AnkaraAir (airport shuttle), 442 airport bus (AKM) in service , AnkaraAir (airport shuttle), metrobus (future) Ankara Su ve Kanalizasyon İdaresi (ASKİ) in service Dışkapı in service 442 airport bus Meteoroloji in service Keçiören cable car Belediye in service Mecidiye in service Kuyubaşı in service Dutluk in service in service formerly known as Gazino
Network map
Rolling stock
Ankaray Ankaray vehicles on the Ankaray line are Siemens-Adtranz-Ansaldobreda, S.P.A. (AnsaldoBreda) M1, M2, and M3 trains, which have a top speed of (operational speed: ), and are equipped with regenerative braking.
The system is served by 11 trainsets. Each trainset comprises 3 sets of 2 cars paired together. Each pair of cars is long, with 60 seats, and can transport a maximum of 308 passengers; thus each trainset is approximately long and can transport 925 passengers per train. The current passenger volume capacity on the Ankaray line is 27,000 passengers per hour per direction (PPHPD).
Ankara Metro The original vehicles used on the M1 line are Bombardier Transportation-built modified versions of the sixth-generation H-series trains used on the Toronto subway. The Toronto trains on which they were based on were built in 1986 by the Urban Transportation Development Corporation (UTDC), a company later purchased by Bombardier. There are a total of 108 of these cars, which are usually configured as 18 six-car trainsets. The car's seats are made of rigid plastic, and are all arranged longitudinally. There are no forward- or rear-facing seats, and no seats at the front or rear of each car. All Bombardier-built cars were retired in 2019, following the merger of lines M1, M2, and M3. They still work on special days.
In 2012, a large order of 342 subway cars from CRRC Zhuzhou was placed to supplement the fleet on line M1 and for use on the newer M2, M3 and M4 lines. The trains are three-car multiple units, of which two are coupled to make a total of 54 six-car trainsets. The first trains entered service together with the opening of Line M3 in February 2014.
Signalling system Both the Ankara Metro and the Ankaray depend on Communications-based Train Control signalling systems. On the Ankaray, signals only show whenever there is a train or if a blockage exists or not. However, on the Ankara Metro, signals are only activated by automatic control by specific rules.
Unlike other metro systems, the Ankara Metro does not use green signal on normal operations. Only one fixed chunk in front of the train will become available, which results in yellow signals at normal operation even more than one chunk is available. The strict rule of flashing (or blinking) yellow signal depends on these two conditions that must be met at the same time: The Metro arriving at the station or present at the station must be in standard operation mode and at least one chunk towards to forward direction must be free. Also, flashing yellow signals are only emitted on forward signals, preventing reverse direction movement in normal operation mode. If one of these conditions are not met (except Operation Mode), the signal will emit red light. While train will out of standard operation mode, the signals will return normal Communitacions-based Train Control rules or manual signal control. For green and yellow signals, there are 2 different variants: flashing or static. Flashing signals means either automatic controlled route or manually set route in effect, while static signals are manually controlled or emitted from the control center.
The Ankaray also uses red, yellow, and green signals. Red and green signals used for indicating is the chunk occupied or not. Unlike the Ankara metro, the yellow signal turns on when a rail change is going to be made.
Future service Construction of the following metro lines are under construction or planned:
Line Route Length Stations Status Ankaray AŞTİ ↔ Söğütözü 1 Not open due to signalling issues. Planned to open after the signaling system on the rest of the line is renewed. Ankaray Dikimevi ↔ Natoyolu 8 Under construction TOTAL: 9
See also Başkentray, a commuter rail system operating in the Ankara area
References
Ankara metro construction resumes soon in: February 2012
External links
Ankaray – official website Network map Ankara Metro at UrbanRail.net