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What’s the oldest existing underground railway in the world? London, opening in 1863. What’s the second oldest? I bet you would never guess Tünel in Istanbul.
Tünel is an underground funicular line in the district of Beyoğlu that connects Istiklal Street at the top and Karaköy Square at the bottom. The line is 573 meters long with two carriages running in opposite directions. A trip takes about 90 seconds either way.
History
The Tünel funicular line was the idea of Eugène-Henri Gavand, a French engineer visiting Constantinople for tourism purposes in 1867. He was shocked at the amount of people walking up and down the stairs at Yüksek Kaldırım and dreamed of an underground funicular railway to help ease the problem. With the banking industry dominating Karaköy and the embassies and commerce at the top on Istiklal Street, the need for more efficient transportation was becoming a necessity.
Gavand returned to Constantinople in February 1868 to pitch his idea to the Ottoman government. His plan was approved by Sultan Abdülaziz on June 10, 1869, but several factors, including war in France, delayed financing and construction for two years until July 30, 1871. Construction was completed in December 1874. The line opened to the public on January 17, 1875, but Gavand was noticeably absent from the opening ceremony.
Carriages
The original carriages were wooden and had separate compartments for men and women. They were also separated into two classes. One was used for people and the other for goods and animals. The wooden carriages were used until 1971 when they were replaced with electrified steel carriages.
Metrohan
The building atop Beyoğlu station is Metrohan. It was built between 1912 and 1914. It was originally planned to be a hotel but was developed as an office building instead. Istanbul’s public transportation company, İETT, purchased the building and used it as their headquarters.
İETT Building
In 1981, İETT was starting to outgrow Metrohan, so they started construction on a new headquarters. It was completed in 1983 and sits on top of Karaköy Station.
Nostalgia
Tünel is still an important element of the Istanbul transportation system, and a ride through the brick-lined tunnel is a nostalgic journey into the past.
