The first section of Istanbul’s fully automated metro line M5 opened on 15 December. It runs from Üsküdar to Yamanevler, is 10.5km long and comprises nine stations.

Line M5 lies on the Asian side of Istanbul, and connects with the Marmaray tunnel link at Üsküdar, where there are train services connecting to the European side the city. With Phase 2, the line will extend further east, deeper into the Asian side, to Çekmeköy-Sancaktepe, reaching 20 kilometers long and 16 stations.

The estimated average ridership is 350,000 passengers per day after phase 2 opens.

The current nine stations are: Üsküdar, Fıstıkağacı, Bağlarbaşı, Altunizade, Kısıklı, Bulgurlu, Ümraniye, Çarşı and Yamanevler. All are underground and are equipped with platform screen doors (half-height).

The line currently has 21 trains, provided by a consortium of Mitsubishi and CAF. They are 130 meters long and can carry 1620 passengers. Headway is 90 seconds 

Line M5 will be linked to metro lines M8 (Dudullu-Bostancı), M12 (Göztepe-Ataşehir) and M13 (Hastane-Yenidoğan) by 2023.

All stations are accessible for disabled passengers. For the 9 stations of phase 1, 116 escalators and 39 elevators were deployed.

Sources:

Metro Istanbul

City of Istanbul press release