Home to the only city in the world that spans two continents, Turkey recently added yet another East-West connection with the opening of Istanbul‘s Marmaray Commuter Rail.
The high-speed rail line connects Asia and Europe via a railway tunnel running under the Bosporus Strait. The 47-mile rail line is just one of several transportation infrastructure projects underway in Istanbul. Others include the Istanbul Canal and a new airport.
The 30-mile Grand Canal will connect the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara to relieve the Bosporus, which has about 50,000 ships pass through each year. When complete, the canal will reconfigure the European side of Istanbul into a large island.
The new airport will be one of the largest in the world and third largest in Istanbul with six runways. Slated for a first-stage opening in 2017, the airport represents an investment of more than $9 billion and is expected to service 150 million passengers ever year.
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