No. 797: The undersea tunnel between the two sides of the Bosporus Straits is completed (October 31, 2013)

Technology:

The undersea tunnel

The Turkish government held the ceremony to commemorate the opening of the undersea tunnel between the two sides of the Bosporus Straits on October 29. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the ceremony. The undersea tunnel is a yen-loan-financed project, and it was constructed by Obayashi with an investment of 150 billion yen. It is about 13.6 km, of which 1.4 km is beneath the ocean bed. 

Turkish National Railway will operate trains on the 13.6 km with five stops and transport 1.5 million people per day. It will connect the existing line with this new line in 2015. The undersea tunnel will be used for the transport people daytime, and freight trains will transport commodities nighttime. The ocean current is so fast in the Bosporus Straits that various innovative construction methods were employed.

 Japan's Prime Ministrer Shinzo Abe 

addresses in the opening ceremony