M7 (Istanbul Metro)
The M7, officially referred to as the M7 Yıldız–Mahmutbey metro line is a rapid transit line of the Istanbul Metro system on the European part of Istanbul, Turkey. It is colored light pink on the maps and route signs. It is the first driverless rapid transit line of the European side of Istanbul.
On 20 December 2013, the line was commissioned to Kalyon Group for construction. The groundbreaking ceremony was held on 9 February 2014. The line is long with 17 stations.
The line is divided into three phases. Currently, it is partly in service. The section between Mecidiyeköy and Mahmutbey was inaugurated on 28 October 2020. The Mecidiyeköy - Kabataş and Mahmutbey - Esenyurt Meydan phases are still under construction, and there is also a planned extension between the stations Esenyurt Meydan - Saadetdere.
When fully completed, the M7-line will be connecting twelve districts of the Istanbul metropolitan area, namely Beyoğlu, Beşiktaş, Şişli, Kağıthane, Eyüp, Gaziosmanpaşa, Esenler, Bağcılar, Küçükçekmece, Avcılar, Başakşehir and Esenyurt. It is projected that 300 cars of driverless metro trains will carry about one million passengers daily. The total travel time will be 31.5 minutes between the termini. The M7 line costs 3.7 billion.
On 2 January 2023, an extension of the line from Mecidiyeköy to Yıldız was opened. Unlike the rest of the line, this section is operated as a shuttle service, with trains running from the new terminus at Yıldız to Mecidiyeköy. With the opening of the Kabataş stage in 2028, shuttle operation on this section of the line will cease, and trains will run directly from Kabataş to points west. Currently, at Mecidiyeköy, one platform serves trains going west to Mahmutbey, and the other to Yıldız.
Trains run on the Mecidiyeköy - Mahmutbey section every 6 minutes, and on the Yıldız - Mecidiyeköy section every 12 minutes.