Infrastructure

From Struggles to Success: How Istanbul Mastered Cost-Effective Metro Building

As anyone who has read this newsletter for a while knows, I am interested in how we can build transport infrastructure more cheaply. This recent blog post drew on UITP case studies and the Transit Costs Project to examine how Istanbul has learnt to build metro lines cheaply.

Key Takeaways

• Public agencies, in collaboration with private industry, have delivered new lines in Istanbul at an average cost of $236 million per mile (72% below the American average).
• Istanbul has complex physical conditions with construction sites near the water or below the water table, an active earthquake zone, and archaeological heritage.
• Istanbul’s first metro project faced significant early challenges due to limited institutional capacity, poor preliminary planning, and shifting project scopes.
• These problems led to the creation of the Projects Directorate within the Rail Systems Department of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality in 2014.
• The Directorate centralised planning capacity and began requiring 60% design documentation before tenders, while remaining open to revisions proposed by the contractor’s design team during implementation.
• This shift helped the municipality streamline procurement and project management processes, reducing costs and improving delivery outcomes.
• The Directorate built strong in-house teams capable of managing risk and making informed decisions with an adaptive mindset.
• Initially, Istanbul relied on foreign experts, but locals absorbed this knowledge, optimised their practices, expanded their equipment, and invested in technology.
• Istanbul has also reduced costs through innovation in station design with more standardisation and reduced excavation volumes, construction and land costs.
• Istanbul adopts a no-frills approach, choosing standardised finishes and simple materials to build more lines, faster and more affordably.

Comment

There are many valuable lessons from Istanbul's experience. One of the challenges it doesn't help with is what to do when you want to build a new rail project and have minimal existing state capacity. It would be great if there were a playbook for what to do in this scenario.

What Next?

What lessons can you take from Turkey for your rail projects?

MaaS

The MaaS Reality Check: Adoption vs. Environmental Impact

Mobility as a Service (MaaS) has generally been disappointing in its ability to improve transport systems. This research undertook a systematic literature review of 85 MaaS studies.

Key Takeaways

• MaaS adoption is consistently driven by convenience, affordability, technological appeal, and service reliability, while explicit sustainability motivations play a secondary role.
• Public transport integration, pricing structures that favour low-emission modes, and targeted subsidies for disadvantaged groups are linked with positive sustainability outcomes.
• Shared mobility services such as bike-sharing, e-scooters, and ride-hailing often substitute for existing low-emission modes rather than replacing private cars.
• MaaS bundles that include car-based services can unintentionally stimulate car use.
• MaaS platforms tend to operate within existing mobility cultures, with users bringing established travel habits that can persist unless platform design actively promotes alternatives.​
• Multiple studies indicate that adults under 35 adopt MaaS and other digital mobility platforms at significantly higher rates than older cohorts.
• Women often place greater emphasis on environmental considerations and personal security in their travel choices, and are more willing to shift from private vehicles to shared mobility.
• Men are more likely to prioritise technological features and convenience over environmental considerations in mobility choices.
• Lower-income individuals adopt MaaS primarily as a cost-saving alternative to car ownership, while higher-income users are less inclined to replace private vehicles.
• MaaS adoption and sustainability are driven by distinct mechanisms that often work at cross-purposes.

Comment

The problem many MaaS platforms face is finding a sustainable business model, with the business case for government subsidies difficult to establish compared to existing subsidies (see here).

If MaaS isn't encouraging mode shift away from cars, it's hard to justify government funding for it.

What Next?

Do you have a good sense of how MaaS platforms are performing in your city?

Active Transport

School Streets Need More Than Road Closures to Succeed

I am a big fan of "School Streets", roads outside schools that have temporary restrictions on motor vehicle traffic during drop-off and pick-up times. Therefore, I was interested to come across this research, which examined two examples of School Streets, one very successful and another that struggled, to tease out key lessons for the deployment of more School Streets.

Key Takeaways

• The analysis is based on the comparison between two schools in the city of Catania (Italy), a car-dominated city experiencing transport problems.
• The school streets were part of the BEC2SCHOOL project, which aimed to empower citizens with tools to collect and analyse traffic and environmental data in areas surrounding schools.
• To assess the success of the school streets, a qualitative approach based on face-to-face interviews with school representatives and a quantitative approach based on online questionnaires were used.
• In both schools, they initially faced difficulties with space management due to local residents’ resistance to the creation of the school street.
• Governance at School 2 was weaker due to the mayor’s resignation during the project’s implementation period. Without the administration’s full support, the school community was unable to counter opposition from residents.
• At School 1, the school community’s involvement was crucial to the Project’s success. The children were involved from the beginning in co-designing and managing the space. Maintenance and care of the school space ensured the Project’s success. The space became an integral part of a larger participatory planning initiative, open to and used by the entire community.
• At school 1, clear roles and effective communication among involved stakeholders facilitated conflict resolution.
• These elements were absent in School 2, leading to low levels of space appropriation and dysfunctional behaviours among residents.
• Well-designed and participatory interventions fostered greater parental trust, enhancing perceived safety and the willingness to promote active mobility among children.
• Success at School 1 relied on a series of elements: active participation of the school community, co-design processes, shared care of public space, and third-party support.
• Conversely, in the case of school 2, unresolved conflicts with residents, the absence of effective physical delimitations, and the lack of continuity in space animation and maintenance activities led to different outcomes.
• To ensure the success of school streets, infrastructure must not be seen as an end in itself, but as a means to build relationships, raise awareness, and foster transformative change.

Comment

School Streets should be implemented as a bottom-up, community-led initiative, supported by the relevant level of government. These results show how important it is to work with the local community to achieve success.

What next?

Are you empowering local communities to progress School Streets?

Quick Adventures in Transport Wonderland

Here is what else I came across this week:

• ​Why Are We Still Building Car-Oriented Development Next to Transit?​
• ​Time for a Reset of Bus Contracts?​
• ​Agree to Disagree? Insights into Community Views and Sources of Division in Relation to Low Traffic Neighbourhoods in Greater Manchester​

Blog

Beyond Ideology: Passengers, Customers or Transport Users?

This week, in my blog, I discussed which terms we should use for the people and organisations that use our transport systems.

Innovation

The Shift2 Mobility Incentive

The Shift2 mobility incentive program in Denver, USA, will provide up to $100 (with the opportunity to win additional weekly cash prizes) to 1,000 participants to shift trips away from driving alone over a 10 week period.

Tool

The E-Bike Rebate Program Guidebook

The E-Bike Rebate Program Guidebook is designed to support local governments, nonprofits, and transportation agencies seeking to boost mobility access, affordability, and activity in their communities by lowering the cost of owning an electric bicycle (e-bike).