Tuzla Marmaray stations: commuting from Tuzla by train
Aydıntepe, İçmeler and Tuzla stations, where the trains go, what is planned for the metro, and how it should shape the flat you choose.
For most people who live in Tuzla and work elsewhere, the daily journey starts on a Marmaray platform. The district has no metro station yet, so the suburban railway along the coast does almost all of the heavy lifting. Here is how Tuzla Marmaray travel works, what is planned for the metro, and how both should shape the flat you choose.
The three Tuzla Marmaray stations
Marmaray runs from Gebze in Kocaeli to Halkalı on the European side, following the Marmara shore and crossing beneath the Bosphorus in a tunnel. Inside Tuzla it calls at three stations, listed here from the Pendik end to the Kocaeli end:
- Aydıntepe, in the neighbourhood of the same name.
- İçmeler, rebuilt with an island platform and a separate express track on its southern side.
- Tuzla, in the İstasyon neighbourhood. The next stop east, Çayırova, is already across the provincial boundary.
All three closed in 2012 and 2013 while the old suburban line was rebuilt, and reopened when the complete Marmaray line began running on 12 March 2019.
Where Tuzla Marmaray trains can take you
The great advantage is the through route. A train boarded at İçmeler continues past Pendik, Kartal and Maltepe, under the Bosphorus and on to stations on the European side, with no change of train and no queue at a bridge. Heading the other way, the line runs on to Gebze.
Public transport from Tuzla to Kadıköy usually takes between 40 minutes and an hour, depending on where you start and how you connect. Those changing to a ferry for the European side should allow for the crossing on top.
What about the metro?
Search for Tuzla transport and you will soon see questions about when the metro will open. The honest answer for now: the M4 line does not reach the district. Its eastern ends are Tavşantepe and the Sabiha Gökçen Airport branch, both in Pendik. An extension continuing towards İçmeler and Tuzla is in the plans, starting with a short section to Kaynarca in Pendik, but it has no opening date for Tuzla itself.
When a listing says “close to the metro”, ask which station it means and whether that station is open. A planned line is a reasonable bonus; it should not be the reason you pay more.
Roads, the airport and the summer ferry
Drivers have the E-5 (D-100) through the district and the TEM motorway, which has a junction at Orhanlı. Sabiha Gökçen Airport is about 15 km from İçmeler by road, a short trip outside rush hour. In summer there is also a weekend and holiday ferry from Tuzla to the Princes’ Islands, calling at Pendik on the way.
Choosing a flat around Tuzla Marmaray
- Daily commuter to the European side: keep within an easy walk of one of the three stations.
- Working in Kocaeli: the eastern end of the district, near Tuzla station, leaves Çayırova one stop away and the rest of the line to Gebze beyond it.
- Driving most days: the northern neighbourhoods near the TEM may suit you better than the coast.
- Buying to let: tenants commuting by train will ask how far the station is before anything else.
Every listing we publish names the nearest station where we know it. Browse Tuzla apartments for sale, or read more in our area guide.
