Fortis Energy Completes Solar Installation Across All 26 Stations of Istanbul’s Marmaray Rail Network
Fortis Energy has completed the installation of the solar power project carried out on Istanbul's Marmaray line, the commuter rail system linking the Asian and European sides of the city and one of Türkiye's most strategic transportation corridors.
Under the project developed by Turkish State Railways (TCDD) to convert the roofs of Marmaray stations and administrative buildings into generation sites, solar panel installation, steel construction and support systems, and the full electromechanical integration have been completed at all 26 stations on both continents. The facilities are now ready for operation.
The scope was structured as four separate packages: two on the European side and two on the Anatolian side. The acceptance process for the Anatolia 1 package has been concluded successfully. Testing, measurement and acceptance procedures for the remaining three packages are ongoing, and the systems are planned to be commissioned in stages as each package is approved.
With a total installed capacity of 11 MW, the plants are expected to generate more than 13 GWh of electricity annually. The output is intended to supply Marmaray's own operational load, such as station lighting, ventilation, escalators, and auxiliary systems, through on-site, zero-emission generation.
Rail systems are among the most energy-intensive components of urban infrastructure, where electricity accounts for a substantial and continuous share of operating costs. Generating power at the point of consumption reduces both grid draw and long-term operating expenditure, while lowering the carbon intensity of a network that carries hundreds of thousands of passengers every day. In a country that remains a net importer of primary energy, domestically generated renewable capacity integrated into public transport also carries a measurable economic dimension.
Marmaray occupies a distinct position within Istanbul's transportation network, connecting two continents beneath the Bosphorus and serving as a backbone for commuter mobility, suburban development and regional freight connectivity. Embedding renewable generation into this infrastructure aligns the line with the sustainable urbanization principles that increasingly shape transport planning in large metropolitan areas.
The project stands at the intersection of the transportation and energy sectors, and represents an applicable model for integrating distributed generation into existing public transport assets.