World’s first trans-continental tunnel opens in Istanbul

Istanbul has celebrated the 90th anniversary of the founding of the modern Turkish republic by opening the world’s first trans-continental tunnel.

Linking the Asian and European shores of the city underneath the Bosphorus Strait, the Marmaray railway link will transport over 1 million commuters a day, easing chronic congestion on the roads.

Tokyo invested heavily in the tunnel and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe joined his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the opening ceremony.