Construction has begun on a metro line connecting Istanbul’s third airport to the city centre. Competition for the first phase, as transport minister Feridun Bilgin announced, concluded on 27 July and the competition for the main phase will take place in mid-2016. The 33-kilometre metro line will leave from Gayrettepe, intersect with the existing metro line and Metrobus bus lines. The first construction phase is to be completed within the first quarter of 2018, and the initial target of moving 90 million passengers annually is projected to reach 150 million in the future.