As a country , Turkey is often described as a bridge between Europe and Asia . On Tuesday , for the first time , the two continents will be officially connected by a multi-billion dollar underwater railway tunnel . Turkey 's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul , Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe , Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta and numerous transport and trade ministers gathered to open the giant rail system , on the country 's republic day . The Marmaray link , named by combining the Sea of Marmara with `` ray , '' meaning rail in Turkish , is a part of $ 4.5 billion , 76-kilometer mega-project launched by the government in 2004 . Erdogan , speaking at the event , said the project `` connects history and future , past and the future , as well as connecting continents , Marmaray connects people , nations and countries . '' Its scale , along with designs for a third airport , a parallel canal for the Bosphorus river and a third suspension bridge , are seen as overly ambitious plans by Erdogan to build his legacy and hark back to days of the Ottoman Empire . The bold project brings the dreams of Sultan Abdul Medjid , first outlined more than a century ago , to reality as the Turkish Republic celebrates its 90th anniversary . READ MORE : Silk Road railways link Europe and Asia . It is finally being completed by Erdogan after he faced intense protests for the redevelopment plans of a central Istanbul park with Ottoman-era military barracks and a mosque . The 13.6 kilometer ( 8.5 miles ) tunnel -- the deepest of its kind -- passes under the Bosphorus Strait , one of the busiest shipping arteries in the world . The financial capital of Istanbul , with a population of nearly 15 million people , is often snarled with traffic , with some two million residents making the crossing between continents on a daily basis . According to Erdogan , Marmaray `` is not a project only for Istanbul Marmaray is a project for whole humanity . '' The rail system , built by a Turkish-Japanese consortium , is expected to have a capacity of one and a half million people a day , connecting the two continents in about four minutes . The Marmaray is being described as a vital link on the modern Silk Road , which will provide seamless rail transport from Turkey to China . Turkey , under Erdogan , has looked east to tap emerging markets for growth . More than half its exports go to the European Union , and that slowdown has cut Turkey 's annual growth in half after it peaked above 8 % before the 2008-09 financial crisis . READ MORE : The world 's spectacular infrastructure projects . Beyond the size of such an undertaking , digging for the Marmaray uncovered some 40 thousand artefacts and helped archaeologists trace Istanbul 's history back 8,500 years , 2,500 more than ever believed before . However the discoveries delayed the project for four years , which frustrated the prime minister who , analysts and businessmen say , wants to put a permanent imprint on Turkey 's financial capital . The project also had to account for Turkey 's long history of violent earthquakes , and the tunnel 's position parallel to a major fault line . Transport minister Binali Yildirim has outlined the precautions , including that the tunnel is designed handle a quake of 9.0 magnitude due to construction that allows movement . READ MORE : Connecting continents amid earthquakes . With these infrastructure projects Erdogan is aiming high , striving to increase Turkey 's impact as the republic heads towards its 100th anniversary . Erdogan believes Turkey can double its gross domestic product to $ 2 trillion , and by doing so stake its claim as one of the top ten economies internationally . But obtaining the financing for this activity after such fierce public resistance may stand in the way of this government 's master plan . Tuesday , however , was a day in which Erdogan could point to his pride in Marmaray . It is , he said , `` an artwork that will find its place in history as an environmentalist project as well as being a project of precision and excellence . ''
Turkey is often described as the link between Europe and Asia -- now a tunnel will connect the two continents . The Marmaray link is 76-kilometers long and has cost $ 4.5 billion . It's expected to open in 2016, but it may be delayed until 2018 due to construction delays on other projects. Prime Minister Erdogan may , however , face public opposition to his infrastructure drive .