Urban Rail Transit Usage in Developing Countries: The Case of Istanbul

Abstract

This paper investigates the relationship between urban rail transit usage and station-area characteristics in Istanbul, using the city as a case study to explore broader challenges faced by rapidly urbanising cities in developing countries. Drawing on Bertolini’s node-place framework, the study analyses 137 rail stations using panel regression models based on node characteristics, place characteristics, and combined node-place variables. Passenger data from 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2022 are examined alongside demographic and land-use indicators to assess how station accessibility, transfer opportunities, population, and employment influence ridership. The findings reveal that despite substantial investments in rail infrastructure and a dramatic increase in network coverage, only a small proportion of station areas experienced simultaneous growth in both population and passenger numbers between 2017 and 2022. While node characteristics—particularly transfer opportunities and proximity to city centres—show significant effects on ridership, place characteristics explain only part of the observed variation. The study demonstrates that institutional factors, rapid urban transformation, changing demographic patterns, and land-use dynamics substantially influence transit performance beyond what conventional node-place models capture. It concludes that rail stations in Istanbul have largely functioned as isolated transport nodes rather than integrated urban places, limiting the wider benefits of rail investment. The authors argue that developing countries should adopt integrated planning approaches that combine rail infrastructure with coordinated land-use policies, institutional capacity building, and transit-oriented development in order to maximise the social, economic, and environmental benefits of expanding urban rail systems.