Invest News DetailHürriyet Daily News - The Marmaray, the underwater rail tunnel linking the European and Asian sides of Istanbul, took its maiden journey on Oct. 29 following a grand ceremony celebrating the realization of the government’s first of many mega projects. The ceremony, which coincided with the 90th anniversary of the foundation of the Turkish Republic, was attended by Turkish President Abdullah Gül and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, as well as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta, Somali President Hasan Sheikh Mahmud and a number of foreign civil servants. Speaking at the ceremony, President Abdullah Gül said the government’s vision and stability had made the realization of the Marmaray possible. “An environment of stability and trust established in recent year paved the way for the realization of large projects. In the upcoming period, definitely larger ones will come online,” he said. Erdoğan also said that the project was just the first of other giant transportation projects slated for Istanbul and Türkiye.