Baku Metro

'''Baku Metro''' ({{lang-az|Bakı Metropoliteni}}) is a [[rapid transit]] system serving [[Baku]] the capital of [[Azerbaijan]]. First opened on [[November 6]], [[1967]], during the time of the [[Soviet Union]], it has the features found in most other ex-[[Soviet]] systems, including very deep central stations, and exquisite decorations that blend traditional Azerbaijani national motifs with Soviet ideology. At present the system has 34.6 kilometers of bi-directional tracks with 23 stations. == History == [[Image:Baku Metro 5.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Nariman Narimanov]] station, [[1967]]]] [[Image:Baku Metro 6.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Nizami raion|Nizami]] station, [[1976]]]] [[Image:Baku Metro 3.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Elmlər Akademiyası station, [[1985]]]] [[Image:Baku Metro 2.jpg|thumb|right|200px|20 Yanvar station, [[1985]]]] [[Image:Baku Metro 7.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Xalqlar Dostluğu Station, [[1989]]]] [[Image:Baku Metro 4.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Azi Aslanov]] station, [[2002]]]] [[Image:Baku(20 yanvar).JPG|thumb|right|200px|20 Yanvar station, [[2011]]]] During the final decades of the [[Russian Empire]] the port city of Baku became a large metropolis due to the discovery of [[Oil]] in the [[Caspian Sea]]. By the [[1930s]], it was the capital of the [[Azerbaijani SSR]] and the largest city in Soviet [[Transcaucasia]]. The first plans for a rapid-transit system date to the 1930s upon the adoption of a new general plan for the city development. Having survived the [[Second World War]] without falling to the Germans, and even further becoming a strategic hub of the Caucasus, the population further increased past the one million mark, a legal requirement of Soviet law for allowing construction of a Metro system. In [[1947]] the [[Sovmin|Soviet Cabinet of Ministers]] issued a decree authorising its construction, which began in [[1951]]. On [[November 6]], [[1967]], Baku metro became the fifth rapid-transit system of the Soviet Union when the first 6.5 kilometers of track along with a depot were inaugurated, in honour of the fiftieth anniversary of the [[October Revolution]]. Due to the unique landscape of the city, Baku Metro did not have the typical Soviet "triangle" layout of development, and instead had two elliptical lines which crossed over each other at the very centre of the city - the [[Baku Railway Terminal]]. Thus one line would begin at the southwestern end of the city, and cross on a northeastern axis to follow the residential districts on the northern edge of the city and then snake along to the southeastern and ultimately southern end. This was inaugurated in three stages: Ulduz ([[1970]]), Neftçilər ([[1972]]) with Ahmedli following in [[1989]] and Hazi Aslanov in [[2002]] finishing the first contour. In addition in [[1979]] a branch was opened to a station built in a depot, Bakmil. The second line was to follow the parallel the Caspian coast from Hazi Aslanov, through Baku's industrial districts before meeting the first line again at the same Railway Terminal, and then follow westwards, before turning north to join Baku's northwestern districts. To accelerate construction, a branch was opened from 28 May station to Khatai in [[1968]], and in [[1976]] in the opposite direction towards Nizami, thus the second and first line used the same station (28 May). This posed no serious problems initially, as the line was two stations long, but when in [[1985]] the second stage opened which now lengthened the line to 8 stations (Memar Ajemi), construction of a transfer was desperately needed. In [[1993]], the first stage of the transfer station Jafar Jabbarli came in operation, but the [[History of the Soviet Union (1985–1991)#Dissolution of the USSR|end of the Soviet Union]] and the political unrest, military conflict in [[Nagorno-Karabakh War|Nagorno-Karabakh]] and the financial collapse which followed effectively paralyzed any construction attempts in Baku. Furthermore during the [[1990s]] two catastrophes took place: in [[19 March]] and [[3 July]] [[1994]], two terrorist attacks killed 27 and injured 91 people, and on [[28 October]] of the following year a [[1995 Baku Metro fire|fire in a crowded train]] killed 289 and injured 265 others, which is the world's deadliest subway disaster. Only in the late [[1990s]] could construction re-start and the first was the unfinished Hazi Aslanov station which was part-sponsored by the [[European Union]]. In the mid-2000th construction of the northern end of the second line, abandoned since [[1994]], was restarted with Nasimi opening in [[9 October]] [[2008]]. == Expansion plans == At present, there are several projects, only two of which is under construction. In [[2011]], the Chief Executive of the Baku Metro, Taghi Ahmadov, announced plans to construct 70 new stations by [[2040]]. These will serve the new bus complex as well as [[Heydar Aliyev International Airport]]. === Lines === {| class="wikitable" |- ! Name ! Line ! Segment ! Date opened ! Length ! Stations |- | [[Line 1 (Baku Metro)|Line 1]] ! style="background: red none; color: white;" | 1 | [[İçərişəhər (Baku Metro)|İçərişəhər]] ↔ [[Həzi Aslanov (Baku Metro)|Həzi Aslanov]] | [[1967]] | 20.1 km | 13 |- | [[Line 2 (Baku Metro)|Line 2]] ! style="background: green none; color: white;" | 2 | [[Xətai (Baku Metro)|Şah İsmail Xətai]] ↔ [[Dərnəgül (Baku Metro)|Dərnəgül]] | [[1976]] | 14.5 km | 10 |} ===Timeline=== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left;" |- !Segment!!Date opened!!Length |- |style="text-align: left;"|[[İçərişəhər (Baku Metro)|İçərişəhər]]-[[Nəriman Nərimanov (Baku Metro)|Nəriman Nərimanov]] |[[November 6]], [[1967]] |6.5 km |- |style="text-align: left;"|[[28 May (Baku Metro)|28 May]]-[[Şah İsmail Xətai (Baku Metro)|Şah İsmail Xətai]] |[[February 22]], [[1968]] |2.3 km |- |style="text-align: left;"|[[Nəriman Nərimanov (Baku Metro)|Nəriman Nərimanov]]-[[Ulduz (Baku Metro)|Ulduz]] |[[May 5]], [[1970]] |2.1 km |- |style="text-align: left;"|[[Ulduz (Baku Metro)|Ulduz]]-[[Neftçilər (Baku Metro)|Neftçilər]] |[[November 7]], [[1972]] |5.3 km |- |style="text-align: left;"|[[28 May (Baku Metro)|28 May]]-[[Nizami Gəncəvi (Baku Metro)|Nizami Gəncəvi]] |[[December 31]], [[1976]] |2.2 km |- |style="text-align: left;"|[[Nəriman Nərimanov (Baku Metro)|Nəriman Nərimanov]]-[[Bakmil (Baku Metro)|Bakmil]] |[[March 28]], [[1979]] |0.5 km |- |style="text-align: left;"|[[Nizami Gəncəvi (Baku Metro)|Nizami Gəncəvi]]-[[Memar Əcəmi (Baku Metro)|Memar Əcəmi]] |[[December 31]], [[1985]] |6.5 km |- |style="text-align: left;"|[[Neftçilər (Baku Metro)|Neftçilər]]-[[Əhmədli (Baku Metro)|Əhmədli]] |[[April 28]], [[1989]] |3.3 km |- |style="text-align: left;"|[[Cəfər Cabbarlı (Baku Metro)|Cəfər Cabbarlı]] |[[December 27]], [[1993]] |N/A |- |style="text-align: left;"|[[Əhmədli (Baku Metro)|Əhmədli]]-[[Həzi Aslanov (Baku Metro)|Həzi Aslanov]] |[[December 10]], [[2002]] |1.4 km |- |style="text-align: left;"|[[Memar Əcəmi (Baku Metro)|Memar Əcəmi]]-[[Nəsimi (Baku Metro)|Nəsimi]] |[[October 9]], [[2008]] |2.1 km |- |style="text-align: left;"|[[Nəsimi (Baku Metro)|Nəsimi]]-[[Azadlıq prospekti (Baku Metro)|Azadlıq prospekti]] |[[December 30]], [[2009]] |1.3 km |- |style="text-align: left;"|[[Azadlıq prospekti (Baku Metro)|Azadlıq prospekti]]-[[Dərnəgül (Baku Metro)|Dərnəgül]] |[[June 29]], [[2011]] |1.5 km |- |'''Total:''' |'''23 stations''' |'''34.6 km''' |} === Old stations names === * Shaumyan — Khatai * XI Gizil Ordu Meydani — 20 Yanvar * 28 Aprel — 28 May * Avrora — Gara Garayev * Elektrozavod — Bakmil * 26 Baki Komissari — Sahil * Baki Soveti — İçәri Şәhәr * Məşədi Əzizbəyov — Heydər Əliyev {{Baku Metro}} ==Operation== [[Image:Baku metro plan.png|thumb|right|250px|right|Map of the Baku Metro]] Officially Baku Metro has two lines, however due to problems with opening the second part of Cəfər Cabbarlı, Baku instead operates as a large four branch system, with trains travelling from Həzi Aslanov to either İçərişəhər or Dərnəgul, branching at 28 May (beneath the main train station). Rare services from both Dərnəgul and İçərişəhər also terminate at Bakmil but only twice per hour. There is a one-stop ''second line'' that operating separately between Cəfər Cabbarlı (essentially different platforms within the same station as 28 May) and Şah İsmail Xətai, a shuttle service using only one of the two tracks due to low demand. Due to the city's uneven landscape some stations are very deep, that could double as bomb shelters in case of a nuclear war attack, given that the system was built at the height of the [[Cold War]] in the [[1950s]]/early [[1960s]]. All seven of these deep level stations have a standard [[pylon station|pylon design]]. The majority of the system's stations, 13, are [[Shallow column station|shallow pillar-trispans]]. In addition one station, Bakmil, is a single platform surface level. Like many other former Soviet most of the stations of the system are exquisitely decorated as the images on the right show, many feature advanced Soviet motives in artwork (including mosaics, sculpture and bas-reliefs) and architecture such as those of progress and internationalist culture, whilst others focus on traditional Azeri culture and history. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, several stations were renamed, and some of their decoration was altered to comply with the new ideology. ===Rolling stock=== Baku is served by one single depot, which is located next to the Bakmil surface station, and carries the same name. As of [[January]] [[2005]], the system had 228 cars, of which 43 five-car trains were formed, the rest used for specialist duties. The earliest set of models include the old Ezh3 and Em-508 types, whilst most are the 81-717/714 and their modifications which Baku has been receiving since the early 1980s. ===Ticketing === The fare system works on a flat fee (currently 15 [[qapik]]) regardless of distance or transfers. Until [[2006]], metro users accessed the stations with coin-like (later plastic) tokens placed into turnstiles. From 2006 the Baku Metro introduced an [[RFID]] card system using rechargeable fare cards (currently costing a returnable 2 manat plus travel credit). ===Bombing of 1994=== {{Main|1994 Baku Metro bombings}} On [[19 March]] to [[3 July]] [[1994]], two series bombs was reported to have killed 27 and injured 91. Three Armenians were later arrested, charged and imprisoned in connection with the incident. ===Fire of 1995=== {{Main|1995 Baku Metro fire}} On [[28 October]] [[1995]], a fire broke out between the Ulduz and Nariman Narimanov [[railway station|stations]], killing 289 people and injuring 265 others. The fire was deemed to have been caused by electrical malfunction but the possibility of deliberate sabotage was not excluded. The fire remains [[List of accidents and disasters by death toll|the world's deadliest]] [[Rapid transit|subway]] disaster. == External links == * [http://www.metro.gov.az/ Official website] {{az icon}} {{ru icon}} {{en icon}} * [http://trackmap.ru/img/tm_baku.png Baku Metro Track Map] {{ru icon}} * [http://www.urbanrail.net/as/baku/baku.htm Urbanrail - Baku Metro] {{en icon}} * [http://www.euro-caspian.com/baku_metro.htm Information] {{en icon}} * [http://www.baku.ru/pages/transport/10582_ru.php More information] {{ru icon}} * [http://www.travel-images.com/az-publ.html Baku Public Transportation] {{en icon}} {{Urban public transport in Azerbaijan}} {{Rapid transit in the former Soviet Union|center}} {{coord missing|Azerbaijan}}