Vykhino is a station on
Moscow MetroThe Moscow Metro , which spans almost the entire Russian capital, is the world's second most heavily used rapid-transit system. Opened in 1935, it is well known for the ornate design of many of its stations, which contain outstanding examples of socialist realist art.-Description of the Metro:In...
's
Tagansko-Krasnopresnenskaya LineThe Tagansko-Krasnopresnenskaya is the busiest line of the Moscow Metro. Built in 1966-1975 it cuts Moscow on a northwest-southeast axis and contains 19 stations.- History :...
. Opened on 31 December, 1966 as the final part of the Zhdanovskiy Radius, the station has remained the southeastern terminus of the line since. The station is unique in many respects. First of all, it was the last station in Moscow (not counting the reconstruction of
Vorobyovy GoryVorobyovy Gory is a station on the Sokolnicheskaya Line of the Moscow Metro. Its name originates from a nearby elevated area called the Sparrow Hills....
in 2002 and the light Metro in 2003) to be built above ground, and the last to have
sideRailway platforms at railway stations on double lines can be side platforms or island platforms. With side platforms, track centres remain the same, and no space is lost for slewing the track to wider centres, as would be needed for an island platform. Side platforms usually have access to...
(as opposed to
islandAn island platform on a railway is where a single platform lies between at least two tracks, serving both of them. Usually, the two tracks are on the same line, running in opposite directions...
) platforms. In fact, the metro station is only part of a combined transfer node, the rest of which consists of the mainline suburban railway (
KazanKazan is the capital city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, and one of Russia's largest cities. It is a major industrial, commercial and cultural center, and remains the most important center of Tatar culture. Since April 2009 Kazan has the legal right to brand itself as the "Third Capital" of...
skoye direction).
Originally designed by A.F.
Vykhino is a station on
Moscow MetroThe Moscow Metro , which spans almost the entire Russian capital, is the world's second most heavily used rapid-transit system. Opened in 1935, it is well known for the ornate design of many of its stations, which contain outstanding examples of socialist realist art.-Description of the Metro:In...
's
Tagansko-Krasnopresnenskaya LineThe Tagansko-Krasnopresnenskaya is the busiest line of the Moscow Metro. Built in 1966-1975 it cuts Moscow on a northwest-southeast axis and contains 19 stations.- History :...
. Opened on 31 December, 1966 as the final part of the Zhdanovskiy Radius, the station has remained the southeastern terminus of the line since. The station is unique in many respects. First of all, it was the last station in Moscow (not counting the reconstruction of
Vorobyovy GoryVorobyovy Gory is a station on the Sokolnicheskaya Line of the Moscow Metro. Its name originates from a nearby elevated area called the Sparrow Hills....
in 2002 and the light Metro in 2003) to be built above ground, and the last to have
sideRailway platforms at railway stations on double lines can be side platforms or island platforms. With side platforms, track centres remain the same, and no space is lost for slewing the track to wider centres, as would be needed for an island platform. Side platforms usually have access to...
(as opposed to
islandAn island platform on a railway is where a single platform lies between at least two tracks, serving both of them. Usually, the two tracks are on the same line, running in opposite directions...
) platforms. In fact, the metro station is only part of a combined transfer node, the rest of which consists of the mainline suburban railway (
KazanKazan is the capital city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, and one of Russia's largest cities. It is a major industrial, commercial and cultural center, and remains the most important center of Tatar culture. Since April 2009 Kazan has the legal right to brand itself as the "Third Capital" of...
skoye direction).
Originally designed by A.F. Strelkov and V.F. Cheremin, the whole complex has four platforms, two of which are
Island platformAn island or isle is any piece of land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls are called islets. A key or cay is another name for a small island or islet. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot, .There are two main types of islands:...
. The railway uses four out of the six tracks, whilst the metro uses the other two. It is impossible to get from one platform to another without leaving the metro. Two
pedestrian subwaysIn the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Hong Kong and some Commonwealth countries , the term subway normally refers to a specially constructed underpass for pedestrians and/or cyclists beneath a road or railway, allowing them to reach the other side in safety...
exist for the transfer between platforms (the transfer complex is above ground level and passengers must ascend to get onto the platforms). Direct railway to metro connections are only possible from Moscow-bound mainline trains onto centre-bound metro trains, where the combined platform is divided lengthwise between the metro and the railway. To transfer in the opposite direction, the subways must be used.
When the transfer complex was built, the long-term passenger load was underestimated. As a result, Vykhino became the busiest and most crowded station of the metro system, due to its position at the edge of
MoscowMoscow is the capital and the largest city of Russia. It is also the largest metropolitan area in Europe, and ranks among the largest urban areas in the world. Moscow is a major political, economic, cultural, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the world, a...
, near many highly populated areas of the
hinterlandThe hinterland is the land or district behind the borders of a coast or river. Specifically, by the doctrine of the hinterland, the word is applied to the inland region lying behind a port, claimed by the state that owns the coast...
. In addition to the railway traffic, Vykhino also has a large bus station nearby and many passengers from the surrounding
Moscow OblastMoscow Oblast , or Podmoskovye is a federal subject of Russia . Its area, at 45,900 km², is relatively small comparing to other federal subjects, but it is one of the most densely populated regions in the country and the second most populous federal subject —only surpassed by...
travel to central Moscow via Vykhino. As a result, the station has some of the largest passenger numbers of the metro network — 176,629 passengers per day at the start of 2009.
Initially the railway commuter passenger trains stopped just outside the metro pavilion. However, since the early 1990s they have been making longer journeys well beyond the metro trains' arrival zone and most of the passengers were forced to walk a train length. By the early 2000s it was clear that the transfer point needed a major reconstruction. In 2004 the station was closed to mainline trains (passengers were told to use the
Kazansky Rail TerminalKazansky Rail Terminal is one of nine rail terminals in Moscow, situated on the Komsomolskaya Square, across the square from the Leningradsky and Yaroslavsky terminals....
instead). During this time the old 1960s concrete hinged roofs on the railway platforms were knocked down. These were replaced with modern light green and white transparent roofs with decorative features. The stairwells from the subways were covered with separate pavilions where turnstiles were inserted, and the concrete floor was repaved with stone. The combined metro and railway platform was re-divided along the width where a pavilion was built. Thus the centre-bound metro platform was nearly trebled in area (accounting for the dismantled ticket offices as well), and safety walls were installed on the railway side. The metro part of the station kept its hinged roofs, but these were completely repainted and the crude lighting elements in the hinges were replaced with never ones. Giving the platform a cleaner look, the subways were also widened and cleaned up with the old tile work replaced by marble. Additional subway was built as well. The complex was re-opened to the public on October 2, 2004.
Since there are no direct connections between metro platforms, the change of train crews takes place at
Ryazanskiy ProspektRyazanskiy Prospekt is a station on Moscow Metro's Tagansko-Krasnopresnenskaya Line. Opened on 31 December 1966 as part of the Zhdanovskiy radius, the station is situated where the line snakes norhtward and instead of following the Volgogradskiy avenue begins to follow the Ryazanskiy avenue...
station. Behind the station is a surface cross junction used for reversal and the tracks lead on to the Vykhino depot.
Originally the station (as well as the line) was called
Zhdanovskaya after the famous revolutionary and politician Andrey Zhdanov. However in 1988 the station was renamed after name of the district in which it is located.
External links