Yekaterinburg Metro
Yekaterinburg Metro is a
rapid transit system that serves the city of
Yekaterinburg,
Russia.
Encyclopedia
Yekaterinburg Metro is a
rapid transit system that serves the city of
Yekaterinburg,
Russia.
History
Yekaterinburg, formerly called Sverdlovsk, was always known as the capital of the
Urals, a natural divide between Europe and Asia, between Siberia and the European Russia. The city grew very rapidly because it was an important industrial centre and a transport hub. Plans for a rapid-transit system began in the late 1970s, and in 1980 construction began.
The city's uneven landscape, as well as its layout with a very dense city centre, prompted to combine deep and shallow stations. On 26 April, 1991, the sixth Metro of Russia and the 13th and last Metro of the
Soviet Union, which ceased to exist only a few months later, was finally opened to the public. However the economic crises of the early 1990s rocked the Metro very hard and the first stage encompassed only three stations. However, then Russian president
Boris Yeltsin diverted funds to finish the started construction and by 1995 the Metro doubled in length . Since then, only one extension was made.
Timeline
| Segment | Date opened |
|---|
| Prospekt Kosmonavtov-Mashinostroitelei | April 26, 1991 |
| Mashinostroiteley-Uralskaya | December 22, 1992 |
| Uralskaya-Ploshchad 1905 Goda | December 22, 1994 |
| Ploshchad 1905 Goda-Geologicheskaya | December 30, 2002 |
|
Operation
The Metro is a typical Soviet design, which when completed will form a triangle from three lines intersecting in the city centre. Currently the seven stations comprise 8.6 kilometres of length and are split between deep and shallow. Of the latter, two are pillar-trispans and one is a single vault . The deep-level stations include one pylon, one column and two
Leningrad-technology single vaults, although one was built to an indegious design making it appear as a single deck. Like all ex-Soviet Metros, the stations are elaborately decorated, although economic hardships prevented the full original designs to be implemented.
The Metro is served by one depot, Kalinovskoe, and 56 cars are assigned to it. The annual ridership is approximately 42.8 million people.
Future plans
The next opening will be two stations, Chkalovskaya and Botanicheskaya, which are expected to be in service no sooner than 2008. A third station, Bazhovskaya, will be finished at a later date.
External links
