Ekaterinburg Metropolitan: history, current state, prospects

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:45

Ekaterinburg Metro is the newest of the Soviet metro lines. And at the same time, the first in a row in the Urals. Opening date - April 26, 1991. Includes 9 stations. Hours of operation are from 6:00 am to midnight. The time interval between arrivals of trains at the station is from 4 to 11 minutes.

As of 2014, the total length of the subway is 13.8 km. The average distance between stations is 1.42 km. During the year, the subway passes through itself 52 million people. The number of subway trains is 15, the number of cars in one train is 4. The subway has 1 depot.

Metro in Yekaterinburg is quite crowded. The number of passengers per 1 kilometer of the journey is second only to the Moscow, St. Petersburg and Novosibirsk metro.

History of the subway

The idea of building a subway in Yekaterinburg first arose in the early 60s of the 20th century. The metro was planned to be made in the form of two lines crossing the city in the direction west-east and north-south.

The start of construction was in August 1980. The first station was built "Uralskaya". Difficult terrain and uneven building led to the fact that metro stations were built at different depths.

The metro was supposed to open in 1987, but then the dates were postponed 2 times, which was due to a delay in construction work. Train traffic began the day after the official opening - April 27, 1991. Construction continued into the 1990s. As a result, a number of new stations were put into operation, and the total length of the metro line doubled. Until 2012, 3 more stations were added: Geological, Botanicheskaya and Chkalovskaya.

Former Russian President Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin took an active part in the creation of the Yekaterinburg Metro.

Mobile communication in the metro is provided by a network of 5 mobile operators: Beeline, MTS, Megafon, Tele2 Russia, Motiv. All these stations operate in the city of Yekaterinburg.

Ekaterinburg metro trains

Metro trains were purchased in 1989. These were Soviet-made cars manufactured in Leningrad at the Egorov plant (the current Vagonmash). Most of them remained at the depot until the end of 1994, when new stations were opened and traffic became more intense. These trains were used in the metro until 2011, after which the length of the metro increased by 4.2 km; 2 new stations have been added. To providetraffic on the renovated metro bought 2 more trains of four cars. They were also produced in St. Petersburg, but already at the Oktyabrsky plant.

In technical terms, the new and old cars are almost identical. The differences relate to external attributes. So, the new cars have a more modern interior made of light plastic, seats for 6 people, a different arrangement of handrails and folding windows. Also, the differences relate to the location of the headlights. The old trains have been overhauled since 2013.

Ekaterinburg Metro Guide

The first director of the Yekaterinburg metro was Titov Ivan Aleksandrovich. He led the Yekaterinburg metro from 1991 to 2011. Vladimir Shafray was appointed the next director, who is still acting and manages the metro since March 4, 2011.

The Yekaterinburg Metro Police Department is headed by Alexander Makarov.

Station system

The subway consists of one line of the meridional direction. It has 9 stations with platforms for trains of 5 cars. The stations are well designed and decorated, each with its own individual style. However, visitors note a lack of lighting levels.

According to users who have visited different metros, the Yekaterinburg one is distinguished by a special (Ural) flavor of the stations, the absence of garbage, homeless people and beggars, morethe speed of the escalator and the crowds. The cars are distinguished by an abundance of advertising signs and monitors. Stations are small in size and well finished. Many are made in avant-garde style.

Future plans

The future Yekaterinburg metro will presumably consist of three lines. The first (existing) line will be supplemented by one more station: "Bazhovskaya" (between "Chkalovskaya" and "Geological"), however, the timing of the start of construction has not yet been determined. The length of the line can grow due to the continuation to the south, to the Uktus region; in a northerly direction - to the territory of the Elmash region.

The second line will be laid in the west-east direction through the city. It will include several new stations, of which 3 will be built using a pit, and the rest - through underground work. The total amount for the construction of the second line is expected to be 90 billion rubles, but no specific work is envisaged until 2020. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2021.

In the more distant future, it is planned to build the third line of the Yekaterinburg metro (direction southwest - northeast). It will pass through 7 residential areas.

Metro lines will intersect in the center, which will make the Yekaterinburg metro look like Kiev. The Yekaterinburg metro scheme includes all 3 metro lines.

The issue of financing construction work is very acute. Local authorities claim that there is a lack of funds for this event, andthe federal authorities are slow to provide them with financial assistance.

Metro Museum

The museum was opened in April 2016 on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the opening of traffic in the subway. It is located directly in the administrative building of the Yekaterinburg metro.