The Yekaterinburg 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. Opening hours - from 6:00 in the morning to 24 at night. The time interval between train arrivals 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. For the year, the subway passes through 52 million people. The number of metro trains is 15, the number of cars in one train is 4. The metro has 1 depot.
The metro in Yekaterinburg is quite crowded. The number of passengers per 1 kilometer is second only to the Moscow, St. Petersburg and Novosibirsk metro.
Subway history
The idea of building a subway in Yekaterinburg first arose in the early 60s of the 20th century. The metro was planned to be executed in the form of two lines crossing the city in the west-east and north-south directions.
The construction began in August 1980. The first was the Uralskaya station. The difficult terrain and uneven development led to the fact that metro stations were built at different depths.
The metro was supposed to be opened in 1987, but then the dates were postponed 2 times, which was due to a lag in the schedule of construction work. The movement of trains 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 subway line doubled. Until 2012, 3 more stations were added: Geologic, Botanicheskaya and Chkalovskaya.
The creation of the Yekaterinburg Metro was actively attended by former Russian President Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin.
Mobile communication in the subway is provided by a network of 5 mobile communication operators: Beeline, MTS, Megafon, Tele2 Russia, Motiv. All these stations operate in the city of Yekaterinburg.
Yekaterinburg Metro Trains
Trains for the subway were purchased in 1989. These were Soviet-made cars manufactured in Leningrad at the Egorov plant (the current “Vagonmash”). Most of them remained in 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 subway increased by 4.2 km; 2 new stations were added. To ensure traffic on the updated metro, we bought 2 more trains of four cars. They were also produced in St. Petersburg, but already at the October plant.
In technical terms, the new and old wagons are almost identical. 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. The differences also relate to the location of the headlights. Old trains, starting in 2013, were subjected to major repairs.
Yekaterinburg Metro Guide
The first director of the subway of Yekaterinburg was Ivan Titov. He led the Yekaterinburg metro from 1991 to 2011. The next director was Vladimir Shafray, who is still active and has been managing the metro since March 4, 2011.
The police department in the subway of Yekaterinburg is headed by Alexander Aleksandrovich 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 decorated and decorated, each with its own individual style. However, visitors note a lack of lighting.
According to users who have visited different subways, Yekaterinburg is distinguished by a special (Ural) color of stations, the absence of garbage, homeless people and beggars, the greater speed of the escalator and the crowdedness. Wagons are distinguished by an abundance of advertising signs and monitors. The stations are small in size and quality finished. Many are made in the avant-garde style.
Future plans
The future metro of Yekaterinburg, presumably, will consist of three lines. The first (existing) line will be supplemented by another station: Bazhovskaya (between Chkalovskaya and Geologicheskaya), however, the start date for the 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 the north - to the territory of the Elmash region.
The second line will be laid west-east through the city. It will include several new stations, of which 3 will be constructed using a foundation pit, and the rest due to underground work. The total amount for the construction of the second line is expected to be 90 billion rubles, but no specific work is foreseen until 2020. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2021.
In the longer term, it is planned to build the third metro line in Yekaterinburg (direction south-west - north-east). It will go through 7 residential areas.
Metro lines will intersect in the center, which will make the Yekaterinburg metro look like the Kiev metro. The metro scheme of Yekaterinburg includes all 3 metro lines.
The issue of financing construction works is very acute. Local authorities claim a lack of funds for this event, and federal authorities are in no hurry to provide them with financial assistance.
