Almaty Metro
Encyclopedia
Almaty Metro is a rapid transit
system currently under construction in Almaty, Kazakhstan
. The first branch of the system is currently opened on 1 December 2011. Once built, the system will become the second metro in Central Asia
, after the Tashkent Metro
in Uzbekistan
, and the sixteenth metro in the former Soviet Union region.
The first section of Line 1 will have a length of 8.56 km and seven stations (four of which will be deep-level stations and three of which will be sub-surface stations). Initially, 20 trains will operate on the line, increasing to 52 once the line is complete. At an average speed of 40 km/h, the total travel time from end to end will be 12 minutes. The construction cost is estimated at 101 billion tenge ($1 billion).
After the opening of the first section, construction will commence on the rest of Line 1 as well as on Line 2, which will be a surface line. Following completion of both lines, there is a third line currently in planning.
Construction on the system commenced in 1988 when Kazakhstan was still part of the Soviet Union
. However, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, funds from Moscow
dried up and the new Kazakhstani government was unable to continue construction. Efforts to preserve the already-completed work were made, but the high cost led to the accumulation of large debts to construction workers.
In 2003, the government of Kazakhstan laid out a new development initiative which included government funds for continued construction on the metro. By 2005, the construction program, now under the control of President Nursultan Nazarbayev
received commitments for 72 million tenge from 2006-2008.
Update 03/2006 (Alexei Bobko): 4432 m of tunnels (of a total of 8300 m) have been dug by now: 2303 meters from station Rai'ymbek and 2128 meters from station Alatau. It is planned to dug 548 m this year. In the case additional 10 billion tenge is made available, another 1077 m will be completed. Left tunnel is to be finished in May 2007, right tunnel - in August 2007.
----
Construction of the first metro line began in 1985 and so far 7.5 km have been excavated although in the last two years only 200 m were built. By the end of the year 2000, $550 million should be raised to finish the first stretch including 8 stations within 2–3 years. (Interfax, 14 Oct 2000) The Turkish consortium Eko-Uzman has been selected to complete the metro line in 2 years.
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
system currently under construction in Almaty, Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
. The first branch of the system is currently opened on 1 December 2011. Once built, the system will become the second metro in Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
, after the Tashkent Metro
Tashkent Metro
The Tashkent Metro is the rapid transit system serving the city of Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. It is the only currently operating subway system in Central Asia. It was the seventh metro to be built in the former USSR, opening in 1977...
in Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
, and the sixteenth metro in the former Soviet Union region.
System
Upon completion, the metro system will total 45 km in length.The first section of Line 1 will have a length of 8.56 km and seven stations (four of which will be deep-level stations and three of which will be sub-surface stations). Initially, 20 trains will operate on the line, increasing to 52 once the line is complete. At an average speed of 40 km/h, the total travel time from end to end will be 12 minutes. The construction cost is estimated at 101 billion tenge ($1 billion).
After the opening of the first section, construction will commence on the rest of Line 1 as well as on Line 2, which will be a surface line. Following completion of both lines, there is a third line currently in planning.
Construction
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. However, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, funds from Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
dried up and the new Kazakhstani government was unable to continue construction. Efforts to preserve the already-completed work were made, but the high cost led to the accumulation of large debts to construction workers.
In 2003, the government of Kazakhstan laid out a new development initiative which included government funds for continued construction on the metro. By 2005, the construction program, now under the control of President Nursultan Nazarbayev
Nursultan Nazarbayev
Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev has served as the President of Kazakhstan since the nation received its independence in 1991, after the fall of the Soviet Union...
received commitments for 72 million tenge from 2006-2008.
System
Update 05/2007 (Alexei Bobko): There was the connection of the right tunnel between stations Almaty and Abai (Zhetysu on map above) at night from the 24th to the 25th of May. The tunnel is 1,217 m in length. At the place of connection it is situated at a depth of 73 meters. Earlier in May TBM " Herrenknecht" was launched from Abai toward Baikonur. This tunnel (1526 meters in length) is to be finished by the end of 2007. Another tunnel on this span is to be finished in the middle of 2008.Update 03/2006 (Alexei Bobko): 4432 m of tunnels (of a total of 8300 m) have been dug by now: 2303 meters from station Rai'ymbek and 2128 meters from station Alatau. It is planned to dug 548 m this year. In the case additional 10 billion tenge is made available, another 1077 m will be completed. Left tunnel is to be finished in May 2007, right tunnel - in August 2007.
----
Construction of the first metro line began in 1985 and so far 7.5 km have been excavated although in the last two years only 200 m were built. By the end of the year 2000, $550 million should be raised to finish the first stretch including 8 stations within 2–3 years. (Interfax, 14 Oct 2000) The Turkish consortium Eko-Uzman has been selected to complete the metro line in 2 years.