Chelyabinsk Metro
Encyclopedia
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 being constructed in Chelyabinsk
Chelyabinsk
Chelyabinsk is a city and the administrative center of Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, located in the northwestern side of the oblast, south of Yekaterinburg, just to the east of the Ural Mountains, on the Miass River. Population: -History:...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Envisioned in the 1960s, construction started in early 1980s.
The first three stations were scheduled to open in 2007, but this has been postponed to 2010. In 2007 a decision has been made to open the first line in 2014, consisting of four stations.
As of Feb. 2010, some 3.6 km of tunnel has been made, out of a total 6.7 km.http://www.mega-u.ru/default.aspx?c_id=3&method=NewsFullText&templateName=FullText2&s_id=143&NewsId=18197&m_id=2
Lines and stations
The current plans include opening four stations and the depot by 2014. The four stations will be:- Komsomolskaya ploshchad (Komsomol Square)
- Ploshchad revolyutsiyi (Revolution Square)
- Torgovyi tsentr (Trade Centre)
- Prospekt Pobedy (Victory Avenue)
The total length of tunnels will be 5.7 km, with an additional 1 km track to the depot.
Further plans include expanding the first line east to the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant
Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant
Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant also known as CTZ-Uraltrak is a tractor plant in the Russian city of Chelyabinsk.-History:The plant was founded in 1933; the first product was a 60 hp tracked tractor С-60 fueled by petroleum ether . In 1937 the factory produced its first diesel-powered vehicle C-65...
(one station), and west (3 stations) by 2018.
Two more lines running from north to southeast and from northeast to southwest are planned; their time of construction is undefined.
Financing the project
In March 1998, before the 1998 Russian financial crisis, Pyotr Sumin, governor of the Chelyabinsk province, called the Chelyabinsk Metro one of the most important construction projects in the region. Construction companies in arrears on their taxes to the local and federal governments offered their services to build the Metro in lieu of payment. The project was therefore being financed by the tax debt of the construction companies to various government bodies. Now it is funded jointly by the governments of Russia, Chelyabinsk Oblast and the city of Chelyabinsk, allocating in total around $40 mln a year.Criticism
The project was initially due to be completed by 2000, but has been postponed several times due to lack of financing.The construction plan was developed many years ago and as the city has expanded and transport needs have changed greatly, critics argue that the initial stations will be of little help in reducing traffic congestion or improving the transportation system.
Alternative projects such as a metrotram or surface trains have been rejected.
External links
- - UrbanRail.net page on the Chelyabinsk Metro
- http://www.chelmetro.ru/ - the official website
- http://www.urc.ac.ru/Chelyabinsk/City/transport/metro/ - unofficial metrofan site
- http://www.chelmetro.ru/files/docs/000057/%D2%E5%F5%ED%EE%EB%EE%E3%E8%F7%E5%F1%EA%E0%FF%20%EF%EE%F2%F0%E5%E1%ED%EE%F1%F2%FC%202007-2009%20%E3%EE%E4%FB.pdf - a PDF document which includes detailed schemes of the metro system and its stations