Rostov Metro is a planned rapid transit

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 in Rostov-on-Don

Rostov-on-Don

-History:The mouth of the Don River has been of great commercial and cultural importance since the ancient times. It was the site of the Greek colony Tanais, of the Genoese fort Tana, and of the Turkish fortress Azak...

, 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...

. As of October 2008, the city authorities are redesigning the historical proposal (created in the 1980s) at the request of the federal government. Construction may begin in 2011 if the federal government approves financing of the project.

History

Plans for creating a Rostov metro go back to the 1970s and 1980s. A publicised 1991 map of a system provided a single 14 kilometre line with 10 stations, running parallel to the northern bank of the Don River

Don River (Russia)

The Don River is one of the major rivers of Russia. It rises in the town of Novomoskovsk 60 kilometres southeast from Tula, southeast of Moscow, and flows for a distance of about 1,950 kilometres to the Sea of Azov....

 and reaching Rostov-on-Don Airport

Rostov-on-Don Airport

Rostov-on-Don Airport Aeroport Rostov-na-Donu is an international airport located 9 km east of the city of Rostov-on-Don, in southern Russia...

; far future plans provided for a three line system.

The plans were revived in November 2007 when the Rostov Metro reappeared in the development program for rapid transit approved by the Ministry of Transportation. The program required Rostov authorities to redraft the old proposal, taking account of past and projected development in and around the city, so that construction could resume in 2011. No other commitments were ever made. In April 2008, the Rostov city hall announced an upcoming feasibility study that would supersede the old studies conducted in previous decades.

In January of 2008, the deputy mayor of Rostov estimated construction costs at 1 billion roubles (42 million US dollars) per kilometer; the total project cost, including land and supporting infrastructure, would cost three times more.

In September of 2008, the mayor of Rostov formed a city commission for metro construction. The deputy mayor announced that in November 2008 – February 2009 the city would select design and engineering contractors; the preliminary design stage for the metro would last into 2011. In 2011 the city hall expects to have sound cost estimates for initiating a federal funds appropriation. City officials expect the first stretch of the Rostov metro to be operational in thirteen to fourteen years, assuming normal financing from the federal budget.