The shallow column station is a type of construction of subway stations, with the distinguishing feature being an abundance of supplementary supports for the underground cavity. Most designs employ metal columns or concrete and steel columns arranged in lines parallel to the long axis of the station.

Stations can be double-span with a single row of columns, triple-span with two rows of columns, or multi-span. The typical shallow column station in Russia is triple-span, assembled from concrete and steel, and is from 102 to 164 metres in length with a column spacing of 4-6 m. Along with the typical stations, there are also specially built stations. For example, one of the spans may be replaced with a monolithic vault (as in the Moskovskaya station of the Samara

Samara, Russia

Samara , is the sixth largest city in Russia. It is situated in the southeastern part of European Russia at the confluence of the Volga and Samara Rivers. Samara is the administrative center of Samara Oblast. Population: . The metropolitan area of Samara-Tolyatti-Syzran within Samara Oblast...

 Metro or Sibirskaya in Novosibirsk

Novosibirsk

Novosibirsk is the third-largest city in Russia, after Moscow and Saint Petersburg, and the largest city of Siberia, with a population of 1,473,737 . It is the administrative center of Novosibirsk Oblast as well as of the Siberian Federal District...

). In some cases, one of the rows of columns may be replaced with a load-bearing wall. Such a dual hall, one-span station, Kashirskaya, was constructed to provide a convenient cross-platform transfer. Recently, stations have appeared with monolithic concrete and steel instead of assembled pieces, as Ploshchad Tukaya in Kazan

Kazan

Kazan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. With a population of 1,143,546 , it is the eighth most populous city in Russia. Kazan lies at the confluence of the Volga and Kazanka Rivers in European Russia. In April 2009, the Russian Patent Office granted Kazan the...

.

The typical shallow column station has two vestibules at both ends of the station, most often combined with below-street crossings.

For many metro systems outside Russia, the typical column station is a two-span station with metal columns, as in New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

, Berlin

Berlin

Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...

, and others. In Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

, underground stations of the Chicago Transit Authority

Chicago Transit Authority

Chicago Transit Authority, also known as CTA, is the operator of mass transit within the City of Chicago, Illinois and some of its surrounding suburbs....

 are three-span stations if constructed with a centre platform.

In the Moscow Metro

Moscow Metro

The Moscow Metro is a rapid transit system serving Moscow and the neighbouring town of Krasnogorsk. Opened in 1935 with one line and 13 stations, it was the first underground railway system in the Soviet Union. As of 2011, the Moscow Metro has 182 stations and its route length is . The system is...

, approximately half of the stations are of shallow depth, built in the 1960s and 1970s, but in Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...

, because of the difficult soil conditions and dense building in the centre of the city this was impossible. The Saint Petersburg Metro

Saint Petersburg Metro

The Saint Petersburg Metro is the underground railway system in Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It has been open since November 15, 1955.Formerly known as the V.I...

 has only three shallow-depth stations altogether, all of column design: Avtovo

Avtovo (Saint Petersburg Metro)

Avtovo is a station on the Kirovsko-Vyborgskaya Line of the Saint Petersburg Metro. It was designed by architect Ye.A. Levinson and opened as part of the first Metro line on November 15, 1955....

, Leninsky Prospekt

Leninsky Prospekt (Saint Petersburg Metro)

Leninsky Prospekt is a station on the Kirovsko-Vyborgskaya Line of the Saint Petersburg Metro, located between Avtovo and Prospekt Veteranov....

, and Prospekt Veteranov

Prospekt Veteranov (Saint Petersburg Metro)

Prospekt Veteranov is a station on the south end of Kirovsko-Vyborgskaya Line of the Saint Petersburg Metro, next to Leninsky Prospekt.The station was opened on September 29, 1977 along with Leninsky Prospekt. It is located near the beginning of the street of the same name.This station has no...

. The first of these is less typical, as it is buried at a significant depth, and has only one surface vestibule.

External links

• V. Spiridenkov, "Shallow-depth stations." article from unofficial Moscow Metro site (Russian
  Russian language
  Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
  
  )