Baku Metro
| Baku Metro | |
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| Info | |
| Locale | Baku |
| Transit type | Rapid transit |
| Number of lines | 2 |
| Number of stations | 22 |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | 1967 |
| Technical | |
| System length | 33.1 km (20.6 mi) |
Baku Metro (Azerbaijani: Bakı Metropoliteni) is a rapid transit system serving Baku the capital of Azerbaijan. First opened in 1967, during the time of the Soviet Union, it has the features found in most other ex-Soviet systems, including very deep central stations, and exquisite decorations that blend traditional Azerbaijani national motifs with Soviet ideology. At present the system has 33.1 kilometres of bi-directional track with 22 stations.
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History
During the final decades of the Russian Empire, the port city of Baku, became a large metropolis due to the discovery of Oil in the Caspian Sea, by the 1930s, it was the capital of the Azerbaijani SSR and the largest city in Soviet Transcaucasia. The first plans for a rapid-transit system date to the 1930s upon the adoption of a new general plan for the city development.
Having survived the Second World War without falling to the Germans, and even further becoming a strategic hub of the Caucasus, the population further increased past the one million mark, a legal requirement of Soviet law for allowing construction of a Metro system. In 1947 the Soviet Cabinet of Ministers issued a decree authorising its construction, which began in 1951. On November 6, 1967, Baku metro became the fifth rapid-transit system of the Soviet Union when the first 6.5 kilometres of track along with a depot were inaugurated, in honour of the fiftieth anniversary of the October Revolution.
Due to the unique landscape of the city, Baku Metro did not have the typical Soviet "triangle" layout of development, and instead had two elliptical lines which crossed over each other at the very centre of the city - the Baku Railway Terminal. Thus one line would begin at the southwestern end of the city, and cross on a northeastern axis to follow the residential districts on the northern edge of the city and then snake along to the southeastern and ultimately southern end. This was inaugurated in three stages: Ulduz (1970), Neftçilər (1972) with Ahmedli following in 1989 and Hazi Aslanov in 2002 finishing the first contour. In addition in 1979 a branch was opened to a station built in a depot, Bakmil.
The second line was to follow the parallel the Caspian coast from Hazi Aslanov, through Baku's industrial districts before meeting the first line again at the same Railway Terminal, and then follow westwards, before turning north to join Baku's northwestern districts. To accelerate construction, a branch was opened from 28 May station to Khatai in 1968, and in 1976 in the opposite direction towards Nizami, thus the second and first line used the same station (28 May). This posed no serious problems initially, as the line was two stations long, but when in 1985 the second stage opened which now lengthened the line to 8 stations (Memar Ajemi), construction of a transfer was desperately needed.
In 1993, the first stage of the transfer station Jafar Jabbarli came in operation, but the end of the Soviet Union and the political unrest, military conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh and the financial collapse which followed effectively paralyzed any construction attempts in Baku. Furthermore during the 1990s two catastrophes took place: in July 1994 a terrorist attack killed 13 and injured 42 people, and in October of the following year a fire in a crowded train killed 289 and injured more than 300 people.
Only in the late 1990s could construction re-start and the first was the unfinished Hazi Aslanov station which was part-sponsored by the European Union. In the mid-2000th construction of the northern end of the second line, abandoned since 1994, was restarted with Nasimi opening in 9 October 2008.
In 2008, the Chief of the Baku Metro, Taghi Ahmedov, announced plans to construct 41 new stations over the next 17 years. These will serve the new bus complex as well as the international airport.[1].
Timeline
| Segment | Date opened | Length |
|---|---|---|
| İçərişəhər-Nəriman Nərimanov | November 25, 1967 | 6.5 km |
| 28 May-Şah İsmail Xətai | February 22, 1968 | 2.3 km |
| Nəriman Nərimanov-Ulduz | May 5, 1970 | 2.1 km |
| Ulduz-Neftçilər | November 7, 1972 | 5.3 km |
| 28 May-Nizami Gəncəvi | December 31, 1976 | 2.2 km |
| Nəriman Nərimanov-Bakmil | March 28, 1979 | 0.5 km |
| Nizami Gəncəvi-Memar Əcəmi | December 31, 1985 | 6.5 km |
| Neftçilər-Əhmədli | April 28, 1989 | 3.3 km |
| Cəfər Cabbarlı | December 27, 1993 | N/A |
| Əhmədli-Həzi Aslanov | December 10, 2002 | 1.4 km |
| Memar Əcəmi-Nəsimi | October 9, 2008 | 2.1 km |
| Nəsimi-Azadlıq prospekti | December 30, 2009 | 1.3 km |
| Total: | 22 stations | 33.1 km |
Old stations names
- Shaumyan — Khatai
- XI Gizil Ordu Meydani — 20 Yanvar
- 28 Aprel — 28 May
- Avrora — Gara Garayev
- Elektorzavod — Bakmil
- 26 Baki Komissari - Sahil
- Baki Soveti - İçәri Şәhәr
| Baku Metro
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Həzi Aslanov | |||||||||
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Əhmədli | |||||||||
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Xalqlar Dostluğu | |||||||||
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Neftçilər | |||||||||
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Qara Qarayev | |||||||||
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Məşədi Əzizbəyov | |||||||||
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Ulduz | |||||||||
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Bakmil | |||||||||
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Nəriman Nərimanov | |||||||||
| Şah İsmail Xətai |
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Gənclik | |||||||
| Cəfər Cabbarlı |
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28 May | |||||||
| Nizami Gəncəvi |
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Sahil | |||||||
| Elmlər Akademiyası |
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İçərişəhər | |||||||
| İnşaatçılar |
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| 20 Yanvar |
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| Memar Əcəmi |
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| Nəsimi |
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| Azadlıq prospekti |
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| Dərnəgül |
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Operation
Officially Baku Metro has two lines, however due to problems with opening the second part of Cəfər Cabbarlı, Baku instead operates as a large four branch system, with trains travelling from Həzi Aslanov to İçərişəhər and Əcəmi. The operation between Əcəmi and Nəsimi runs as a shuttle service that is temporary until the opening of Azadlıq prospekti in 2009. In addition a rare service from both Əcəmi, Aslanov and İçərişəhər terminates at Bakmil at an interval of twice per hour. Thus the only part of the second line that operates separately is the Cəfər Cabbarlı — Şah İsmail Xətai shuttle service using only one of the two tracks due to low demand.
Due to the city's uneven landscape some stations are very deep, that could double as bomb shelters in case of a nuclear war attack, given that the system was built at the height of the Cold War in the 1950s/early 1960s. All seven of these deep level stations have a standard pylon design. The majority of the system's stations, 13, are shallow pillar-trispans. In addition one station, Bakmil, is a single platform surface level.
Like many other former Soviet most of the stations of the system are exquisitely decorated as the images on the right show, many feature advanced Soviet motives in artwork (including mosaics, sculpture and bas-reliefs) and architecture such as those of progress and internationalist culture, whilst others focus on traditional Azeri culture and history. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, several stations were renamed, and some of their decoration was altered to comply with the new ideology.
Rolling stock
Baku is served by one single depot, which is located next to the Bakmil surface station, and carries the same name. As of January 2005, the system had 228 cars, of which 43 five-car trains were formed, the rest used for specialist duties. The earliest set of models include the old Ezh3 and Em-508 types, whilst most are the 81-717/714 and their modifications which Baku has been receiving since the early 1980s.
Ticketing
In 2006 the metro administration started to introduce new payment system for the Baku Metro. Instead of using tokens in turnstiles, the Baku Metro switched to use the newest RFID card system for access. The cards can be purchased for 2 manat but must be charged to use. This new system has become an instant major success, and has become very popular amongst passengers. 0.15 manat charges the card with a fare. Cards can be used multiple times at any stop, allowing an entire group to ride the Baku Metro with only a single card. There is no charge to transfer between Metro lines within a single stop.
See also
- List of Baku metro stations
References
- ↑ "41 new underground stations to be constructed in Azerbaijani capital in the next 17 years". Today.az. October 10, 2008. http://www.today.az/news/business/48132.html. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
External links
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