| Kiev Metro Київський метрополітен Kyivs'kyi metropoliten |
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|---|---|
| Info | |
| Owner | Kiev City Council |
| Locale | Kiev |
| Transit type | Rapid transit |
| Number of lines | 3 |
| Number of stations | 50 |
| Daily ridership | 1.38 million (approximate) |
| Website | http://www.metro.kiev.ua/ |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | 1960-06-11 |
| Operator(s) | Kyivskyi Metropoliten |
| Number of vehicles | 664 cars (in 131 trains) |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1,520 mm (4 ft 11 5⁄6 in) |
The Kiev Metro (Ukrainian: Київський метрополітен or Київське метро) is a metro system that is the mainstay of Kiev's public transport. It was the first rapid transit system in Ukraine and the third one built in the USSR (after Moscow and St. Petersburg Metros). It now has three lines with a total length of 65.18 kilometres and 50 stations.[1] The system carries 1.38 million passengers daily,[1] accounting for 42.5% of the Kiev's public transport load. In 2010, the total number of trips exceeded 504.2 million. One of the deepest stations in the world, Arsenalna (at 105.5 metres),[2] is found on the system.
Contents |
| # | Name | Opened | Stations | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sviatoshynsko-Brovarska Line | 1960 | 18 | 22.64 km (14.1 mi) |
| 2 | Kurenivsko-Chervonoarmiyska Line | 1976 | 16 | 18.48 km (11.5 mi) |
| 3 | Syretsko-Pecherska Line | 1989 | 16 | 23.86 km (14.8 mi) |
| 4 | Podilsko-Vyhurivska Line | Under construction | ||
| 5 | Livoberezhna Line | Planned | ||
| Total: | 50 | 65.18 km (40.5 mi) | ||
The metro follows a standard Soviet triangle three line, six radii layout that intersects in the centre where the stations are built very deep underground and could potentially double as bomb shelters.
Presently, there are 50 stations. The former comprise 21 stations, of which 17 are of pylon type, 3 are of column type. Of the 23 sub-surface stations, 14 stations are of pillar-trispan type, two are side-platform pillar bi-spans, 7 more are single-vaults, and a further one is an asymmetrical double deck bispan. In addition, 6 stations are located above ground, of which four are surface level, and two are flyover. Most of the stations have large vestibules, some on surface level whilst others are underground interlinked with subways. Recently, access for disabled persons, previously overlooked, has become an important issue, and all new stations have been constructed with necessary provisions.
Three yards provide a total of 664 metro cars which form 131 trains that travel on 65.18 km of track carrying 1.38 million passengers daily between 6:00 and 0:00 when the metro is open.
A single ride costs 2.00 hryvnia ($0.25) regardless of destination and number of transits within the metro. The ride is paid by plastic tokens and contactless cards when entering the metro.
Plastic tokens are used for turnstiles; the tokens can be bought from cashiers at all stations or from automatic exchange machines that exchange 2 and 10 Hryvnia bills into tokens. The current tokens are of blue color; before 2008 green tokens were used that are no longer valid.
Contactless (RFID-based) cards are also used to enter the metro. The card can be purchased for a small fee (7 hryvnias as of 2010) and loaded for up to 50 trips with the same per-ride price as tokens. Also, the cards can be purchased for unlimited rides for a one or half month.
In late 1990s - early 2000s, monthly metro passes with a magnetic strip were used. This technology had not been perfected as it required several repeat attempts for the ticket to be read.
Originally the Metro ride cost 0.5 Soviet rubles (50 kopecks), however in 1961 following Soviet denomination, and for the next 30 years, the ride was fixed at 0.05 rubles (5 kopecks). Since 1991 as the country suffered from hyperinflation the price gradually rose by 1996 to 30,000 karbovanets. Following the 1996 denomination 30,000 karbovanets became 0.3 hryvnias (30 kopiyok). Since then the price was raised twice, to 50 kopiyok in 2000 and to 2 hryvnia in 2008 (later reduced to 1.70). The price is set by the Kiev City Administration subject to approval of the national government. In November 2008 when the price was increased to 2 hryvnia, there were public protests and the Antitrust Committee of Ukraine ordered to decrease the price to 1.70 hryvnia as of January 23, 2009. In September 2010 the price was increased to 2 hryvnia
A proposal to set prices according to the distance traveled, or time spent in the metro, is currently being discussed. For this purpose, turnstiles have already been installed near metro exits.
The story for a rapid transit system in Kiev originates back to 1916 when businessmen of the Russo-American trading corporation attempted to collect funds to sponsor construction of a metro in Kiev, which previously has been a pioneering city for Imperial Russian rapid transit, like opening of the first Russian tram system. After the downfall of the Tsarist government Hetman Skoropadsky was also much interested in building the system, but after the downfall of the Hetmanate in the autumn of 1918 Ukraine plunged into chaos of Civil War and the project was shelved for good.
Following the Bolshevik's victory in the Russian Civil War, Kiev became only a provincial city and no large scale proposals to improve the city were drawn. Two decades later all this changed when in 1934, the capital of the Ukrainian SSR was moved from Kharkiv to Kiev. In 1936 the presidium of the Kiev Municipal Soviet analysed the first report by the Moscow Institute for Transport Engineering proposing an underground system for the reconstruction of the new capital. Funds were already allocated to plan the development, but it was discontinued in 1938 when preparation for World War II became a priority.
Following the terrible destruction suffered by the city in the war, a massive reconstruction was opened for the capital of the third largest city in the USSR. This time the Metro was in the plan and construction began in August 1949. Eleven years later the first 5.2 kilometre segment from the Vokzalna to Dnipro.
Those five stations formed the central part of what is today known as the Sviatoshynsko-Brovarska Line, which runs from the west to the east of the city. The line crossed the Dnieper river in 1965 across a newly constructed Metro Bridge and went east to the large residential areas being built on the left bank of the river, with subsequent extensions in 1968 and 1971. At the same time it extended to Kiev's westernmost residential areas of Sviatoshyn and Bilychi in three stages 1963, 1971 and 2003.
Construction of the second line began in the early 1970s and the first three stations were opened in 1976. What became known as the Kurenivsko-Chervonoarmiyska Line continued expanding. In two stages (in 1980 and 1982) it reached Obolon, then the largest residential district, in northern Kiev. At the same time construction continued to the southwest with new stations added in 1981 and 1984.
Construction of the third, Syretsko-Pecherska Line began in 1981 for the first three station segment to open in 1989 in central Kiev. Following a northwest-southeast axis, in 1991 it continued up to the left bank of the Dnieper and by 1992 crossed the river and continued into the rapidly developing Poznyaky and Kharkivskyi residential districts which it reached in 1994. In mid late 1990s construction began on expansion to the older Syrets district in the northwest direction with stations opening in 1996, 2000 and 2004. In addition some of the intermediate stations were deliberately left unfinished and opened later: Pecherska (Opened in 1997) and Vyrlytsia (in 2006).
On December 15, 2010 three new stations (Demiivska, Holosiivska, and Vasylkivska) were opened in the direction of Teremki. On December 27, 2010 new station Vystavkovyi Tsentr was opened near the National Expocentre of Ukraine. Subsequent extension is not announced, but will include two branches with five stations in total.
Like all Metro systems in the former Soviet Union which are known for their vivid and colourful decorations, Kiev's is no exception. The original stations of the first stage are elaborately decorated, showing the postwar Stalinist architecture blended with traditional Ukrainian motifs. First projects of stations were offered at the beginning of 50s abounded with rich decorations - mosaics, ornaments, bas-reliefs, sculptures and a lot of marble. Each station had original shape. This stations should be constructed in monumental style like stations, built in 50s in Moscow and Leningrad. For example Arsenalna station instead of small central hall should have wide hall with sculptures of warriors of the civil and great patriotic wars, Vokzalna station should be decorated with ornaments and bas-reliefs on columns and big decorative map of Ukrainian SSR in an end face, Politeckhnichniy Institut station on first project had big mosaic panels devoted a natural sciences. But at the ending has begun period of functionality in soviet architecture and struggle against architectural extravagances, propagated by Khruschev and in definitive projects, stations lost the most part of decorations. Universitet station has been subject to simplification less than others - pylons adorned with busts of scientists and writers. The next stations that opened in 1963 had an ascetic and strict appearance. Open-air stations, that opened in 60s and underground stations of 1971 were built by standard primitive project - so-called "sorokonozhka" (centipede) because of a lot of thin supports at both sides of platform. Functionality became the most important factor in the newer designs, and stations built at that time were almost identical save the design of tile patterns and pillar riveting material. Only in the 1970s did decorative architecture start to make a rapid recovery. The stations built from the 1980s onwards show more innovative design comparing with the stations in other cities in former USSR.
Also, some of the older stations have undergone upgrades to lighting and renovation of some decorative material. After the declaration of Ukrainian independence following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, some of the Soviet symbols originally incorporated into decor were adapted to modern times or removed altogether by altering architectural composition of those stations, making them lose some of their original splendour.
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The use of Russian and Ukrainian languages in the Kiev metro can be taken as a good illustration of the linguistic policies of the Soviet Union and Ukraine. When the Metro was opened in 1960, although many workers and all technical level documents were using Russian, nevertheless all the signs and announcements used Ukrainian exclusively. The closeness of the languages did allow for every station to have a Russian translation and these were often given in Russian language literature and media. However some Ukrainian names for stations were different from Russian ones, and to signify this, those stations were semi-translated into Russian, effectively blending Ukrainian words into Russian grammar. Examples of this include Zhovtneva and Chervonoarmiyska (later renamed to Beresteiska and Palats Ukrayina respectively) which when translated into Russian would become Oktyabrskaya and Krasnoarmeiskaya. The names were instead given as Zhovtnevaya and Chervonoarmeiskaya.
During the 1980s, partly due to Shcherbytsky's gradual Russification campaign, and partly due to Kiev becoming increasingly Russophone, the metro started to change as well. Although the stations retained their original Ukrainian titles on the vestibules, Russian appeared together with Ukrainian on the walls, and replaced Ukrainian in signs and voice announcements. Stations that were opened during this period still had Ukrainian names appearing along with Russian ones on the walls, but now all the decorations, where slogans were included, became bilingual as well. Also during this time, the unique practice of blending Ukrainian into Russian was dropped, and those selected stations were named in standard Russian translation.
During Perestroika in the late 1980s, bilingualism was gradually introduced in signs and in voice announcements in the trains. Prior to 1991, this was done with Ukrainian following Russian, but after the republic's proclamation of independence in August 1991 the order was changed to Ukrainian preceding Russian. After the fall of the Soviet Union in late 1991, both signs and voice announcements were changed from bilingualism to just Ukrainian due to the Ukrainianization policy. However, the Russian names are still used in Russian-language literature and some documentation, and some of the decorations still feature bilingual inscriptions.
Recently, most older signs that featured Latin transliteration of Ukrainian names along with English titles such as "transfer to" or "exit" have been replaced. Most of these were in a separate, paler font.
| Signs in the metro with modern Ukrainian names | |||||||||
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The Kiev Metro is managed by the state-owned city municipal company Kyivsky Metropoliten which was privatised in the early 1990s from the Ministry of Rail services (formally known as Kyivsky Metropoliten Ordena Lenina, Imeni V.I.Lenina). The Metro employs several thousand workers in tunnel and track, station and rolling stock management. In addition to being state sponsored for operation, income comes from ticket sales and from advertisements (controlled by a daughter company Metroreklama) that are displayed in most stations. Metro building is organised by a daughter company Kyivmetrobud [3] which allocates segments of construction to individual brigades that are responsible for tunnel and station construction. Kyivmetrobud is directly funded by the profits of the Metro and by the state. Most of the state funding comes from Kiev's municipality and additional subventions are received from the State budget directly.
In 2009 Kiev Metro Kyivsky Metropoliten saw a loss of 210 million Hryvnya, according to them the main reason for the company's unprofitability was that the tariffs for passenger transportation did not cover costs.[4]
On the whole the condition of the metro is satisfactory for most people. For example vandalism and graffiti are not common in Kiev. Public order is now being maintained with Militsiya (police) personnel on all stations. In the wake of recent terrorist fears, all of the stations are now fitted with CCTV surveillance cameras.
The rolling stock is often repaired and renovated internally and externally. Newer models are being procured at the same time.
There are restrictions on the size of luggage that passengers are allowed to carry, and those that do are required to pay additional fees. Bicycles and animals are not allowed.
Until recently, amateur photography was frowned upon, and video shooting remains illegal.
Provisions for disabled people, until recently, were non-existent. However, the new stations are now fitted with lifts and plans are underway to upgrade the older stations as well.
If all of this is completed the Metro will rise from the present 50 stations to approximately 100, which will include several ghost stations on the Syretsko-Pecherska Line. In the more distant future it is expected that rapid transit will be developed further including a surface ring railway which will go around Kiev and a rapid rail exchange with Boryspil Airport.
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