Baku Metro (Azerbaijani: Bakı Metropoliteni, in 1967—1991 also Lenin adına Bakı Metropoliteni, Russian: Бакинский метрополитен имени В. И. Ленина - V. I. Lenin Baku Metro) 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. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Coordinates: , Country Government  - Mayor Hajibala Abutalybov Area  - City 260 km²  (100. ... “Mass Transit” redirects here. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (Russian: Влади́мир Ильи́ч Ле́нин), original surname Ulyanov (Улья́нов) (April 22 (April 10 (O.S.)), 1870 – January 21, 1924), was... “Mass Transit” redirects here. ... Coordinates: , Country Government  - Mayor Hajibala Abutalybov Area  - City 260 km²  (100. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... Soviet redirects here. ...

Description

Inside of a Baku underground train

At present the system has 29.9 kilometres of bi-directional track with 20 stations. Of these one is a surface, and the rest underground, of which seven are deep-level and 16 sub-surface. Officially Baku Metro has two lines, but that is not entirely correct, as a major part of the second line is under operation of the first one, and the remaining is a short two station shuttle service. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (1,600 × 1,200 pixels, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (1,600 × 1,200 pixels, file size: 1. ...

General information

The capital of the Azerbaijan Republic - Baku - is a fourth (by population) and one of the largest cities (by land area) in the former Soviet Union, with roughly 3.5 million citizens on some 1200 sq. km of agglomeration. Coordinates: , Country Government  - Mayor Hajibala Abutalybov Area  - City 260 km²  (100. ...

Baku and oil are two things that are closely tied with each other. Oil deposits in the Absheron were already widely known in ancient times. This led to the start-up and development of many large enterprises, including oil production and processing factories, as well as power, machinery, chemical, and metal enterprises in late 19th-early 20th centuries. The working settlements and residential areas of Baku were constantly developing and expanding around those industrial enterprises. Apsheron (Abseron Yasaqligi) is a peninsula and a Rayon in eastern Caucasus in the historical region of Arran. ...

The beginning of the 30's marks the period of time when Baku became a densely populated industrial, cultural, and scientific center important not only in the Caucasus, but the entire former USSR. It was in 1930s the reservation was made in a new Baku city Master Plan to build the new fast and comfortable type of transportation--an underground Metro. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Caucasus Mountains. ... A rapid transit, underground, subway, tube, elevated, or metro(politan) system is a railway — usually in an urban area — with a high capacity and frequency of service, and grade separation from other traffic. ...

The Baku Metro operates in a standard Soviet design of having multiple radii intersecting in the centre of the city. Due to the city's uneven landscape some stations are very deep whilst some are actually at the surface level. All of the seven deep level stations have a pylon design while the more common shallow level stations are built to the pillar-trispan standard. There is also one surface station. In 2003, the system carried a total of 0.4 million people daily, on 228 metro cars. Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

History

20 Yanvar Station, dedicated to victims of Black January.

In the early 1930s, Baku became capital of the Azerbaijan SSR which after the split of the Transcaucasian SFSR became an equal repulic in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. It's port status on the Caspian Sea and, more important, the centre of the Soviet Oil industry with large industrial areas made it one of the largest cities in the Caucasus and the whole of the USSR. The first plans for a rapid-transit system date to the 1930s upon adoption of a new general plan for the city development. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Soviet government troops arrest several Azeris in a clash with Popular Front protesters in Baku in January 1990. ... State motto: Бүтүн өлкәләрин пролетарлары, бирләшин! Workers of the world, unite! Official language None. ... The Transcaucasian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic was a short-lived (1922-1936) Soviet republic, consisting of Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, which were traditionally known as the Transcaucasian Republics in the Soviet Union. ... Soviet redirects here. ... The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the worlds largest lake or a full-fledged sea. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Caucasus Mountains. ...

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 passed the one million mark, a legal requirement of Soviet law that would allow the construction of a Metro. Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ...

Thus in 1947 the Soviet Cabinet of Ministers issued a decree authorising its construction. Several shafts and numerous tunnels were built during that period. Construction works were split into several stages in order to launch individual lines one by one. Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Azi Aslanov station

The first line of Bakı Soveti, with a total length of 9.92 km along with a depot, was put into operation on November 6, 1967. Soon after in 1968, a 2.2 km branch, "28th May - Khatai" was launched. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Azi Aslanov (Azeri: HÉ™zi Aslanov, Russian: Ази Асланов; January 21, 1910, Lankaran — January 24, 1945) was an Azerbaijani Major-General of armoured troops during the Soviet-German war and a twice Hero of the Soviet Union. ... is the 310th day of the year (311th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Shah Ismail I, the founder of Safavid Dynasty of Iran. ...

In order to provide residents of certain suburbs of Baku with fast and comfortable transport opportunities, most attention focused on the construction of the 6.3-km line Narimanov-Neftchiler. The Ulduz station came into operation in 1970, while Azizbeyov, Gara Garayev, and Neftçilər followed up later in 1972. Meshadi Azim-bek-ogly Azizbekov (also spelled Azizbayov, Azizbeyov, Ezizbeyov etc. ... Gara Garayev, also spelled Qara Qarayev, born as Gara Abulfazl Garayev (December 5, 1918, baku–May 13, 1982, Moscow) was a prominent Azerbaijani composer. ...

The construction of Northern Metro line was continuing and the Nizami station with a 2.2 km tunnel was released to operation in 1976. External links The Legend of Leyli and Majnun Nizami, Jamal al-Din Ilyas. ...

Elmlər Akademiyası Station

The Bakmil station came to operation in 1979. It connected to the south-western part of the city, where large industrial enterprises, such as the Baku air conditioner plant, Electroshtamp, and others were located. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

Nizami Station

The second stage of Metro construction was completed in 1986. This resulted in the launching of Elmlər Akademiyası, Inshaatchilar, January 20th and Memar Ajemi Metro stations. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... External links The Legend of Leyli and Majnun Nizami, Jamal al-Din Ilyas. ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ...

To provide a fast and comfortable connection of the rapidly developing Ahmadli residential area in the Eastern part of Baku a 5.1-km extension was decided to be built, Neftchiler-Hazi Aslanov, In order to rapidly provide the Ahmedli suburbs with fast and comfortable communication opportunities, a decree was issued to release Halqlar Dostluğu and Ahmedli stations into operation. The construction of these stations was completed in 1989. The process of the construction and timely launching of the Baku Metro was numerously discussed by the Central Committee Administration and reflected in decrees issued by the Cabinet of Ministers. Azi Akhad oglu Aslanov (Azeri: HÉ™zi ƏhÉ™d oÄŸlu Aslanov, Azeri Cyrillic: Һəзи Aслaнoв, Russian: Ази Асланов; January 22, 1910, Lankaran—January 24, 1945, Latvia) was an Azerbaijani Major-General of the Soviet armoured troops during the Soviet-German war, who participated in the liberation of Ukraine, Belorus and... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ...

Nariman Narimanov Station

The Jafar Jabbarli station, built as transfer to the 28th May station, came into operation in 1993. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Nariman Kerbalay Nadzhaf ogly Narimanov (April 2, 1870, Tiflis - March 19, 1925, Moscow) was an Azerbaijani revolutionary, writer, publicist, politician and statesman. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ...

After the USSR collapsed in early 1990s, the building of new Metro stations, including Hazi Aslanov, station which was under construction, was stopped due to the difficult situation and withdrawal of capital.

On July 3rd, 1994 an explosion in Baku Metro killed 13 and wounded 42 people. Azerbaijani authorities accused Armenian special services of conducting this terrorist attack. The terrorist was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment.

On October 28th, 1995 fire in Baku Metro train killed 289 and wounded 300 people. Azerbaijani authorities claimed this was also a terrorist attack, however, no evidence has yet been made public.

Old stations names

• Shaumyan (now Khatai)
• 11th Red Army (now 20 January)
• 28 April (now 28 May)
• Avrora (now Gara Garayev)

Expansion plans

Recent developments

The Azerbaijan Government held successful business negotiations with the European Union and the EU provided EUR 4.1 million for the completion of the Hazi Aslanov Metro station.

Xalqlar Dostluğu Station

Baku Metro Administration together with Azertunelmetrotikinti - the metro-construction organisation - mobilized their energy for the construction of the station and involved private enterprises operating in Azerbaijan into that process, as well. These activities helped to fulfill the task in due time. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

With completion of Hazi Aslanov - the 20th station of Baku metro, the length of network reached 31.5 km.

Future

In 2006 the metro administration started to introduce new payment system for the Baku Metro. Instead of using coins, the Baku Metro switched to use the newest RFID card system for access. The cards can be purchased for 2 manats (USD 1.74) but must be charged to use. This new system has become an instant major success, and has become very popular amongst passengers. Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Baku Metro was for long planned to be a two-line (non-typical for Soviet metros) network with 33 stations spreading for 52 km. However, with growing mobility and population, the Baku Metro can potentially become a three-line, network forming a triangle in the city centre, as with many other former Soviet metros.

See also

• List of Baku metro stations

List of Baku metro stations (with opening years) Red line: 1. ...

External links

• Official website
• Urbanrail
• Information
• More information (in Russian)
• Baku Public Transportation