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The Kiev Metro (Ukrainian: Київський метрополітен, Kyivskyi metropoliten;; Russian: Киевский метрополитен; Kievskiy metropoliten) is a metro system that is the mainstay of Kiev's public transport. It was the first metro in Ukraine and the third one built in the USSR (after Moscow and Saint Petersburg). Kiev Metro carries 1.6 million passengers daily, accounting for 34% of 4.7 million people who use the city's public transport system every day. In 2005, the number of trips totalled over 600 million. Image File history File links KyivMetroLogo. ... Image File history File links KyivMetroLogo. ... Metro is: a general term, synonymous with rapid transit, subway or underground, for an urban underground rail public transit system (see list of rapid transit systems); any of several specific public transport systems, including: Bi-State Development Agency in Missouri and Illinois, d/b/a Metro since 2003 Buffalo Metro... A monument to St. ... Skytrain Bangkok. ... A current map of the Moscow Metro. ... The Saint Petersburg Metro system in Saint Petersburg, Russia. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Lines and stations

Plan of the Kiev Metro

(The colours in the table correspond to the colours of the lines in the Kiev metro map.) Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x695, 38 KB) Summary The updated official map of the Kiev Metro system that is currently used in all carriages. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x695, 38 KB) Summary The updated official map of the Kiev Metro system that is currently used in all carriages. ... edit The Sviatoshynsko-Brovarska Line (Ukrainian: ;Russian: , Svyatoshinsko-Brovarskaya), was the first line of the Kiev Metro, dating back to 1960. ... edit The Kurenivsko-Chervonoarmiyska Line (Ukrainian: ;Russian: , Kurenevsko-Krasnoarmeiskaya), is a line of the Kiev Metro, first opened in 1976, it extendend northwards along the right bank of the Dnieper river and souhtwest deviating from the river. ... edit The Syretsko-Pecherska Line (Ukrainian: ;Russian: , Syretsko-Pecherskaya), is a line of the Kiev Metro, first opened in 1989, it extendend southeast on the right bank of the Dnieper river before crossing it on a covered bridge and then east from there. ...

Dnipro Station, Kiev Metro

Kiev metro consists of 3 lines following the standard Soviet triangle layout of six radii intersecting in the centre, where most of the stations are very deep and could double as a bomb shelter. The interstation distance is also quite great 1.4 kilometres, although some of the longer tunnel streches have provisions for additional stations to be built in. This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... A bunker is a defensive warfare fortification to protect oneself. ...

The 45 stations are split almost evenly between deep level and sub-surface stations. The former compromise 20 stations, of which 15 are of pylon type, 3 are of column type, and 2 stations are vall-columned. Of the 19 sub-surface stations, 12 stations are of pillar-trispan type and one is a side-platform pillar bi-span, 5 more are single vaults, and 1 is a single deck. In addition, 6 stations are located above ground, of which four are surface level, and the rest are estacade. Some stations have surface vestibules, whilst others are below street level interlinked with understeet subways. Recentely disabled access became a big issue (previously overlooked) and all new stations have provisions. Roman pillar In architecture and structural engineering, a column is that part of a structure whose purpose is to transmit through compression the weight of the structure. ... In architecture, a vault is an arched structure of masonry, forming a ceiling or canopy. ...

Two depots provide a total of 617 metro cars which form 109 trains that travel 56.9 km of track length carrying 1.7 million passengers daily between 6:00 and until 0:00 when the metro is open. Stations usually have large entrance halls, which often host vendors.

History

Escalators at Teatralna Station, Kiev Metro

The planning of a rapid transit system in Kiev began back in 1934, after the capital of the Ukrainian SSR was moved from Kharkiv to Kiev. World War II, however, delayed the start of construction until 1949, and the first five stations were opened only in 1960. Those stations formed the central part of what is known as the Sviatoshynsko-Brovarska Line, which runs from west to east of the city. The line crossed the Dnieper river in 1965 across a newly constructed Metro Bridge and was expanded to Kiev westernmost residential area of Svyatoshyn in 1971. The first stations of the Kurenivsko-Chervonoarmiyska Line, which stretches from north to south, were opened in 1976, and in the 1980s the line reached Obolon, then the largest residential district, in the north of Kiev. Syretsko-Pecherska Line opened in 1989 with the first 3 stations in central Kiev. In 1994, the line reached the left bank of the Dnieper and crossed the river in 1996. Now Syretsko-Pecherska Line connects the rapidly developing Poznyaky and Kharkivskyi residential areas with the city centre and with the older Syrets neighbourhood. Image File history File links PhotoOfTeatralnaStation. ... Image File history File links PhotoOfTeatralnaStation. ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... State motto: Пролетарі всіх країн, єднайтеся! Official language None. ... Vintage view of Kharkov in the 1890s. ... Combatants Allies: • Soviet Union, • UK & Commonwealth, • USA, • France/Free France, • China, • Poland, • ...and others Axis: • Germany, • Japan, • Italy, • ...and others Casualties Military dead: 18 million Civilian dead: 33 million Full list Military dead: 7 million Civilian dead: 4 million Full list World War II, also known as the Second World... 1949 (MCMXLIX) is a common year starting on Saturday. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... edit The Sviatoshynsko-Brovarska Line (Ukrainian: ;Russian: , Svyatoshinsko-Brovarskaya), was the first line of the Kiev Metro, dating back to 1960. ... This article is about the river. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... Kiev neighborhoods cover both banks of the Dnieper River whose distributary forms several islands as it flows through Kiev. ... Svyatoshyn (Ukrainian: ) is a formal district and neighborhood of Ukraine capital Kiev. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ... edit The Kurenivsko-Chervonoarmiyska Line (Ukrainian: ;Russian: , Kurenevsko-Krasnoarmeiskaya), is a line of the Kiev Metro, first opened in 1976, it extendend northwards along the right bank of the Dnieper river and souhtwest deviating from the river. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1980 (MCMLXXX in Roman) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Obolon (Ukrainian: , Obolon’) can be: Obolon Raion, a district of Ukraines capital city, Kiev Obolon CJSC, the largest Ukrainian brewer FC Obolon Kyiv, soccer club based in Kiev Obolon Metro Station, a station of Kiev Metro This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same... edit The Syretsko-Pecherska Line (Ukrainian: ;Russian: , Syretsko-Pecherskaya), is a line of the Kiev Metro, first opened in 1989, it extendend southeast on the right bank of the Dnieper river before crossing it on a covered bridge and then east from there. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV in Roman) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... The Kharkivskyi (Ukrainian: ) raion (neighborhood) was first developed between the mid 1980s and early 1990s as an expansion of the Darnytsia raion of Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. ...

Architecture

Metro systems in the former Soviet Union are known for their vivid and colourful decorations, and Kiev metro is no exception. The original stations are elaborately decorated, blending together traditional Ukrainian motives with those of postwar Stalinist architecture. From the mid-1960s, however, functionality of metro became the most important factor in the architecture. Only in the 1970s did decorative architecture start to make a rapid recovery. Never executed design for the Palace of Soviets in Moscow. ...

The stations built from the 1980s onwards show more innovative design that influenced also stations in other cities in former USSR. After the 1991 Ukrainian independence following the breakup of the Soviet Union, some of the Soviet symbols incorporated into decor were altered or removed altogether. This created a conflict with the original architectural composition of those stations State motto (Russian): Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь! (Transliterated: Proletarii vsekh stran, soedinyaytes!) (Translated: Workers of the world, unite!) Capital Moscow Official language None; Russian (de facto) Government Federation of Socialist republics Area  - Total  - % water 1st before collapse 22,402,200 km² Approx. ...

Original stations blend Image File history File links Arsenalnaya_central_hall. ...

Ukrainian motives Image File history File links Kreshchatik_central_hall. ...

Stalinist decorations Image File history File links Universitet_central_hall. ...

In a unique ensemble. Image File history File links Vokzalnaya_central_hall. ...

Language issues

Signs in the Metro with modern Ukrainian names

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 semi-transliterated into Russian, effectively blending Ukrainian words into Russian grammar. Examples of this include Zhovnteva and Chervonoarmiyska (both later renamed to Beresteiska and Palats Ukrayina respectively) when translated into Russian would become Oktyabrskaya and Krasnoarmeiskaya, were instead given as Zhovtnevaya and Chervonoarmeiskaya. Image File history File links Metro in Kiev, Ukraine. ... Image File history File links Metro in Kiev, Ukraine. ...

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 was added mixed in with Ukrainian on the walls, and replaced Ukrainian in signs and voice announcements. Stations that were opened during this period still had Ukrainian appearing along with Russian on the walls, but now all the decorations, where slogans were required, too became bilingual. Also during this time the unique practice of blending Ukrainian into Russian was dropped, and those selected stations were called in standard Russian translation. 1980 (MCMLXXX in Roman) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Russification is an adoption of the Russian language or some other Russian attribute (whether voluntarily or not) by non-Russian communities. ...

During the Perestroika in 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 bilingual to Ukrainian-only during the Ukrainianization campaign. However the Russian names are still used in Russian-language literature and some documentation, also some of the decorations that featured bilingual slogans were retained. The recently opened stations feature some signs (like "exit") in English. Poster showing Mikhail Gorbachev Perestroika ▶ (help· info) (Перестро́йка) is the Russian word (which passed into English) for the economic reforms introduced in June 1987 by the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. ... The term bilingualism (from bi meaning two and lingua meaning language) can refer to rather different phenomena. ...

Future plans

The third depot (on Syretsko-Pecherska Line) is under construction and is scheduled to be opened by Ukraine Independence Day, August 24, 2006. edit The Syretsko-Pecherska Line (Ukrainian: ;Russian: , Syretsko-Pecherskaya), is a line of the Kiev Metro, first opened in 1989, it extendend southeast on the right bank of the Dnieper river before crossing it on a covered bridge and then east from there. ... August 24 is the 236th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (237th in leap years), with 129 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

A map of the planned expansion of the Kiev Metro.

The Kurenivsko-Chervonoarmiyska Line and Syretsko-Pecherska Line are being extended with plans for new stations stretching beyond 2020. According to the plans Kurenivsko-Chervonoarmiyska Line will expand southwards to the residential area of Teremky, Syretsko-Pecherska Line will extend north-westwards to Vynohradar neighborhood and on the left bank of the Dnieper from the exisiting Boryspilska station to the Livoberezhna station. Image File history File links Kiev_metro_map_a3. ... Image File history File links Kiev_metro_map_a3. ...

A fourth line, called Podilsko-Vyhurivska, is planned for opening in 2009 or 2010. Initially, it will have three stations all at the intersections with the existing lines. Future plans for this line include making it run north of and parallel to the Svyatoshynsko-Brovarska Line on the left bank of the Dnieper.

A fifth line, Livoberezhna, planned to be launched in 2009 will run from north to south along the left bank of the Dnieper, intersecting with the Podilsko-Vyhurivska Line and the Svyatoshynsko-Brovarska Line at the Livoberezhna station. The line will provide metro services to Troyeshchyna, Kiev's largest residential area.

In the more distant future it is expected that rapid transit be developed further including a surface ring railroad which will go around Kiev, and a rapid rail exchange with the Boryspil International Airport. Boryspil International Airport (IATA: KBP, ICAO: UKBB) is an international airport located near the city of Boryspil, 29 km east of Kiev . ...

External links

• ((Russian)) Kiev metro site, supported by Metro-fans
• ((English)) Kiev metro site at UrbanRail
• ((English)) Kiev metro English map at Best of Ukraine
• ((Russian)) Another popular site