Minsk Metro
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| Overview | |||
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| Native name |
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| Owner | State ownership | ||
| Locale | Minsk, Belarus | ||
| Transit type | Rapid transit | ||
| Number of lines | 2 | ||
| Number of stations | 29 | ||
| Daily ridership | 872,700 (2014) | ||
| Annual ridership | 318.5 million (2014) | ||
| Website | metropoliten |
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| Operation | |||
| Began operation | 30 June 1984 | ||
| Operator(s) | Минский Метрополитен [Minsk Metro] | ||
| Number of vehicles | 361 | ||
| Technical | |||
| System length | 37.3 km (23.2 mi) | ||
| Track gauge | 1,524 mm (5 ft) | ||
| Average speed | 41 km/h (25 mph) | ||
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The Minsk Metro (Belarusian: Мінскі метрапалітэн, Russian: Минский метрополитен) is a rapid-transit system that serves Minsk, the capital of Belarus. Opened in 1984, it presently consists of 2 lines and 29 stations, totaling 37.27 kilometres (23.16 mi). In 2013, the system carried 328.3 million passengers, which averages to a daily ridership of approximately 899,450.
During the 1950s–1970s the population of the city soared over a million and designs for a rapid transit system were initially put up during the late 1960s. Construction began on 3 May 1977, and the system was opened to the public on 30 June 1984, becoming the ninth metro system in the Soviet Union. The original eight station section has since expanded into a two-line 29 station network with 37.27 kilometres (23.16 mi) of route.
Despite the dissolution of the Soviet Union the construction of Minsk metro continued uninterrupted throughout the 1990s (as opposed to other ex-Soviet Metros like those of Yerevan and Samara, which were halted due to a complete lack of funding). Some experts attribute it to the slow reform of the Soviet planned economy in Belarus, which turned out to be beneficial for the metro expansion. Currently, station launch dates are ahead of original schedule. For example, the final phase of the Aŭtazavodskaja Line, originally planned for 2006, was opened in late 2005, and similarly the northern extension of the Maskoŭskaja Line, originally scheduled for 2008, opened on 7 November 2007. There were also 3 new stations opened on the southern end of the Maskoŭskaja line in November 2012.
The city is located on an almost level surface and on very dry soils. As a result, although all of the Minsk Metro stations are under the surface, there are no deep-level stations that are found in most of the ex-Soviet cities. Out of the current 29 stations 19 are pillar-spans and 10 are of vaulted type. Like most of the Soviet metro systems, all of the stations are vividly decorated. Some (notably, Niamiha) exhibit Belarusian national motifs, others focus on more Soviet socialist themes. Although recent years saw more priority on high-tech decorations.
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