Metro in Yerevan: description, history, station names

The guests of the Armenian capital are probably interested in the question of whether there is a metro in Yerevan. Yes, its discovery took place in 1981. Although the local metro does not play a strategic role in the distribution of traffic due to its small length, it still helps to get to the city center from the airport and back. So far, there is one line with a length of 12 km, but in the future it is planned to build a second branch.

Description

Yerevan Metro Karen Demirchyan was built during the Soviet Union. It crosses the central areas of the city from north to south. Most of the line runs deep underground, but there are also land sections. 7 vestibules - underground, 3 platforms - ground. As a rule, the stations are equipped with one exit, to which 3 escalators lead. You can find them by the white and blue sign with the Armenian letter "M" and the Latin inscription METRO.

The metro in Yerevan was built using earthquake-resistant technology with a high margin of safety. Underground structures with honor withstood the powerful earthquake of 1988, which turned entire cities of the country into ruins.

Mode of operation

The metro is designed to use rolling stocks of up to 5 cars. However, given the not very high congestion of the branch, it is economically feasible to use double-wagon trains. The normal movement interval is 10 minutes. At rush hour it is halved - up to 5 minutes. In recent years, city authorities have been paying great attention to the development of the transport park. The old blue trains are being replaced by new, high-speed ones that stand out in orange.

The cost of one trip is 100 drams, which is equivalent to 20 cents (today about 13 rubles). The coupons are purchased at the box office in front of the platform. They are composted at the entrance of the turnstiles. There are no special machines for their sale. If the time spent in the city is more than 1 day, it is more reasonable to purchase a plastic ticket. The initial cost is 500 drams (64.5 rubles), but you can replenish yourself through the terminals for any amount. Typically, the cards do not have a validity period and may come in handy on your next trip.

Please note that the working time does not end at 24:00 (as in most cities of the CIS), but at 23:00. In the morning, trains begin to move at 6:00. On holidays, the opening hours may be extended.

Historical reference

In the USSR, there was a rule (which was not always observed) that in cities whose population exceeds one million people, it is necessary to build a subway. Initially, in the capital of Armenia, it was planned to carry out underground tram lines (as in Volgograd). They were cheaper, but had less bandwidth. However, the city was growing rapidly, it was decided to build a full-fledged metro in Yerevan.

Work began in 1972, and the first 4 lines were commissioned in 1981. Later, the length increased in 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989 and 1996. There are plans to open two more stations - Achapiyak and Nazarbekian, leading to the northwestern part of the city. In the long run - laying the second line.

Architecture

Yerevan metro stations are not as richly decorated as in the large cities of the former USSR: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Minsk, Kiev. Their architectural style can be described as strict, minimalist.

Stations are allocated by type of construction:

• Underground pylon. It is used for stations with a large depth of occurrence (over 15 meters). It is characterized by increased strength due to the mutual non-intersection of the lining of the station tunnels and the central hall. The supports are wide, massive, archways to the platforms, on the contrary, are low and narrow.
• Columned underground. It is distinguished by its slim structure and large spatial volume due to the narrow (but strong) columns supporting the arch of the central hall. Passages to the platforms are high and wide.
• Ground. Includes a covered canopy.

Each station has a distinctive decoration element of a small architectural form. The decoration is usually made of light marble and painted reinforced concrete. The most interesting is the external design of the Molodezhnaya station. From the prismatic base of a futuristic angular construction, the “eye” of a giant telescope, projected at an angle to the sky, appears to protrude. No less impressive was the passage to the Republic Square station in the form of a multi-meter flower fountain with many petals.

How many metro stations in Yerevan

Yerevan Metro has 10 stations:

Reviews

Subways in major megacities of the world are the main arteries of cities, on which the work of the entire urban infrastructure depends. However, the metro in Yerevan is rather a pleasant addition. Yerevan residents prefer to travel by overland public transport, often crowded. Perhaps this is due to the threat of earthquakes, because the capital of Armenia is located in a seismically dangerous area. However, there have been no unpleasant incidents in the whole history.

While the city is away from popular routes. For this reason, information support for the subway is carried out in Armenian and English. However, getting lost here is unlikely to succeed. One line, few stations. It is enough to have a metro map on hand (in the phone) and be able to count to ten. If you still have questions, you can ask for advice from older locals. As a rule, they still remember the Russian language.