The question of what time the metro opens in St. Petersburg is interesting not only to guests of the city on the Neva River, but also to its indigenous people. The fact is that in St. Petersburg there is no strictly defined opening hour for the metro; different stations on different lines open at different times. This is historically the case.
From the history of the issue
The first plans for the construction of the subway in the capital of the Russian Empire existed at the end of the nineteenth century. Several quite rational projects were developed that made it possible to combine St. Petersburg metro with a single transport system. Time decided in its own way - not one of these plans reached the stage of concrete implementation. Historical circumstances made us forget about these projects. After the First World War and revolutions, the city on the Neva lost its capital status and, therefore, the metro could only be built here after Moscow. Nevertheless, it began to be built before the Great Patriotic War. At its origins was the then chairman of the Leningrad City Executive Committee A.N. Kosygin.
How was the Leningrad metro
It was the second metro in the country. The first passengers of the launch site of the Kirov-Vyborg line took in the autumn of 1955. The Leningrad metro builders had to work under the most difficult conditions. This was due to the difficult terrain, complex geological structure and the need for non-standard engineering decisions when overcoming numerous water barriers in the directions of future lines. Five crossings over the Neva were built. The first of them were built in an open caisson manner. The Leningrad metro was originally one of the deepest in the world. This title was fixed to him finally after the commissioning of the Admiralteyskaya station, located at a record depth.
Features of the Petersburg metro
The subway system that has formed so far consists of very heterogeneous sections that were built in different historical eras. They differ greatly in the depth of laying and in the architectural design of the stations and the constructive solution of the tunnel spans between them. Leningrad metro-builders used a number of technical innovations, which were later adopted during the construction of subways in other major cities of the Soviet Union. The operating conditions of the lines and the need for transport in the areas that they connect to the central part of the city are not the same. That is why the answer to a seemingly simple question sounds different: " What time does the metro open in St. Petersburg?"
St. Petersburg Metro
The outskirts of the city are significantly removed from the center, and the subway is often the only transport communication that provides their residents with the opportunity to get to work in time and return home. But the work of the metro in St. Petersburg has its own characteristics. Metro stations in the city open for passengers not at one time, but differentiated. Their discovery is directly tied to the passage of the first composition along the line. From the schedule of its movement along the route, the moment of opening a particular station depends. The closer to the depot, the earlier you can get into the subway. The question "What time does the metro open in St. Petersburg?" it makes sense only if you clarify which station is in question. Earlier all, passengers are accepted at the Grazhdansky Prospekt, Kupchino, Kirovsky Zavod, Avtovo stations. They open at 5 hours 30 minutes. And later, the stations located in the historical part of the northern capital, such as Technological Institute, Alexander Nevsky Square, Dostoevskaya, become accessible for entry. They open at 7 a.m. Thus, the St. Petersburg metro opens with a difference of one and a half hours. But at the same time, nevertheless, most stations become available around 6 in the morning.
Prospects for the development of the St. Petersburg metro
Currently, the current metro does not fully meet the needs of the city. Will the question of what time the metro opens in St. Petersburg ever lose its relevance? It cannot be ruled out that this will ever happen. The train schedule may change with the development of the metro scheme, the construction of new lines and several new depots where rolling stock is maintained . In the distant future, the Metro Ring Line should even appear in St. Petersburg, just like in Moscow. It is indicated on the general transport scheme. But when this project is translated into reality, it is too early to speak. Currently, the construction of the St. Petersburg metro has encountered significant difficulties, mainly of a financial nature. New stations are being built on several existing lines, but they will be commissioned after 2018.