In the historical district of St. Petersburg, called the Vyborg Side, the Vyborgskaya metro station was opened in 1975. Despite the fact that its lobby does not have magnificent finishes, like the pavilions of the first Avtovo section - Ploshchad Vosstaniya, Vyborgskaya also has interesting design features. The station is interesting not only for its underground facilities, but also for its external design, as well as the longest pedestrian tunnel in the city. Most recently, the station was reopened after a long overhaul and is functioning smoothly, receiving more than 800 thousand passengers per month. What are the history and design features of Vyborg? How does the station work today, what ground transport is attached to it?
History of the Vyborgskaya station
The Ploshchad Lenina - Lesnaya section, which included the Vyborgskaya metro station, was opened on April 22, 1975. In the project, it was called "Baburin Lane", but later received its modern name in honor of the area where its lobby is located. The pavilion was designed by architects V.P. Shuvalova, V.G. Khilchenko and A.S. Getzkin and is one of the few surviving glass metro buildings. Since the 70s of the last century, decorative plants have been planted on the balcony above the inclined course of the lobby.
Underground structures of the Vyborgskaya station
Vyborgskaya metro station was laid at a depth of 67 meters. The walls of the station are made of travertine, and the floors are lined with gray granite. The end wall is decorated with a bas-relief that depicts the workers of the Vyborg side who participated in the 1917 uprising. The station hall is connected to escalators by a passage resembling the Latin letter S. Similar connections are also available at the stations "Primorskaya" and "Ligovsky prospekt". In the 90s, the three extreme spans of the hall were closed for official needs. Entrances to the office premises are fenced with metal bars.
Repair of the Vyborgskaya station in 2015
On February 7, 2015, the Vyborgskaya metro station was closed for major repairs for a period of 11 months. During this time, the waterproofing was completely restored, outdated lamps were updated, the work of all three escalators was established and cosmetic adjustments were made. On December 25 of the same year, Vyborgskaya was inaugurated anew and put into operation. Passengers who used ground transport tied to neighboring stations all year round were greatly relieved, because it is still the most convenient way to get to business centers and other places of work at the Vyborgskaya metro station. Repair, however, according to the head of the St. Petersburg metro, is necessary for all stations whose age exceeds 40 years. In 2016, the Elizarovskaya and Vasileostrovskaya stations were closed for updating.
Vyborg tunnel - the longest pedestrian tunnel in St. Petersburg
The longest underground pedestrian crossing in St. Petersburg, tied to the Vyborgskaya metro station, was opened on November 4, 1983. The beginning of the tunnel is inside the station itself, and the exit is not far from the LOMO factory entrance. The long and confused underground passage immediately overgrown with a huge number of legends and mysterious stories. Some Petersburgers believed that the tunnel was built as a bomb shelter, and someone was completely sure that there were secret paths between the railway and the metro hidden in the passage. Nevertheless, the purpose of the Vyborg tunnel turned out to be more prosaic - a similar passage, necessary for access to railways and factories, had already existed, but due to weather conditions it soon became worthless, so its more stable modern version had to be built a little deeper.
Station "Vyborg" today
Vyborgskaya metro station opens its doors for passengers at 5 hours 45 minutes, and closes at night at 0 hours 30 minutes. The average passenger traffic of the station per month is 823 thousand 615 people. Tram lines No. 20 and No. 38 are connected to Vyborgskaya, allowing access to Lenin Square and Finland Station, as well as buses No. 14, 52 and 86. All leading Russian cellular operators accept the lobby and tunnels of the station. ATMs of Baltic Bank, Bank Saint Petersburg, VTB-24 and Sberbank.
Places of rest near the Vyborgskaya station
Despite the fact that Vyborgskaya is located relatively far from the city center, full of entertainment venues, not far from it there are many interesting places for cultural recreation. In particular, guests of the city should visit the Vyborgsky Palace of Culture, where there is a large theater hall with an excellent repertoire. For lovers of shopping, from 10.00 to 21.00 the doors of the Sampsonievsky European Shopping Center are open, located at 32 Sampsonievsky Prospekt. The shopping center offers a wide assortment of home goods, clothing and decor items. Fans of water sports and a healthy lifestyle can visit the SKA pool, also located near the Vyborgskaya station. St. Petersburg Metro, of course, is in itself a cultural and historical monument that is worth seeing for every guest of the city.