Closed stations of the Moscow metro can still be seen, passing some hauls. They have long been studied by the metropolitan diggers, but still continue to interest the public in the same way as Metro-2 (D6). In the history of such stations, a lot has accumulated, and all of them, one way or another, have left their mark on the life of the metro.
The history of the metro
The first projects to create an underground transport network appeared in 1875, however, it opened only in 1935. That metro scheme was much smaller than the existing one, it consisted of only 6-7 stations. Since then, the expansion of the network has not stopped, new stopping points are put into operation annually, some of them are closed. Initially, the length of the metro was about 14 kilometers, as of 2016, it is about 331 kilometers.
The Moscow Metro transports about 6-7 million people annually, the passenger flow here is very high and the existing 200 stations do not always cope with it. There are 12 lines, their number is planned to be increased by 2025, new depots and stations will be built, some of them will be above ground. There is also the possibility that some stations that were closed earlier will be rebuilt again.
May Day
Officially, there are only four closed facilities in the metro, one of them is the Pervomaiskaya station, which existed on the Arbat-Pokrovskaya line. At one time, it was located almost immediately behind the Izmailovsky Park stop, existing to this day, and was the point at which the metro line reached the surface. The station was located on the territory of the Izmaylovsky electric depot, which successfully operates and is engaged in the repair and maintenance of rolling stock.
The lobby of the former station is still in good condition, however, now in the same room there is a workshop where cars are being repaired. What is characteristic, the tiles and stucco decorations are perfectly preserved, and you can understand from them that you are on the territory of the former station. At the site of the former lobby is the assembly hall used for events.
Kaluga
From 1964 to 1974 station "Kaluzhskaya" was located on the territory of the same name depot. Do not confuse it with the current stop, the old one was located opposite the Meridian Palace of Culture. This station was distinguished by the fact that passengers were disembarked directly on the territory of the depot, and then they left from there according to special signs. Since 1971, it has become much more difficult for passengers to use the station, so it was soon closed.
The station had a very poor environment: there were no decorations, the platform was made of ordinary asphalt, there were simple lamps and ordinary whitewashed walls. Several wooden benches were placed on the platform, passing along them, passengers fell into the lobby.
"Soviet"
If you are interested in the closed stations of the Moscow metro, be sure to pay attention to the "Soviet", which was planned to be built between "Mayakovskaya" and "Theater". In part, the history of this stop can be considered an urban legend. Due to the requirements to complete the construction as soon as possible, metro builders had to abandon the construction of this station, however, at that time it was partially already built.
The problem was solved simply - “Sovetskaya” became the bunker in which the control center of the capital headquarters of civil defense is located. According to researchers of the Moscow metro, this is where the branch of the so-called "Metro-2" of the "D6" system passes. The station is fenced off and cannot be seen when passing the section between Teatralnaya and Mayakovskaya.
Volokolamskaya
Closed stations of the Moscow metro are distinguished by their unusual history, in particular, we are talking about Volokolamskaya. This station was supposed to be located on the Tagansko-Krasnopresnenskaya line between Tushinskaya and Schukinskaya. When driving the line between these two stops, you can see the lights, as well as the platform unfinished to the end of the station.
It was originally planned that this station will serve residential buildings, which were supposed to be built on the site of the Tushino airfield, which was planned at the time. As a result, this did not happen, the station was mothballed. There are no exits to the surface and colorful finishes; over the long history of its existence, Volokolamskaya has turned into a real ghost.
Risen from the dead
In 2002, the list of Moscow metro stations was replenished with the station, which for a long time was closed - Vorobyovy Gory. Previously, it bore the name "Lenin Hills", functioned until 1984. The situation changed radically when it became known that the Luzhnetsk metro bridge was in an alarming state and could collapse at any moment, causing a catastrophe.
The bridge was closed for major repairs, at this time the entire train flow was launched along two urgent additional bridges. For almost twenty years, the station was closed, and during this time managed to partially deteriorate. Before the opening, the metrostroyers had to redecorate, now it is part of a large metro network.
Metro-2
The closed stations of the Moscow metro are far from the only mysteries that are found in the metropolitan dungeon. There is various fragmentary evidence of the existence of another metro system - “D6”, which is used by the government, connects the most important infrastructure objects - the Kremlin, the secret underground base in Ramenki, Moscow State University, etc. Before the collapse of the USSR, the existence of this system was a state secret, for the disclosure of which many could lose their posts and lives.
Now some officials do acknowledge the existence of such a system, however, there is still no detailed information about it. Presumably, the total length of the Metro-2 network is 150 kilometers, some sections are single-track, some are double-track. At least eight formulations are known that operate on this system. In the metro there are several transitions connecting the two systems, the most famous of which is a hermetic gate not far from Sportivnaya.
Conclusion
The metro scheme was repeatedly redrawn, active construction continues to this day. Many hope that all stations closed for one reason or another will be open to passengers, and due to this it will be possible to build a truly effective route network.