Read the text and complement it with more details from the history and up-to-date operation of the Novosibirsk Metro.

First proposed in the early 1960s, Novosibirsk’s metro was authorised 15 years later after securing political agreement, and a lot of internal preparation. The project had a key role in the city because fast and convenient links were crucial for the areas to the right and left of the Ob River. The negotiations lasted for several years as the authorities of Novosibirsk could not make a choice between an underground railway and a high-speed tram. The problem was settled in 1968 in favour of the metro, but the project was dogged with engineering and financial difficulties. The Government of the USSR did not guarantee the financing until 1975. After much discussion of the earlier plans, the engineering problems were overcome, and the government at last decided on the route, for the first line.

The first steps to implement the route for the Lenin Line were taken, and the preliminary study and surveys were carried out. The newly approved scheme and specifications were adopted and signed on January 29, 1978. Next year the first TBMs appeared in Novosibirsk. The “Bridges and Transport Tunnels” Faculty of the Novosibirsk Institute of Railway Engineering is proud of its graduates and uppermost of A. Khristolyubov, A. Fedotov, and S. Bochkarev who made a major contribution to the Novosibirsk Metro.

On May 12, 1979, the first pile was driven for the “Oktyabrskaya” station. The cut-and-cover technique was employed for construction of the first line between the “Oktyabrskaya” and the “Lenin Square” station. The builders inwashed the flood lands of the River Kamenka for more than one kilometer and the tunnel was dug from the surface. They used a concrete lining and the rest of the line was dug through the rock. Tippers removed the muck from the tunnel. Such a technique had never been used before and required good ventilation. The first breakthrough took place on June 5, 1981 when the TBM cut through the rock and appeared in the trench of the future “Lenin Square” station within a high degree of accuracy, due to the excellent survey work. The miners broke into cheers looking at the shield.

In August 1983, the first station was faced with marble and on December 19, 1985, the first trial trip tested the 8.5 km section of the Lenin line with five stations in the first Siberian Underground. Opened with due ceremony in the presence of the cities top-ranking officials, the first line was available for use by the public. It was a celebratory event, but the official opening ceremony of the Novosibirsk Metro took place on January 7, 1986 with the first trial-passenger service.

The Gagarin and Zaelitsovskaya stations were added to the Lenin line in April 1992, almost completing the first phase of construction. These stations were the only possible way for developing public transport on the right bank of the Ob River. The section was particularly complicated for tunneling because of significantly high levels of ground water in comparison with the design calculation. That problem called for new and quite different sorts of drainage gutters. Besides, the head resistance of the rock on the flood lands of the First Eltsovka River appeared to be less against the rated value. The builders overcame the challenges and once passenger service began, the metro line was in operation 20 hours a day, seven days a week.

In May 1998, the Novosibirsk Metro carried its billionth passenger. That was no mean achievement for the first Siberian metro. Currently the metro links the centre of the city with the main RZD railway station and the two major downtown destinations of Kalinin and Karl Marx Squares. This is of major significance as they united the two parts of the town previously divided by the Ob River. From the day the link opened, people on each side of the river have enjoyed a reliable and efficient form of transport.

The metro operates two lines with a total length of more than 13 km. There are eight stations on the Lenin line and four on the Dzerzhinsky line. Together they handle almost 20% of all passenger trips in the city with about 250, 000 people a day riding the trains. In terms of the number of passengers carried in a year, Novosibirsk ranks third after the metros in Moscow and St Petersburg.

From the beginning, the Metro, has maintained close working relations with scientific and project-design organizations to solve metro problems associated with sub-zero temperatures. In particular, they have mastered the techniques needed for building tunnels in permanently frozen ground at a depth of 10 to 25 m. Some new technology has been introduced, for example cashless travel involving the use of cards with magnetic strips and microprocessors. Besides, the metro has used extensive computer technology for automating routine processes. Further, it has been able to devise solutions to ecological problems and reduce or eliminate atmospheric pollution, and the depot has practically applied equipment to recycle the water used for washing the rolling stock. There are plans to enlarge the network to 90 km with almost 70 stations. Work is now proceeding and studies have shown that the planning of the metro is the factor, with the greatest influence on the city image. The extension of the Dzerzhinsky line, with five more stations, and the Kirovsky line, forming a third phase of the network, has begun. Construction is planned to take place gradually and preparatory work has already started for new lines. The pre-feasibility study has been completed and submitted to the government for registration. If approval is given, the builders plan to start the line from Kamyshinskaya to Vostochnaya railway stations. Our experience of constructing and operating the metro has particular significance for other cities with similar climatic conditions.