Metro Tbilisi
| Basic data | |
| Country | Georgia |
|---|---|
| city | Tbilisi |
| opening | January 11, 1966 |
| Lines | 2 |
| Route length | 27.3 km |
| Stations | 23 |
| Tunnel stations | 21st |
| Long-distance train stations | 2 |
| use | |
| Shortest cycle | 2.5 min |
| Passengers | approx. 400,000 per day (2018) 114 million per year (2017) |
| vehicles | E , 81-717 / 714 - 184 cars |
| operator | Tbilisi Transport Company |
| Gauge | 1524 mm |
| Power system | 825 V DC power rail |
The Tbilisi Metro ( Georgian : თბილისის მეტროპოლიტენი tbilissis metropoliteni ) is the name of the metro in Tbilisi , the capital of Georgia . The first line, named Gldani-Warketili , opened on January 11, 1966. It connected the Didube and Rustaveli stations and was the fourth metro in the Soviet Union .
Line network and operation
The metro currently consists of two lines with a total length of 27.3 km and 23 stations. Of the 23 stations, 21 are underground.
| Surname | colour | route | opening | length | Train stations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Achmetelis Teatri-Warketili | red | Achmetelis Teatri ↔ Warketili | 1966 | 19.6 km | 16 |
| Saburtalo | green | Sadguris Moedani (Bahnhofsplatz) ↔ Sachelmzipo Uniwersiteti (State University) | 1979 | 7.7 km | 7th |
All stations are designed in such a way that trains with five cars can transport passengers. Currently, however, only trains with four cars operate. Trains run between 6:00 a.m. and 1:00 a.m., with access to the metro stations limited to 6:00 a.m. and 12:00 a.m. During rush hour the trains run every 2.5 minutes, otherwise every 4–10 minutes, depending on the time of day or night. The only intersection of the two lines is Sadguris Moedani station (Bahnhofsplatz) , which is busiest at peak times.
The metro's trains come from the Soviet manufacturer Metrowagonmasch . The broad-gauge wagons (1520 mm) are driven by a busbar on the side with a voltage of 825 volts. In 2014, 114 million passengers took the trains of the Tbilisi Metro.
17 out of 23 underground stations are equipped with escalators .
history
Due to a strong industrial settlement in the 1940s, the population of the Georgian capital rose sharply. The Tbilisi public transport network had to be adapted and expanded to meet the increasing needs. Following the example of Kiev , the city traffic administration worked out a plan.
Construction work began in 1952 and progressed slowly due to the problems with the difficult tectonic conditions and the omnipresent water. In January 1966 the first section was opened. Thus, after Moscow , Saint Petersburg and Kiev, the fourth metro of the Soviet Union could be opened. The first metro line was 6.3 kilometers long and connected the Didube and Rustaweli stations and included four other stations. The Didube and Elektrodepot (today Goziridse ) stations are above ground. Almost two years later, on November 6, 1967, an extension followed in a southerly direction by three stations to 300 Aragweli . After extensions on May 10, 1971, November 1985 and January 7, 1989, the main line of the metro, the Didube-Samgore Line , grew to 19.6 kilometers with 16 stations. It extends to this day from the Achmetelis Teatri station to the Warketeli station . In 1992 the line was named Gldani Warketili Line. Since 2011 it has been called the Achmetelis-Teatri-Warketeli line. Extensions are planned but cannot be implemented at the moment due to the financial situation in Georgia.
A second line was opened after a long construction period on September 3, 1979 between the Wagslis Moedani and Delisi stations . At Sadguris Moedani station , near the central station , you can change between the two lines. The second line was named Saburtalinskaya or Saburtalo Line and is 5.8 kilometers long. On February 2, 2000, it was extended by one station and ended with the Vasha-Pschawela station . On October 16, 2017, the Tbilisi State University station, which had already been structurally completed during the Soviet Union, was put into operation.
| Previous name | New name |
|---|---|
| Komkawschiruli | Samedizino Instituti |
| Viktor Goziridze | Delissi |
| Gldani | Achmetelis teatri |
| TEMKA | Guramishvili |
| Oktomberi | Nadsaladewi |
| Leninis Moedani | Tawisuplebis Moedani |
| 26 Komisari | Awlabari |
| Wagslis Moedani | Sadguris Moedani |
| Samedizino Instituti | Samedizino Uniwersiteti |
| Electrical depot | Goziridze |
| Politeknikuri (Instituti) | Teknikuri Uniwersiteti |
The dissolution of the Soviet Union and the sudden collapse of the economic system connected with it led to major financial difficulties, due to which the electrical supply of the subway was temporarily not secured. A further expansion of the metro was out of the question under these conditions. A large crime scene also established itself in the metro, pickpockets and robberies were not uncommon. Serious examples include a hand grenade attack on February 14, 2000 and a tear gas attack in March 2004. Crime fell sharply in Georgia after the Rose Revolution . Constant police presence in the metro stations have reduced the crime rate in the subway in Tbilisi to almost zero.
Expansion and planning
The plans for the construction of a third line go back to the 1980s. The Rustaveli - Wazisubani line was to include 14 stations and open up the Vake district. Construction of 5 of these stations began and was discontinued in 1992.
In 2004 the Georgian president announced a comprehensive modernization of the underground network. The stations, which had been neglected for decades, have since been renovated from the outside in. Some of the trains have also been renewed. With a security concept (police officers at all entrances to the metro as well as in all stations), the metro, once decried as filthy and unsafe, is being transformed into a very reliable, metropolitan means of transport. The once feared power outages in the metro have been a thing of the past for several years.
In October 2018, the former Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze Mamuka Bakhtadze published the plan for a 7-station new line that will connect the center of the city with the outskirts and Tbilisi Airport . According to the plans, the new line will lead from Lilo Markt in the east of the city to Samgori station, where it will connect to the existing network.
See also
Individual evidence
- ^ Metro Tbilisi - vehicles in operation . Retrieved October 8, 2019.
- ↑ TTC website in English . Retrieved September 28, 2019.
- ^ Georgia - Handbook for Individual Discovery, by Marlies Kriegenherdt, 2010, p. 140.
- ↑ http://www.urbanrail.net/as/tbil/tbilisi.htm
- ^ New metro stations to link center and outskirts of Tbilisi . In: Vestnik Kavkaza . October 22, 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
Web links
- Official operator website (Georgian / English)
- Metro Tiflis at metrosoyuza.net (German)
- Metro Tbilisi at urbanrail.net (English)