| Moscow's first light metro line opened Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov and other leaders of the capital's government became the first passengers of the light metro line in Butovo, which was inaugurated last Saturday. The mayors took a ride from the Starokachalovskaya station to the Buninskaya Alleya station and were very pleased with this type of transport, which was unusual for officials. “We arrived very quickly and pleasantly,” said Mr. Luzhkov, leaving the station doors. -- The carriages are very comfortable and spacious. Besides, you can look out the window and admire the views.”
Meanwhile, while city leaders pretended to be ordinary passengers under the lenses of television cameras, those who would have to travel along the Butovskaya line not on holidays, but every day, were waiting for Mr. Luzhkov and his comrades near the Buninskaya Alleya station. A rather modest meeting of grateful residents of one of the most remote residential areas of the capital was organized there. Grouped around the Christmas tree and unfurling banners with congratulations in front of the entrance, Muscovites generally approved of the Moscow government's leadership line, but in particular they loudly criticized the idea of opening the station in the cold. By the time the mayors began to get on stage to read welcoming slogans, the audience was already dancing from the cold. The role of host of the event was taken by the chief announcer of the Moscow City Hall, Anna Shatilova, without whom not a single opening of the capital's construction projects of the century has recently taken place. The mayor appeared before the audience surrounded by buffoons, children in carnival costumes and Father Frost and the Snow Maiden. “This is our New Year’s gift to the residents of the region,” said Mr. Luzhkov, nodding towards the overpass. According to the mayor, now the travel time to the subway for South Butovo residents will be reduced from half an hour to ten minutes.
Despite the fact that the name of the new type of high-speed passenger transport contains the word “metro,” it is similar to the usual subway except in its technical characteristics. Externally, the light metro looks more like a monorail. The overpass on which trains run is located above the ground at a height of 10 meters along residential buildings. However, according to Mr. Luzhkov, local residents need not be afraid of the noise. They will be protected from it by special noise-absorbing panels installed along the entire length of the route.
According to the head of the capital’s metro, Dmitry Gaev, who was also present at the opening of the new line, the “light” metro is called because the volume of traffic that can be carried out by elevated transport is lower than in the classic subway: about 30 thousand people per hour. In terms of construction costs, the Butovo branch also justified the definition of “light”. The 11-kilometer line cost the authorities three times less than the exact same underground line. The only thing that cost a pretty penny were the carriages. Due to the large number of electronics and imported components, they turned out to be more expensive than usual. The trains consist of three carriages, each with two cabins. The only disadvantage of trains is the minimum number of doors. There are only four doors per two-cabin carriage, so crowding at the entrance during peak hours is almost inevitable. Meanwhile, even this does not frighten the residents of Butovo. According to one of the participants in the festive rally near Buninskaya Alley, “it’s better to travel ten minutes in cramped conditions than half an hour in a shaking bus.”
So far, there are only five stations on the Butovskaya line: “Starokachalovskaya Street”, “Skobelevskaya Street”, “Dmitry Ushakov Boulevard”, “Gorchakov Street” and “Buninskaya Alley”. Not far from the last one, the branch breaks off. But this, according to Mr. Luzhkov, is just an “ellipsis.” The line is planned to be completed next year. Trains will travel through Staropotapovskaya Street and Ostafevskaya Street to Novokuryanovo. A depot for light metro trains will also be built there. In the meantime, all ten trains are sent to the Varshavskoye depot. Anna ShPAK |
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