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Almaty metro to be opened in December

17 November 2011 07:56 (UTC +04:00)

Almaty. Ramiz Mashadihasanli - APA. Almatyâ€™s long-awaited metro is ready to begin service, according to the management of the government agency created to operate it, Almaty Metro Kurylys Co. Residents hope it will help clear the traffic jams in the streets of Kazakhstanâ€™s second capital.

Construction began in September 1988, but the collapse of the Soviet Union and financial problems delayed its completion until now. The system will be one of the most modern not only in Central Asia but in the entire CIS, the builders claim.

Authorities have scheduled the opening of the first metro line for December to coincide with the 20th anniversary of Kazakhstanâ€™s independence. Seven stations on the 8.5km line are ready, and the trip from one end to the other will take 12-14 minutes. There will be seven four-car trains on the line, specially designed for the Almaty subway, Metroproyekt Ltd. head Muratbek Kulbayev said.

â€œThe first metro lineâ€™s carrying capacity will be about 230,000 passengers a day,â€ he added.

The construction project involves advanced technology, Metro General Director Muratbai Ukshebayev said.

â€œThe equipment already installed meets the highest technological standards,â€ he said. â€œ(When) we put the line into operation ... it will be one of the most modern metros in the CIS in terms of equipment and safety.â€

One of the Almaty metroâ€™s characteristics is the European tie-less rails never used anywhere in the CIS before, which will make a metro ride especially comfortable and safe.

In the 23 years since the oft-interrupted construction began, the cost of the first metro line, by some estimates, has reached US $1 billion (149 billion KZT).

â€œThe metro in Almaty took ... a whole generation to build, which is why we are both happy and somewhat surprised to see this finally happen,â€ Almaty resident Liya Budiyanskaya said after an October 22 preview of the Zhibek zholy station.

â€œOn the one hand, this is great because it should relieve traffic a little and enable passengers to avoid riding a bus with a crazy driver,â€ she added. â€œBut on the other, Almaty is a seismic zone.â€

To ensure public safety, the Almaty metro will have a paramilitary rescue service to provide emergency medical assistance and to lead passengers to the surface if necessary, Ukshebayev said.

The passenger fare is now under discussion, Almaty Deputy Mayor Viktor Dolzhenkov said.

â€œThanks to (national) government subsidies, the fare shouldnâ€™t be too high,â€ he said. Unofficial sources indicated it could cost 70-100 KZT (US $0.50-0.70).

The 11 stations of the 17km second metro line, construction of which is scheduled to start next year, will cost Kazakhstan an estimated US $1.5 billion (223 billion KZT), with nearly US $85m (12.6 billion KZT) in government funds already set aside for that work in 2012, Metroproyekt Ltd. said. Construction is scheduled to take six years.