Kazan Metro is a great way to travel throughout the city of Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. Plans to build Kazan Metro began in 1979 shortly after population of the city grew to more than one million, which is a Soviet prerequisite for a metro to be built in a city. However, it wasn’t until 1997 that construction of the first station actually came to fruition due to both financing and political setbacks.
On August 27,2005 Kazan Metro was finally opened for use. The initial infrastructure included five stations built in underground tunnels. The initial construction was also atypically slow due to lack of funding, but later improved as resources were allocated to increase the rate of construction. The Metro, as of January, 2016, now consists of ten stations and stretches over almost 16 kilometers. Modern security systems have been installed at each station to ensure the safety of passengers as they use the transit system. Kazan Metro also boasts one of the most modern transit systems in Russia; having been developed at St. Petersburg NII Scientific Research Institude. Design of the system has been developed by Iconics UK. Its system is capable of tracking the movement of each train along the line as well as station equipment conditions and railway track conditions.
The rolling stock was designed by Vagonmash as a co-op effort with Skoda Dopravni Technika of Plzen, Czech Republic. The traction drive units were designed by UniControls. Each train is made up of four cars; three tail cars and a head car and each train has a capacity of thirteen hundred people.
Information inside the Metro is available and communicated in English, Russian, and Tatar. Each station is covered in beautiful murals, which make a trip through the transit system worth it just to see the exquisitely unique platforms and walls.
Kazan Metro Lines and Stations
Kazan Metro has a single line that begins at Prospect Pobedy and travels through (in the following order) Gorki, Ametyevo, Sukonnaya Sloboda, Ploshchad Tukaya, Kremlyovskaya, Kozya Sloboda, Yashlek, Severny Vokzal, and arrives at Aviastroitelnaya.
Hours of Operation
Kazan Metro runs from 6:00 to 23:00, making it easy to travel in the evening as well as during the day. The system is surprisingly low-traffic, with trains coming every 5-7 minutes, meaning that ease and comfort of use is superb.
Ticket and Fare
Kazan Metro uses an electronic ticketing system. There are single day passes available (smart tokens) as well as smart cards (multi-use passes), which are valid to be used either for numerous trips or for a certain amount of time. The transit system offers discounts for retired individuals, students, and children. A single ride will cost you approximately 7 rubles.
