Leningrad’s Kirovsko–Vyborgskaya Line: The First Section Opens in 1955

The Kirovsko–Vyborgskaya Line is the historical name of today’s Saint Petersburg Metro Line 1. The original plans focused on links between the southwestern industrial district, the Vyborg district to the northeast and railway passenger terminals. The first section ran from Avtovo to Ploshchad Vosstaniya, passing the Kirov factory, the Narva district, Baltiysky railway station and the area around the Institute of Technology. Its northern end lay near Moskovsky railway station.

The first section was about 10.8 kilometers long, far shorter than the later full line. It moved commuting that had relied heavily on surface trams underground. Urban historian Phillip Schroeder notes that the first line linked the historic center with southwestern residential districts and factories, while drawing railway terminals into a shared transport system. This way of organizing urban space also influenced plans for the second line.

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In January 1941, the Soviet government decided to build the Leningrad metro. The People’s Commissariat of Transport established Construction Directorate No. 5, led by Ivan Georgiyevich Zubkov. Shafts and underground workings had already been excavated when the German invasion interrupted construction. Some were flooded for preservation, and construction personnel moved into wartime work.

On 26 September 1945, the Leningrad Party committee and city executive committee wrote to Gosplan chairman Voznesensky, requesting inclusion of the metro in the fourth five-year plan. Their letter described wartime damage to trams, buses and route infrastructure. Many residents had moved into the center, while factories remained on the outskirts, increasing the separation between homes and workplaces. Resuming the metro was therefore proposed as part of postwar transport recovery.

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The 1945 letter also warned against leaving prewar shafts and tunnels sealed indefinitely and noted that the existing construction crews and factories could support resumption. Local officials hoped to finish the first stage in 1950, but regular passenger service began in 1955. In 1946, the construction and design organizations were reorganized as Leningrad’s metro construction organization and metro design institute.

The engineering plans took the city’s underground hydrogeology into account. Shallower strata contained large boulders and pressurized water, so the main tunnels were driven into deeper Cambrian clay. Avtovo used a shallow station design, with the depot to its south. The earlier idea of advancing all the way toward Finlyandsky railway station in one operation gave way to staged construction. Route, depth and maintenance facilities were determined together as the project was rebuilt.

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Opening required both tunnels and a separate workforce and organization. The operating administration authorized at the end of 1954 was led by Ivan Sergeyevich Novikov. The railway system, Moscow Metro and Leningrad factories supplied skilled personnel, while new recruits trained in driving, station duty, power supply, escalators and track maintenance.

The Avtovo depot received G-type cars and formed four-car trains. Operating staff helped with installation and commissioning, inspected leaks and ventilation equipment, and prepared trial operations alongside construction workers. Drivers who practiced operations in Moscow after training brought their experience back to the new line. Transfer from the construction organization to the service operator was an equally important part of preparing to open.

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Trains made trial runs in October 1955, and the government acceptance commission signed the handover documents on 5 November. Invitation tickets admitted passengers for trial rides over the following days. Entrances then closed while final preparations for regular service were completed. The opening ceremony took place on 15 November, when the line opened to the public and daily passenger service began.

The first section was designed with eight stations, but construction problems kept Pushkinskaya closed to passengers. Trains passed through without stopping, so seven stations actually served the public at the opening. Pushkinskaya entered service on 30 April 1956. The metro had become more than a construction site or place to visit: station duty, train dispatching and equipment maintenance now worked together to sustain daily transport.

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The operator continued improving signaling, power supply and vehicle maintenance. Before opening, Avtovo received 59 G-type cars and formed twelve four-car trainsets. From late 1955 it also began receiving D-type cars. The newer cars used lighter traction motors and a different drive connection, requiring staff to learn the equipment and organize routine maintenance.

On 1 June 1958, the northern section extended through Chernyshevskaya to Ploshchad Lenina, reaching Finlyandsky railway station. This strengthened the link between southwestern industry and the northeastern railway gateway. The 1955 event marked the entry of the first underground route into daily use; later extensions and additional lines gradually developed it into a network.

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