Vladimir Putin participated remotely in the inauguration of the Big Circle Line of the metro.
Photo: Ivan MAKEEV
Vladimir Putin participated remotely in the inauguration of the Big Circle Line of the metro.
– Today we open nine stations. It was the final stage of large-scale construction. The new line is now fully commissioned and available to travel its full length. I congratulate Muscovites and residents of the Moscow Region on this wonderful event, the head of state said.
The president recalled that it was planned to build a second ring to connect the radial branches in the Soviet Union, but things did not go beyond the plans. But now the BCL has won.
– In terms of its length -70 kilometers- it has become the largest underground metro ring in the world, surpassing the leader, the Beijing Metro ring line. We will meet with a representative of the People’s Republic of China; if the program allows it, we will show it to the guests,” said the Russian leader.
Vladimir Vladimirovich joked about how they used to be afraid to tackle the problem of traffic jams in Moscow:
– Everyone had horror in their eyes when they thought about the transportation situation in such a big city.
But, as the president noted, the city authorities managed to achieve a “good result.”
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin admitted that the economy of the whole city worked on the BCL. This is the most complex project in the history of the construction of the Russian metro.
The mayor of the capital asked Putin for permission to start the line.
– What do you think the answer will be? I allow. With God, – said the head of the country.
– Come on guys! ordered the mayor.
In total, the BCL now consists of 31 stations and three electrical depots. The line was built and commissioned by sections. The first was opened in the north-west of Moscow in February 2018. At the end of December last year, Sobyanin carried out a technical launch of the last, eastern, span of the new ring.
Today, traffic was allowed through the last nine stations: Maryina Roshcha, Rizhskaya, Sokolniki, Tekstilshchika, Pechatniki, Nagatinsky Zaton, Klenovy Boulevard, Kashirskaya and Varshavskaya.
The BCL passes through 34 districts with a population of 3.3 million people.
