Narvskaya

Narvskaya
Saint Petersburg Metro station
Station Hall
Coordinates	59°54′04.35″N 30°16′29.65″E / 59.9012083°N 30.2749028°ECoordinates: 59°54′04.35″N 30°16′29.65″E / 59.9012083°N 30.2749028°E
Owned by	Saint Petersburg Metro
Line(s)	Kirovsko-Vyborgskaya Line
Platforms	Island platform
Tracks	2
Construction
Structure type	Underground
Depth	≈52 m (171 ft)
History
Opened	November 15, 1955
Services
Preceding station   StPetersburg Metro   Following station Baltiyskaya toward Devyatkino Kirovsko-Vyborgskaya Line Kirovsky Zavod toward Prospekt Veteranov

Kirovsko-Vyborgskaya Line
Legend
Depot 4 "Severnoye" Devyatkino Grazhdansky Prospekt Murinskiy Ruchei Akademicheskaya Politekhnicheskaya Ploschad Muzhestva Lesnaya Vyborgskaya Ploshchad Lenina Neva River Chernyshevskaya Ploshchad Vosstaniya Vladimirskaya Pushkinskaya Tekhnologichesky Institut Obvodny Kanal Baltiyskaya Narvskaya Kirovsky Zavod Avtovo Krasnenkaya River Depot 1 "Avtovo" Depot 2 "Dachnoye" Dachnoye Leninsky Prospekt Prospekt Veteranov

Narvskaya (Russian: На́рвская) is a subway station in Saint Petersburg, Russia on the Kirovsko-Vyborgskaya Line between the stations Baltiyskaya and Kirovsky Zavod. The station opened on November 15, 1955, as part of the first stage of Saint Petersburg Metro from Avtovo to Ploschad Vosstania.

Overview

When the station was first being built, it was named Ploshchad Stachek (Translated "Square of the Strikes"), but several years before its opening, the name was changed to "Stalinskaya" after Joseph Stalin. Shortly before it opened in March 1953, Stalin died and the political structure changed. The station was renamed Narvskaya after the Narva Triumphal Gate, located opposite the entrance to the station. This place-name indicates that it was once the gate of the road to Narva.^[1] In spite of the name change, it still contains a large number of decorative elements relating to Stalin.

The irregular-shaped pavilion is built in the neoclassical style with a dome at one end. The station is lined in white marble with many bronze inserts. The walls of the vestibule are painted red and escalator balustrades are decorated with red plastic. There is a decorative strip of red stone on the upper portion of the walls in the underground hall, and the center of the station platform is constructed of red granite.

Connections to public transport

Bus commercial routes	K-1, K-2, K-6, K-20, K-66, K-154, K-169, K-177, K-195, K-306, K-404
Bus routes	2, 6, 35, 35A, 66, 66A, 73, 111
Trolleybus route	20, 41, 48

Vestibule of Narvskaya

Concourse

The station has one concourse, located on Strikes Square, at the corner of Staro-Peterhofskiy prospekt and Ivan Chernyh street. The vestibule of station was designed by architects I. V. Vasilyev, D. S. Goldgor, S. B. Speransky and engineer O. V. Ivanova.

The wall of the vestibule was planned to be decorated with an engraving of the text:

Russian: Не исключена возможность, что именно Россия явится страной пролагающей путь к социализму… Надо откинуть отжившее представление о том, что только Европа может указывать нам путь
Translated: It is not unreasonable to imagine that Russia will be the country to lead the way to socialism... One must discard the obsolete idea that only Europe can show us the way.^[1]

Joseph Stalin.

Concourse, behind it is Staro-Peterhofskiy prospekt

Over the escalator run is a relief reading "Glory to Work!", sculpted by G. V. Kosov, A. G. Ovsyannikov, V. G. Stamov, and A. P. Timchenko. A group of workers are gathered on Lenin square, looking at the empty center of the relief. In all likeliness, this area had been planned to contain an engraving of Stalin. (see the image)

In recent years, the station has struggled under the large volume of passenger traffic. Its three escalators have not been sufficient to carry passengers during the morning and afternoon rush hours. The escalators were built in the 1950s, and it is periodically necessary to shut one or more down to repair them. In peak hours, the station works only in one direction: as either an entrance or an exit.

Escalator "crown" lights

In 2012, the station was closed for a 14-month reconstruction, which was planned to include the replacement of the three outdated escalators with four new ones.

Architectural appearance of underground hall

Down escalator hall of Narvskaya

Three lines of escalators deliver passengers to the underground hall, which is at a depth of 52 meters. These escalators are illuminated by highly-artistic fixtures - cylinders topped with a metal crown which is bronze in color. Fixtures and the housing of the escalator motors, are made of steel and aluminium.

Below the escalators are small rooms closed off from the main areas. The main hall is illuminated graceful with fixtures located on the walls in groups of three.

Lovers under a ventilating lattice with a hammer and sickle

The underground hall of pylon deep station was built under the direction of architects Alexander Vasilev, David Goldgor, Sergey Speransky and engineer O. V. Ivanova. The subjects of registration of the station reflect "labour valour of the Soviet people", and many elements are of Soviet era symbols - hammer and sickles, red stars, and images of red banners. On walls opposite the platforms are decorative lattices with the inscription «1955», the year of the station's opening. Illumination of the central hall is by fluorescent lamps located on consecutive arches of the ceiling, merging in the distance to create the impression of a continuous shiny surface.^[2]

Originally there was a large mosaic panel "Stalin on a tribune" located on a prominent wall of the central underground hall. This mosaic was constructed by the director of the Academy of Arts of the Soviet Union, Aleksandr Gerasimov. Originally, Stalin's bust was to have been displayed on a colorful background. In 1961, after the XXII congress of CPSU, the panel was covered by a false-wall of marble, but a photo of the original panel had already been included in the book devoted to the line's opening.

In the fenced-off space, the boardroom which has occupied not only appendix, but also space to extreme steam of columns in underground hall took places. Later this premise was used as linear point of machinists of depot "Avtovo" which is still there. The wall with a mosaic has been disassembled, and staff only premises have been expanded to the following pair of columns. At the organization of a museum of underground of this mosaic there it has not been displayed, and its location and condition is not known.

On those corners of pilons which leave in the central underground hall the high reliefs representing people of different trades are established. 48 panels with 12 repeating plots are established.

Underground hall's overview. High relief "Plant selection breeders" at the pilon's corner

High reliefs of Narvskaya

Professions	Sculptor	In Russian
Peoples of art	Maria Litovchenko	Мария Тимофеевна Литовченко
Collective farmers	Mikhail Anikushin	Михаил Константинович Аникушин
Naval architects	Mikhail Gabe	Михаил Руфимович Габе
Scholars	Elena Chelpanova	Елена Георгиевна Челпанова
Plant selection breeders	Valentina Rybalko	Валентина Лаврентьевна Рыбалко
Tube builders	Alexander Ignatiev	Александр Михайлович Игнатьев
Textilemen	Lubov Hohlina	Любовь Михайловна Холина
Founders	P. Kulikov	П. А. Куликов
Seamen	V. Sichev	В. И. Сычёв
Doctors	N. Slobodinskiy	Н. К. Слободинский
Red soldiers	V. Pirozhkov	В. О. Пирожков
Builders	Alexander Chernitsky	Александр Николаевич Черницкий

Facts and prospects

The 2.5 kilometre run between the Narvskaya and the Kirovsky Zavod stations is the longest on the initial stage of the Saint Petersburg Metro.^[1] To meet the construction schedule for the opening, fast construction methods were employed. There could be a situation at which the first locomotive depot should be built on a working branch. For service of trains tunnels behind station have been constructed. For informing of passengers on platforms of stations information displays have been established: under a phrase "the train follows to station" one of two variants was highlighted: Avtovo or Narvskaya. Photos of such indexes have been printed in books about the underground.

The first stage of Saint Petersburg Metro was laid practically on an existing branch of a tram. To accustom passengers to use new transport, the tram line has been transferred on small streets, but at the metro station Narvskaya the tram ring has remained.^[3]

After these tunnels ceased to be used for transport Line 1, they were used for storing Line 2 trains overnight. When in 1972 it has been constructed Depot 3 "Moskovskoye", all trains of Line 2 began to spend the night on the line. It is planned to construct on the basis of these tunnels connecting branch with new Line 6.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the station has been functioning continuously under a maximum load. There are more passengers who wish to take advantage of the system than the station can accept. On week-day mornings, entrance to the station is limited. In 2007, the Administration of the underground stated the intent to fully close the station for repair and replacement of escalators.^[4] In July 2007 have been named the first terms is the end 2008 or the beginning 2009.^[5] Terms of the beginning of works are constantly transferred, they are connected with station Gorkovskaya opening.

In 2008 the tender for manufacture and delivery of four escalators was won by factory Universalmash. Escalators have height of lifting of 40.8 metres and at length of 81.6 metres, the contract sum has made 208 million roubles.^[6]

The information that the design-budget documentation on object takes place state expert appraisal has appeared in the summer of 2009. Plans have been specified is date has been specified second half-year 2010.^[7] After Narvskaya it is planned to close station Grazhdansky Prospekt, and then station Tekhnologichesky Institut.^[8]

References

1. Линия 1 [Line 1] (in Russian). Saint Petersburg internet newspaper. Retrieved 2009-08-23. External link in |publisher= (help)
2. "The first stafe of Saint Petersburg metro". Narvskaya (in Russian). 2005. Archived from the original on 14 December 2007. Retrieved 2009-09-09.
3. Транспортные чиновники забыли, что у "Нарвской" есть трамвайные пути [Transport officials have forgotten that at "Narvskaya" there are tram ring]. City (in Russian) (fontanka.ru). 2009-08-30. Retrieved 2009-09-10. External link in |publisher= (help)
4. Shahova, Victoria (2007-06-14). "Горьковскую", "Автово" и "Нарвскую" будут активно ремонтировать ["Gorkovskaya", "Avtovo" and "Narvskaya" will actively repair] (in Russian). dp.ru. Archived from the original on 25 May 2010. Retrieved 2009-09-09. External link in |publisher= (help)
5. "the shorthand report of performance of the head of the Petersburg underground of Vladimir Garjugin on radio Echo of Moscow" (in Russian). Underground forum. 2007-07-18. External link in |publisher= (help);
6. Завод "Универсалмаш" выиграл тендер на производство эскалаторов [Factory "Universalmash" has won the tender for manufacture of escalators]. News (in Russian) (raise.ru). 2009-02-02. Retrieved 2009-09-09. External link in |publisher= (help)
7. "Нарвскую" собираются закрыть через год ["Narvskaya" are going to close in a year] (in Russian). fontanka.ru. 2009-08-17. Retrieved 2009-09-09. External link in |publisher= (help)
8. Следом за "Нарвской" закроют "Гражданский проспект" [Afterwards for "Narvskaya" will close "Grazhdansky Prospekt"]. City (in Russian) (fontanka.ru). 2009-08-31. Retrieved 2009-09-10. External link in |publisher= (help)

External links

Media related to Narvskaya at Wikimedia Commons "Narvskaya" (in Russian). metro.vpeterburge.ru. Archived from the original on 30 August 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-09. External link in |publisher= (help)

Closing of escalators of Saint Peterburg Metro on major repairs