Serpukhovsko-Timiryazevskaya Line

Serpukhovsko-Timiryazevskaya Line
Overview
Type	Rapid transit
System	Moscow Metro
Locale	Moscow
Termini	Altufyevo (north) Bulvar Dmitriya Donskogo (south)
Stations	25
Daily ridership	1,108,800
Operation
Opened	November 8, 1983
Operator(s)	Moskovsky Metropoliten
Character	Underground
Rolling stock	81-717.5M/714.5M
Technical
Line length	41.2 kilometres (25.6 mi)
Track gauge	1,520 mm (4 ft 11 5⁄6 in)
Electrification	Third rail

Serpukhovsko-Timiryazevskaya Line
Legend
Altufyevo Bibirevo ↑ north-bound Otradnoye ↓ south-bound Vladykino Yard Vladykino Petrovsko-Razumovskaya Timiryazevskaya Dmitrovskaya Savyolovskaya Mendeleyevskaya Tsvetnoy Bulvar Chekhovskaya Borovitskaya Polyanka Serpukhovskaya Tulskaya Nagatinskaya Nagornaya Nakhimovsky Prospekt Sevastopolskaya Chertanovskaya Varshavskoye Yard Yuzhnaya Prazhskaya Ulitsa Akademika Yangelya Annino Bulvar Dmitriya Donskogo

Serpukhovsko–Timiryazevskaya Line (Russian: Серпухо́вско-Тимиря́зевская ли́ния, Line 9), sometimes colloquially referred to as Grey Line (Russian: серая линия), is a line of the Moscow Metro. Originally opened in 1983, it was extended throughout the 1980s and early 90s and again in the early 2000s. With its current length of 41.5 km, it is the second longest line in the Moscow Metro (all underground making it the world's 2nd longest rapid transit tunnel). It has 25 stations.

History

The project of a north-south diameter was finalised in the 1971 Moscow General Development Plan, and construction began in the mid 1970s. The first stage, the southern Serpukhovsky radius, was opened in 1983 which brought the Metro to the southern districts of Danilovsky, Nagorny, Ziuzino and Chertanovo. Starting at Serpukhovskaya square the radius follows the Varshavskoye avenue, twice contacts the Moscow-Pavelets Line, afterwards it deviates slightly westwards passing Azovskaya street, where it meets the then terminus of the Gorkovsko-Zamoskvoretskaya Line, Kakhovskaya station. Afterwards the line crosses back across northern Chertanovo's main intersection (Balaklavsky avenue and Sevastopolsky Bulvar).

Some of the new technical methods employed in the construction of this section, included passing from deep alignment to shallow in water-carrying soils. A new technique of contour freezing was employed, which then used explosives to bore through the unstable region. The stretch between Serpukhovskaya and Tulskaya was further made difficult due gasoline leaks from an above petrol station over the years sufficiently absorbed by the soil such that the high concentration of fumes caused a fire in the unfinished tunnel, this introduced a new practice of adding additional boreholes in areas of difficult ventilation.

In November 1985 the line had its first extension southwards to Prazhskaya. This station was designed by Czechoslovak engineers and specialists from the Prague Metro. Simultaneously the station Moskevská was built in Prague by Soviet engineers.

Beginning in the mid-1980s work began on extending the system northwards through the city centre. This very deep section passed the areas of Yakimanka and Arbat where the first in Moscow 4 station transfer was set up in 1986. In 1987 this was followed by the station Chekhovskaya located near the Pushkin Square. In 1988 the final extension through the centre first deviated eastwards to include Tsvetnoy Boulevard and then crossed the ring at Novoslobodskaya before continuing northwards to Savyolovsky Rail Terminal.

Afterwards construction of the Timiryazevsky radius followed and in 1991 the major 5 station extension brought the line to the northern districts of Timiryazvesky, Butyrsky, Marfino and Otradnoye itself. In addition the line had interchanges with 3 major railway lines. The unique station Timiryazveskaya is the only one in Moscow built to the Deep single-vault (Leningrad) design. The Timiryazevsky radius had two more extensions, Biberevo in 1992 and Altufyevo in 1994 making it the northernmost in the system.

On the opposite Serpukhovsky end, in the early 2000s three extensions were built: Ulitsa Akademika Yangelya (2000), Annino (2001) and Bulvar Dmitriya Donskogo (2002). The latter carried the line into Northern Butovo and was the first to cross MKAD beltway. Today the line is the only one in Moscow for which no extension plans or proposals exist.

Timeline

Segment	Date opened
Serpukhovskaya – Yuzhnaya	November 11, 1983	13.0 km
Yuzhnaya – Prazhskaya	November 6, 1985	1.1 km
Serpukhovskaya – Borovitskaya	January 23, 1986	2.8 km
Borovitskaya – Chekhovskaya	December 31, 1987	1.6 km
Chekhovskaya – Savyolovskaya	December 31, 1988	4.2 km
Savyolovskaya – Otradnoye	March 3, 1991	8.5 km
Otradnoye – Bibirevo	December 31, 1992	2.6 km
Bibirevo – Altufyevo	July 15, 1994	2.0 km
Prazhskaya – Ulitsa Akademika Yangelya	August 31, 2000	2.0 km
Ulitsa Akademika Yangelya – Annino	December 12, 2001	1.4 km
Annino – Bulvar Dmitriya Donskogo	December 26, 2002	2.0 km
Total:	25 stations	41.5 km

Transfers

#	Transfer to	At
	Sokolnicheskaya Line	Borovitskaya
	Zamoskvoretskaya Line	Chekhovskaya
	Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya Line	Borovitskaya
	Koltsevaya Line	Serpukhovskaya, Mendeleyevskaya
	Tagansko-Krasnopresnenskaya Line	Chekhovskaya
	Lyublinsko-Dmitrovskaya Line	Tsvetnoy Bulvar
	Kakhovskaya Line	Sevastopolskaya
	Butovskaya Light Metro Line	Bulvar Dmitriya Donskogo

Rolling stock

The line is served by the Varshavskoe (№ 8) and Vladykino (№ 14) depots. In 2005 it began a slow transition to eight carriage trains. As of November 2005, Vladykino completed its transition and presently has 43 eight-carriage trains assigned to them. Varshavskoe began later and completed its transition in March 2006 with 38 eight-carriage trains. The line received new 81-714/717 trains upon its opening in 1983. Due to its recent extensions various trains were added to its ever-growing stock, some surplus from other depots, others factory fresh 81-714.5/717.5 and 81-714.5M/717.5M. When the Butovskaya Light Metro Line opened, the Varshavskoe depot became home to the new three-carriage 81-740/741 "Rusich" trains, 12 of which are currently being used.

Recent events and future plans

Second exits at Petrovsko-Razumovskaya, Savyolovskaya and Timiryazevskaya stations are planned. However, in terms of extensions, the line is considered to be complete. Although there is some need of connection to the south border parts of Moscow, it was decided that Butovskaya Light Metro Line will fulfil this need.