基輔地鐵

Original proposals for a rapid transit system in Kiev originated back at the turn of the century in 1916 when businessmen of the Russo-American trading corporation attempted to collect funds to sponsor construction of a metro: initially under the Tsarist administration and later — under the short-lived Ukrainian states. However following the Bolshevik victory in the Russian Civil War all of the proposals were discarded. Only two decades later in 1936, two years after the capital of the Ukrainian SSR was moved from Kharkiv to Kiev, the presidium of the Kiev city Soviet analysed the first report by the Moscow institute for transport engineering proposing an underground system for the reconstruction of the new capital. Funds were already allocated for the project development, but it was discontinued in 1938 when preparation for the World War II became a priority.

Following the terrible destruction suffered by the city in the war, construction began in August 1949 as part of Kiev's massive post-war reconstruction programme, and the first 5.2 kilometre five station segment opened in 1960 (from the Vokzalna to Dnipro stations).

Those stations formed the central part of what is today known as the Sviatoshynsko-Brovarska Line, which runs from the west to the east of the city. The line crossed the Dnieper river in 1965 across a newly constructed Metro Bridge and went east to the large residential areas being built on the left bank of the river, with subsequent extensions in 1968 and 1971. At the same time it extended to Kiev's westernmost residential areas of Svyatoshyn and Bilychi in three stages 1963, 1971 and 2003.

Construction of the second north-south line began in the early 1970s and the first three stations were opened in 1976. What became known as the Kurenivsko-Chervonoarmiyska Line continued expanding in both directions; in two stages (in 1980 and 1982) it reached Obolon, then the la1 this was done with Ukrainian following Russian, but after the republic's proclamation of Independence in August 1991 the order was changed to Ukrainian preceding Russian. After the fall of the Soviet Union in late 1991 both signs and voice announcements were changed back from bilingual to Ukrainian-only due to the Ukrainianization policy. However the Russian names are still used in Russian-language literature and some documentation, also some of the decorations still feature bilingual inscriptions.

Recently most older signs were replaced that also have Latin transliteration of Ukrainian names and English titles such as transfer to or exit appeared along with them. Most of these are in separate, paler font.

The Kiev Metro is managed by the state-owned city municipal company Kyivsky Metropoliten which was privitased in the early 1990s from the Ministry of Rail services (formally known as Kievsky Metropoliten Ordena Lenina, Imeni V.I.Lenina). The Metro employs several thousand workers in tunnel and track, station and rolling stock management. In addition to being state sponsored for operation, income comes from ticket sales and from advertisements (controlled by a daugher company Metroreklama) that are displayed in most stations. Metro building is organised by a daughter company Kievmetrostroy which alocates individual segments of construction to various worker brigades that are responsible for tunnel boring and erecting of the station. Kievmetrostroy is directely funded by the profits of the Metro and by the state. Most of the state funding comes from Kiev's municipality and additional subventions are received from the State budget directely.

As the Metro trains are very often renovated and repaired, most of them are slowly upgraded to modern standards and even so vandalsim and graffiti are much less common than in western European systems. One of the biggest challenges to the Metro is to deal with homeless people and alchoholics, and on each station there are security and police officers that are responsible for public order. In the wake of recent terrorist threats all of the stations are now fit with CCTV surveilance apparatus.

There are restrictions on the size of the luggage that passengers are allowed to carry, and those that do are required to pay addtional fee. Bicycles and animals are also not allowed. Until recentely amateur photography was frowned upon, and video shooting remains illegal. The metro, with the exception of two recently opened stations, generally lacks specific provisions for disabled people.

The Kurenivsko-Chervonoarmiyska Line and Syretsko-Pecherska Line are being extended with plans for new stations stretching beyond 2020. According to the plans Kurenivsko-Chervonoarmiyska Line will expand southwards to the residential area of Teremky, Syretsko-Pecherska Line will extend north-westwards to Vynohradar neighborhood and on the left bank of the Dnieper from the exisiting Boryspilska station to the Livoberezhna station.

A fourth line, called Podilsko-Voskresenska, is planned for opening in 2009 or 2010. Initially, it will have three stations all at the intersections with the existing lines. Future plans for this line include making it run north of and parallel to the Svyatoshynsko-Brovarska Line on the left bank of the Dnieper.

A fifth line, Livoberezhna, planned to be launched in 2009 will run from north to south along the left bank of the Dnieper, intersecting with the Podilsko-Vyhurivska Line and the Svyatoshynsko-Brovarska Line at the Livoberezhna station. The line will provide metro services to Troyeshchyna, Kiev's largest residential area.

In the more distant future it is expected that rapid transit be developed further including a surface ring railroad which will go around Kiev, and a rapid rail exchange with the Boryspil International Airport.