Kharkiv underground

(1) Kharkiv was the sixth city in the CIS and the second in Ukraine to have a metro. At the beginning of the 60s the transportation problem in Kharkiv became very acute. The surface transport couldn’t cope with growing passenger turnover. The situation was complicated by the relief of the city, its narrow central streets and large-scale construction of new residential areas in the outskirts of Kharkiv. The only way out was the construction of the Kharkiv Metropolitan system.

(2) There were two variants under consideration: the ordinary underground only for urban transportation and the other variant, which would provide for the possibility for metro trains to come out to suburban railway sections. No matter how promising the second project seemed, it would have required a new rolling stock, longer platforms and tunnels of greater diameter while the construction technologies didn’t allow doing this.

(3) In August 1975 the first section of Kharkiv underground was put into operation. While constructing the underground a number of developments and innovations were applied. On Saltovskaya line the first in the former USSR experimental metro bridge of original construction was built over the river Kharkiv. It was a closed type bridge, 336 metres in length, which connected Barabashova and Kievskaya stations. In the centre of the city the underground line crossed the Kharkiv and the Lopan rivers and ran under the railroad tracks of Southern railway.

(4) In 2005 the city celebrated the 30^th anniversary of its underground. On the eve of this anniversary the city got the long-expected present – two new stations – Botanical Garden and The 23^rd of August.

Nowadays, Kharkiv underground has three autonomous lines, almost 40km in length, with 26 stations. These lines cross in three change stations. Annually, the underground handles 250 million passengers. It is equipped with the latest machinery and has a perfect air-conditioning system, which makes the Kharkiv underground one of the most reliable and convenient underground systems in Ukraine.

Exercise 41 Translate the word combinations in brackets.

1. At the beginning of 70s the surface transport (не міг впоратися) with growing (пасажирообігом). 2. The situation (ускладнювалась) by the relief of the city. 3. The first variant, (метрополітен для внутрішньоміських перевезень), was chosen. 4. The (перша секція) of Kharkiv underground was (пущена в експлуатацію) in August 23, 1975.

Exercise 42 True of false? Give the correct version.

1. The surface transport could cope with growing passenger turnover at the beginning of 70s. 2. There were three variants of Metropolitan system under consideration. 4. The first in the USSR experimental underground bridge of closed type was built over the Dniper river. 5. Three lines of Kharkiv underground cross in four change stations.

Exercise 43 Project.

*In groups of three or four discuss the possibilities of extending Kharkiv Metro lines. Where can they emerge into the open and be transformed into Light Rail?

*Imagine yourself being the main architect of ‘Kharkivmetroproject’. Name your own stations and present your sketches of station interior.

Exercise 44 Here you will find information about the network of underground systems in major cities all over the world. Which is the oldest, youngest, longest, shortest of them? Which of them has the largest or smallest number of stations?

City	Year of construction	Length (km)	Number of stations
London New York Paris Moscow Tokyo Berlin Chicago Washington, D.C. Kyiv St Petersburg	1863 1868 1900 1935 1927 1902 1892 1976 1960 1955	408 373 307 225 217 168 156 118 45.5 83	273 466 430 123 192 134 142 47 37 43