The Kryvyi Rih Metrotram or the Kryvyi Rih Metro ''( uk, Криворізьке метро)'' is a partially underground rapid transit

metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urba ...

system that serves the city of

Kryvyi Rih Kryvyi Rih ( uk, Криви́й Ріг , lit. "Curved Bend" or "Crooked Horn"), also known as Krivoy Rog (Russian: Кривой Рог) is the largest city in central Ukraine, the 7th most populous city in Ukraine and the 2nd largest by area. Kr ...

, the seventh-largest city in

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

. Despite its designation as a "metro tram" and its use of tram cars as rolling stock, the Kryvyi Rih Metro is fully grade-separated both from roads and from the city's conventional tram lines, with enclosed stations and tracks.

History

The design of the Metrotram seen in

has its roots in the socialist urban planning guidelines that were formulated in the 1960s, based on models of the emergence of new urban centers and the transport arrangements that would suit them, in particular, how a small settlement would grow into a full-sized city, and at which point a

rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be c ...

system would need to be built. Kryvyi Rih and

Volgograd Volgograd ( rus, Волгогра́д, a=ru-Volgograd.ogg, p=vəɫɡɐˈɡrat), geographical renaming, formerly Tsaritsyn (russian: Цари́цын, Tsarítsyn, label=none; ) (1589–1925), and Stalingrad (russian: Сталингра́д, Stal ...

were both chosen to test whether the construction of a full-scale metro system could be avoided by adopting a light rail design for a socialist city. Both cities had developed

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

networks, but like most urban centers, overcrowding and widespread congestion proved too much for the trams to serve as the main transport arteries. Moreover, both cities were destroyed in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and rebuilt, with all the requirements of a modern city considered in planning. In both cases, the Metrotram was intended to serve only an interim, albeit necessary, role, with provision for conversion into a full

system. Construction in both cities began simultaneously in the mid-1970s. In Volgograd, this involved separating off an existing tram route with an underground section in the city center. In Kryvyi Rih, however, the Metrotram route was built from scratch, albeit in a similar manner, with most of the section running along the surface, except in the very center of the city. All of the underground dimensions were made with provision for eventual conversion into a full metro system. As the Kryvyi Rih Metrotram was built from scratch, even stops in the surface sections are referred to as stations (as opposed to stops) and all are separate complexes. Each station is an architectural monument for its neighborhood, in the style of late Soviet architecture. On 26 December 1986, the first 8 km long segment was opened with four stations, becoming the third underground rapid transit system in Ukraine, after

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

and

Kharkiv Kharkiv ( uk, wikt:Харків, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine.city's conventional tram system and an additional route was created extending to the nearby metallurgical combine. On 1 May 2021 Kryvyi Rih became the first city in Ukraine to introduce free travel in public transport for its citizens. In order not to pay for municipal transport one must show a special electronic "Kryvyi Riher's Card".Free, but unpleasant. In Kryvyi Rih, the fare in transport, which needs urgent modernization, is being abolished

The Ukrainian Week ''The Ukrainian Week'' ( uk, Український Тиждень, translit=Ukrainskyi Tyzhden) is an illustrated weekly magazine covering politics, economics and the arts and aimed at the socially engaged Ukrainian-language reader. It provides ...

(21 April 2021) In Spring 2022 using city public transport became free for all passengers.

Timeline

Facts and figures

AX Kryvyi Rih Rapid Tram GeoMap Uk En Routes

The system is operated by the city municipal company and has a total length of 18.7 km, 7 km of which (40%) are fully underground. The entire system has 11 stations: 4 of them are located underground, 2 stations have only underground vestibules and also 2 stations are above the ground, all built up to

standard. In addition, there is one station, ''Vovnopriadilna'', that was built but is currently not opened due to the absence of passenger traffic in the area. There are four routes: ''Kiltseva - Maidan Pratsi'', ''Kiltseva - Zarichna'', ''Zarichna - PGZK Circle'' and ''Zarichna - KMK Circle'', with a branch at ''Sonyachna'' for the first two routes. The

rolling stock The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, freight and passenger cars (or coaches), and non-revenue cars. Passenger vehicles can b ...

used on the system consists of the '' Tatra'' and the ''

KTM KTM AG (Kraftfahrzeug Trunkenpolz Mattighofen, formerly KTM Sportmotorcycle AG) is an Austrian motorcycle, bicycle and sports car manufacturer owned by Pierer Mobility AG and the Indian manufacturer Bajaj Auto. It was formed in 1992 but traces ...

''. Two

depot Depot ( or ) may refer to: Places * Depot, Poland, a village * Depot Island, Kemp Land, Antarctica * Depot Island, Victoria Land, Antarctica * Depot Island Formation, Greenland Brands and enterprises * Maxwell Street Depot, a restaurant in ...

s serve the system: one is located near '' Maidan Pratsi'' station; the other one is situated at Tram Park in the southeastern part of the Central City District. For more convenient tram turnarounds, there are turning circles at both ends of the lines.

Prospects for growth

When the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

collapsed, the development of rapid transit systems in all of the former republics was deprived of funding and neglected. In many cases, cities that acquired a metro system in the late 1980s only gained an initial stretch with passenger flows barely making the systems significant. In both Metrotram cities, however, the reverse was the case. The KRMT carries 40 million people annually, with a record of 56 million in 1997. In comparison, annual passenger numbers on the

Dnipro Metro The Dnipro Metro ( uk, Дніпровський метрополітен) is a single-line rapid transit system that serves the city of Dnipro, the fourth largest city in Ukraine by population. The metro was the fourth system constructed in Ukr ...

, which opened in 1995, amount to slightly less than 7.5 million (). The light rail's compatibility and low construction costs have shown it to be superior to the "hard rail" in every respect, and, unlike the metros in Dnipro and many other post-Soviet cities, KR Metro now functions as an important traffic artery.

Network Map

References

External links

Kryvyi Rih Metro Track Map
{{Rapid transit in Europe Transport in Kryvyi Rih Light rail in Ukraine Rapid transit in Ukraine Underground rapid transit in Ukraine