The Kyiv Metro, one of oldest metro systems in the region, is celebrating its 60th anniversary.
To mark the occasion, lights were dimmed for 60 seconds at the photogenic Zoloti Vorota (Golden Gates) station, letting the chandeliers cast elaborate shadows on the platform ceiling.
Beginning in the early 20th century, the construction of an underground train system was widely discussed in Kyiv. However, a revolution and two world wars postponed the creation of a metro system in Kyiv for half a century.
On Nov. 6, 1960, the first five stations of the Kyiv metro began operating. The Kyiv metro became the third metro system in the Soviet Union, after Moscow and Saint Petersburg. The system’s opening was timed to commemorate the 43rd anniversary of the October Revolution, which saw the Bolsheviks stage a coup and seize power in Ukraine and Russia for 75 years.
The first five stations of the Kyiv metro connected the city’s downtown area with its main railroad station. Three years later, two more stations were opened, extending the line to Kyiv’s largest factory and the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, today named after Kyiv-native Igor Sikorsky, a pioneer in aviation construction.
Today, the metro system has three lines with 52 stations. Three more are set to open in December 2021. The city is weighing the possibility of building an additional, fourth line, which would connect the downtown area with the Kyiv Igor Sikorsky International Airport.
In 2019, the Kyiv metro transported 495 million people — more than 1.3 million people per day.
In March, the metro system was shut down for two months amid the COVID-19 pandemic, causing severe traffic jams all over Kyiv.
