Admiralteyskaya (Saint Petersburg Metro)

Admiralteyskaya ( _ru. Адмиралте́йская) is an unfinished station on the Pravoberezhnaya Line of the Saint Petersburg Metro. It was designed to relieve congestion at the Nevsky Prospekt and Gostiny Dvor stations, as well as to provide a stop close to the Hermitage and other notable museums. However, the completion of the stations was hampered by the lack of funds and ongoing controversy over the placement of station's exit. It will eventually have a transfer to the Nevsko-Vasileostrovskaya Line station tentatively designated "Admiralteyskaya-2" (the construction of that station has not began yet). As of 2007, this station is slated to open in 2008, to coincide with the launch of Kupchinsko-Primorskaya Line.

History

The station's existence has been controversial for decades. Although the need for the station was apparent to the Metro planners for over three decades, the actual construction proved to be a difficult process. The station was to be built close to Hermitage, several notable museums and several buildings designated as federal landmarks, which raised fears that those buildings would be adversely affected by construction. Thus, finding the location of the exit proved to be difficult task that, after multiple attempts, was finally resolved on February 7, 2007. According to the city officials, it will be built on the site of the apartment building at #1/4 on Kirpichny Alley. The building will be torn down and the vestibule will be built in its place as soon as all the residents can be moved out.

When the construction of what was originally intended as the northern branch of the Kupchinsko-Primorskaya Line began, the underground vestibule of Admiralteystkaya was built, even as the location of the exit remained uncertain. By 1997, most of the vestibule was completed. However, the lack of resolution over the status of the station's exit, combined with scarcity of funds, put further construction on halt. When the northern branch was opened as a temporary part of the Pravoberezhnaya Line, the train passed the unfinished station without stopping, slowing down slightly while transversing it. However, in 2005, the construction resumed. Trains began to occasionally stop at this station in early morning hours to drop off workers. With the location of the station exit finally announced, the construction is expected to pick up in the near future.

External links

* [http://metro-spb.nwd.ru/Stations/5/l5_am.htm Admiralteyskaya page at metro-spd.nwd.ru]
* [http://www.ometro.net/lines-4-9.php Station photos at ometro.net]
* [http://bia-news.ru/news/35919 Article about the location of the station exit]