Tbilisi Metro

Tbilisi Metro, an underground railway system; the fastest, safest, and most ecologically clean mode of urban transport. Construction of the metro began in 1952. The Tbilisi Metro was the twenty-sixth in the world, the fourth in the USSR, and the first in the Caucasus region.

For the metro's construction, a specialized department, "Tbilmetromsheni" (later "Tbilgvirabmsheni"), was established; it was directed for 30 years by V. Gotsiridze, one of the system's founders. The design work was entrusted to "Kavgiprotrans" (later "Saktransproeqti"). Along with local personnel, metro builders from Moscow, Leningrad (present-day Saint Petersburg), and Kyiv participated in the design and construction. Unique stations, running tunnels, depots, and other engineering structures were built.

On November 28, 1965, the first train made a trial run from the Didube station. The first section of the first line, "Rustaveli"–"Didube," was handed over for operation on January 11, 1966. On November 7, 1967, the second section of the first line ("Rustaveli"–"300 Aragveli") was opened, followed by the third section ("300 Aragveli"–"Samgori") on May 10, 1971. This concluded the construction of the 12.6 km underground railway for the first phase of the Tbilisi Metro.

In 1979, the second line of the system, the so-called Saburtalo Line, entered operation, connecting the "Vagzlis Moedani-1" (present-day "Station Square-1") station with the Saburtalo district.

The Tbilisi Metro consists of two lines: Akhmeteli Theatre–Varketili and the Saburtalo Line. Its total line length is 27.1 km (as of January 1, 2014) and encompasses a large portion of the city with its 23 stations. Seventeen stations have a single entrance/exit, while the rest, have two. On average, 25 train sets operate on the lines daily. There are 59 escalators in operation within the stations, with a total deployed length reaching 10 km. More than 300 primary and local ventilation systems operate within the system. The total deployed length of the laid tracks is 63.5 km.

L. Abramishvili

M. Chaduneli

K. Jashi