Arsenalna (Kiev Metro)
Encyclopedia
Arsenalna is a station on Kiev Metro
's Sviatoshynsko-Brovarska Line
. The station was opened along with the first stage and is currently the deepest station in the world (105.5 metres). This attributed to Kiev's geography where the high bank of the Dnieper River
rises above the rest of the city. Also unique is the station's design which lacks a central concourse thus similar in layout to stations on the London Underground
.
Although Arsenalna (architects H.Hranatkin, S.Krushynsky, N.Shchukina) appears as a pylon trivault, the "Pylons" along with their portals are all purely cosmetic decoration. Pink marble walls with bronze grills (that feature metallic artwork on Soviet themes) is all that is present in the portal. Instead the station has a small lobby which is directely connected to the escalator tunnel. The ride on the escalators itself is one of the longest totaling up to five minutes.
The layout of the stations has reasons, as the cosmetic pylons were planned to be real. The main one comes from the tough soils of the location and the problems with hydroisolation which forced the builders to conserve the design. Similar problems happened on the first stage in Moscow however later the stations Lubyanka
and Chistye Prudy were completed. In Kiev this never was to happen. Originally built as an interim on a long track before the line crossed the Dnieper and continued into the left bank residential districts, it was never to have a large passenger traffic to justify a complex and costly reconstruction. Nor was the station ever planned to be a transfer point (unlike the Moscow stations, which ultimately was the reason for them to be rebuilt). Thus with the Kiev Arsenal Factory
, for which the station was named, being the only human source of passengers, this station is likely to remain as it is permanently.
Decoratively, apart from the spoken portals, the station is monochromatic in its appearance. The plastered vault ceilings, ceramic tiled walls and the marbled "pylons" all are of white colour. At the wall of the main lobby hall was a large sculptural artwork depicting revolutionary events that took place in the Arsenal factory in 1918 however this was unfortunately removed in the early 1990s.
The station's large surface vestibule is situated on the square leading onto the January uprising street. Behind the station is a service bay that is used for nighttime stands and minor repairs to the railcar park.
Kiev Metro
The Kiev Metro is a metro system that is the mainstay of Kiev's public transport. It was the first rapid transit system in Ukraine and the third one built in the USSR . It now has three lines with a total length of 63.7 kilometres and 49 stations...
's Sviatoshynsko-Brovarska Line
Sviatoshynsko-Brovarska Line
The Sviatoshynsko-Brovarska Line , is the first line of the Kiev Metro, dating back to 1960. It includes some of the system's more historically significant stations, like Arsenalna, which at 105.5 meters is the deepest in the world and the next station Dnipro, which although the tunnel follows a...
. The station was opened along with the first stage and is currently the deepest station in the world (105.5 metres). This attributed to Kiev's geography where the high bank of the Dnieper River
Dnieper River
The Dnieper River is one of the major rivers of Europe that flows from Russia, through Belarus and Ukraine, to the Black Sea.The total length is and has a drainage basin of .The river is noted for its dams and hydroelectric stations...
rises above the rest of the city. Also unique is the station's design which lacks a central concourse thus similar in layout to stations on the London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
.
Although Arsenalna (architects H.Hranatkin, S.Krushynsky, N.Shchukina) appears as a pylon trivault, the "Pylons" along with their portals are all purely cosmetic decoration. Pink marble walls with bronze grills (that feature metallic artwork on Soviet themes) is all that is present in the portal. Instead the station has a small lobby which is directely connected to the escalator tunnel. The ride on the escalators itself is one of the longest totaling up to five minutes.
The layout of the stations has reasons, as the cosmetic pylons were planned to be real. The main one comes from the tough soils of the location and the problems with hydroisolation which forced the builders to conserve the design. Similar problems happened on the first stage in Moscow however later the stations Lubyanka
Lubyanka (Metro)
Lubyanka is a station on the Sokolnicheskaya Line of the Moscow Metro, located under Lubyanka Square. It opened in 1935 as part of the first stage of the Metro.-History:...
and Chistye Prudy were completed. In Kiev this never was to happen. Originally built as an interim on a long track before the line crossed the Dnieper and continued into the left bank residential districts, it was never to have a large passenger traffic to justify a complex and costly reconstruction. Nor was the station ever planned to be a transfer point (unlike the Moscow stations, which ultimately was the reason for them to be rebuilt). Thus with the Kiev Arsenal Factory
Kiev Arsenal factory
State enterprise of a special instrumentation Arsenal , for brevity Arsenal Factory, is one of the oldest and most famous industrial factories of the Ukrainian capital Kiev.-Pre-1918:...
, for which the station was named, being the only human source of passengers, this station is likely to remain as it is permanently.
Decoratively, apart from the spoken portals, the station is monochromatic in its appearance. The plastered vault ceilings, ceramic tiled walls and the marbled "pylons" all are of white colour. At the wall of the main lobby hall was a large sculptural artwork depicting revolutionary events that took place in the Arsenal factory in 1918 however this was unfortunately removed in the early 1990s.
The station's large surface vestibule is situated on the square leading onto the January uprising street. Behind the station is a service bay that is used for nighttime stands and minor repairs to the railcar park.