OREANDA-NEWS. November 9, 2012. A new section of the Nizhny Novgorod Metro’s Avtozavodskaya line from Moskovskaya station to Gorkovskaya station, including a bridge across the river Oka, was brought into operation on 4 November, connecting the Zarechnaya (lower) and Nagornaya (upper) parts of the city. The new stretch of metro line means the journey from Moskovskaya station to Gorkovskaya station, which is situated in the city’s historic zone, will take about six minutes, while it used to take Nizhny Novgorod residents about an hour.

The general contractor for the project was the local Nizhny Novgorod firm Mostootryad-1, a subsidiary of Mostotrest. Construction started in December 2007. The client was the local government agency the Main Administration for Managing Construction and Maintenance of the Metro, Bridges and Road Networks in the City of Nizhny Novgorod. The projects were designed by Nizhnegorodmetroproyekt, Transmost and the Giprostroymost Institute.

The new stretch of metro line was built in an area of intensive urban development, close to high-rise buildings and beneath numerous utility services. A special type of tunnelling work made it possible to completely prevent any negative effects from the construction work on the nearby buildings and services, despite the complexity of the hydrological and construction conditions.

A 3.44-km line was constructed, including a 1.27-km-long bridge over the river Oka. The Gorkovskaya station, 486 metres in length, was also built. One feature of the project was the trenchless construction of two deep tunnels. Each tunnel was 5.8 metres in diameter and their total length was 2.67 km.

The second stage also included construction of a new transport intersection, including approach roads to a combined metro bridge, and refurbishment of Lyadov Square. The new combined metro bridge now enables road vehicles and metro trains to cross the Oka at the same time. The upper, road section of the combined bridge was built by Mostotrest specialists as part of the first stage of the project in November 2009.

Gorkovskaya station started normal operations on 5 November. A passenger lift and two wheelchair-lifting platforms have been installed to enable people with reduced mobility to access the station.

Before the new metro station was brought into operation the total length of the Nizhny Novgorod Metro was 16.75 km. The metro’s two lines – Avtozavodskaya and Sormovskaya – included 13 stations, all of which were situated in the lower part of the city.