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INTRO: Hi every one!
I am MSH`a and today we will continue talking about metro.
Who haven’t seen first part better follow the link, to watch first part and we will talk about how metropolitan works.
For example will use Petersburg metro as I am living here, but with links to other cities and countries. Let`s go!
intro
What is metropolitan?
It`s stations with vestibules, connected with tunnels between which trains run.
Trains are fixed at depot, that are on surface
Without that in metro there is countless amount of devices
designed for ventilation, water, electricity and etc.
In total everything is similar.
that’s why I say goodbye see you all next time. Okay, okay, I am joking., if be honest I now will explain everything in more details so don’t go
Now let`s talk more detailed about stations
They as captain obvious suggest are made for that people could sit and exit trains
For comfortable usage are constructed in most important places of city because agree that station in middle of field is not needed for anyone but close to the stations is more required.
Exist various amount of station tipes, I am going to talk about few of them.
Stations can be: ground, over ground and under ground ones.
Everything is simple here, ground and overground are on surface, but underground ones are digged underground.
First two tipes are simple – it’s a buildings with turnstiles to pay and platforms for boarding.
Entered, tossed a coin, (or if poor at the moment, jumped over turnstiles), sit into the train and vent away.
Everything is simple
Only thing in overground station you will need to go up the stairs because rails are on the viaduct and rised over ground level.
In Piter, like by rule, such stations are ending ground ones and combined with railroad platforms.
Really comfortable! Old ladies with carts are happy.
Exited metro train, crossed, path way sit into train, and went to your summer house and dig potatoes.
Perfect!
In Moscow often metropolitan goes by its self on surface, because of that stations are placed without combination with rail station platforms, just by them self
Underground stations are more interesting. They consist out of: lobby, escalators or stairs and main hall with platforms.
Lobby – constructed on surface building in where we have turnstiles for payment and escalators or stairs.
And often we can see them in massive size supermarkets, or in Petersburg it`s often this way
Stations can be without lobby.
If it exist straight to underground passage, so they don’t have such lobby only cash, turnstiles and from there goes landing into the metro
Further.
somehow passengers must go down to trains.
If station isn’t burred to deep then for such purposes will be enough of stairs, because its not hard to go down or up by it
But if depth of station is more then 10-20-30-40 m (30-60-90-120 ft), then stairs will tire you while “climbing” up
Who forgot how hard it is, I will remind you.
Who have metro not deep under the ground, those are lucky.
They won`t need to climb up like this on escalator if it will stop.
That’s why for make suffering of unlucky ones they build escalators
Petersburg metro is deepest in the world, that’s why escalators there are almost in every station.
Those, who been in such deep stations, saw, that there are booths with grannies, that are placed on top, bottom or occasionally at one side, and people think that grannies are spinning wheals for escalator to move.
But everything is simpler, or maybe more complex.
Actually under lobby of station in special rooms called machine halls are huge powerfulelectromotors, that trough system of gears make stairs move
And this old woman are needed to speak on phone, scream: «Don`t run on escalator», or when piece of passenger gets stuck in escalator to pull it out, or help somehow
Perfect.
We got down, and now we are in the station.
In front of you we have central hall, and in both sides we have platforms.
In total, we can divide stations in 3 types.
And now those of you who were, or at least saw photos, remember what variety of architectural solutions are shown in metropolitan, every station is not similar to any other.
But what level of imagination architect must have, to bring such difference to so typical constructions.
In many foreign countries stations are clones of each other, concrete – platform, concrete – platform , nothing special.
Of course there are exceptions, example metropolitan of Stockholm, and few other but in total it`s utilitarian
In our country was looked like this: If not every station can look like palace, at least it must look special.
I consider that we succeeded in our task.
And I am exited that we continue this tradition, even in this time of money saving we try to make stations different from each other.
I mentioned three types stations: Pilon, columns and vaulted.
Every of this stations have its pros and cons, in construction and usage.
Now in short will look at them.
Pilon stations talking short its huge “fat” columns, its size is few x few meters. It’s the cheapest way to build.
And in addition if you out of cash you can stop construction nail it with planks and forget about it before you will get funds and continue construction.
There is impossible mistakes in construction, you will launch station and everything will be amaizing.
Problem is that because of sizes its hard to pass them without making jams that make pasanger traffic slow.
Column station.
It have two rows of columns that support vault or in other words ceiling.
Construction of this stations is more expensive but usage is easer, in plan of flows of people passing this pilons easer.
And for the final vaulted stations.
Name says it all. There aren’t any columns.
Platforms,rails, everything united under one vault-ceiling.
Problem with constructing such stations is that you cant stop it, its because of big area that it takes, if you will stop constructing ground over it can move and building above it will move aswell.
It can cause more problems because of that: cracks and etc. so you cant stop construction of this station, lately financial support for metro is not stable (more sponsored limousines of our government) that’s why construction of such stations isn’t planet any time soon, even if they are comfortable in usage.
First nothing disturb people for walking on platform and complex of support lines are under one vault. Everything is made in one “move”: station, platform support room; no need to dig somewhere in adition
Its comfortable, but… don’t want.
And again Petersburg show edit self.
I remember words of my friend that came to Petersburg from Moscow and he was a little shocked.
He told: « Traveling by train and it stops in tunnel and people start to get out – get in».
Such extra ordinary decision for visitors is usual thing for ordinary citizen.
There is station that in slang are called horizontal elevators.
On station are made additional row of doors that match doors of trains.
Train comes, open it doors then open station door, people exited-entered, doors closed, train went further.
Why so complex you may ask?
It really sound absurd but its all for saving – saving money on construction.
Such stations were started to construct at Khrushchev times, first station “Victory park” was opened in 1961.
No need to dig a lot of ground, no need to work on tunnel walls because everything is hiden from human eye, that’s why you save some money but later will have more to spend on support of everything.
About what back then people didn’t taught.
And additional expenses come from: first you must maintain complex of doors, secondary machinists must have experience to dock with this doors.
Passed right moment, went to far by half a meter, be good and go back
Further, you can use only certain type of trains, if there will be a new type of trains they just wont fit to the type of doors that are used.
That’s why such stations have so much problems
And imagine if in front of you door got stuck and you go trough the crowd.
Again you hear swearing, and everyone is unhappy.
They probably have only one positive side: no matter how hard people try they won`t fall on the rails, thanks to doors they won`t manage to do it.
In metropolitans of other countries for that they make transparent doors who work same way.
By the way there are people who think its protection against floods this doors protect stations from water, I just cant understand how this water will come from inside or from outside the station.
Have you see the holes?
Look at the videos
Another myth
Many people think small doors on walls that are seen from platforms lead to secret catacombs
In mean time its not like that those who used metro saw huge amount of cables on the walls
And so those cables are going straight behind that wall and doors are nothing else as for checking thus cables, will open that door and you will see cables, no food and top secret bunkers.
They are decorated in station style and people stand and think: ? And at that moment there isnothing.
And for the last stations difference can hide in platforms
There are stations with platforms of main type, when platform is between the ways, most popular stations let say, platform island with two iron rivers.
And platforms of coast type, like with rail stations, when ways are placed between platforms.
Like a rule such stations are ground, end stations mostly in Petersburg metro that’s why when you fell a sleep to get in metro you must get out and pay again, that’s why its beter not to sleep in metro.
And thugs don’t sleep.
Tunnels and other interesting things I will leave for 3rd part.
that’s it bye-bye MSh was with you, subscribe, like, thank you for your time!
Special thanks to Sergej Koroliovas and Dmitriy Mamontov