DESCRIPTION
The first plans for an elevated rapid transport system in St. Petersburg were developed at the end of XIX century, but they were abandoned after the explosion of the October Revolution and the subsequent relocation of the Russian capital in Moscow. New plans for an underground metro system became concrete in 1940; at that date works started for the construction of a metro line connecting the city centre with the main railways stations located in the urban area. The first line (M1) was opened only in 1955 (Ploshchad Vosstaniya-Avtovo), due to the world war II. M1 was extended in 1958 (under River Neva), 1966, 1975, 1977 and 1978; it currently runs from Prospekt Veteranov (south) to Devyatkino (north).
The second line (M2) started its service in 1960 (Tekhnologichesky Institut-Park Pobedy); it was later extended both in southern (1969, 1972) and in northern directions (1963, 1982, 1988, 2006).
Works for a third line (M3) started in years '60s; its initial section (Vasileostrovskaya-Ploshchad Alexandra Nevskogo) opened in 1970; M3 was extended in 1979, 1981, 1984 and 2018. This line, which connects Vasilievsky Island to the city centre and to some industrial districts located alongside River Neva, currently runs from Begovaya (north west) to Rybatskoe (south east).
The fourth line (M4) opened in 1985 (Pl. A. Nevskogo-Prospekt Bolshevikov) and it was extended in 1987, 1991 and 2009; M4 currently runs from Sadovaya (west) to Ulitsa Dybenko (east). M4 was planned to connect the city centre with the eastern residential suburbs on the right bank of River Neva. Due to the construction delays relating the southern section of a fifth line (M5) it was decided to temporally attach M5 northern section (Sadovaya-Komendantskiy Prospekt) to line M4, before finally detaching the 2 lines after M5 completion (2009).
The fifth line (M5) opened in 2008 (Zvenigorodskaya-Volkovskaya). One year later (on March 2009) Sadovaya-Komendantskiy Prospekt section (completed during 1997-2005 and which was formerly part of M4 - as said before -) was incorporated into line M5; starting from that time, the new M4 terminal was located at Spasskaya stop.