St. Petersburg Metro Information
Russians and class, an unbreakable relationship. They do everything with class, including the design of their metro networks. This is especially true for the St. Petersburg metro. Elegant in design, it is one of the most attractive metros in the world. It began operations in the year 1955, serving the people of St. Petersburg, Leningrad Oblast. Due to St. Peterburg’s awkward geology, this metro is home to some of the deepest metro stations in the world, and as a whole, it is considered to be one of the deepest metro networks in the entire world. Presently, the metro consists of just 5 lines, however, a total of 9 lines have been planned. Along its entire length of 113 km, the lines serves 67 stations. It’s popularity among the public is no secret. With an annual ridership of more than 763 million (2014), the St. Petersburg metro is considered to be the 19th busiest metro network in the world. Peterburgsky Metropoliten is the body that is entrusted with the task of running the metro both; smoothly and efficiently.
St. Petersburg Metro Timings and Frequency
The metro services start at around 5.45 am and operate till 12.00:01:00 am. The frequency of the trains during day time is 2-3 minutes and the trains are almost always punctual. The time interval between trains is little longer during early mornings and late nights. The trains are a bit over crowded during peak hours (8.00-10.00 am and 6.00-8.00 pm). There are certain days on which the metro runs throughout the day, as well as the night (24 hours). For example: 31st December to 1st January, 6th to 7th January etc.
St. Petersburg Metro Fares, Tickets and Cards
The metro system uses a system of tokens known as “zheton”. A single journey ticket (irrespective of the distance) for travelling anywhere in the city costs 35 rubles. The tokens can be purchased from the cash counters and vending machines, at all stations.
Magnetic pass and electronic cards are also available that are relatively cheaper. Frequent travelers can also purchase a monthly metro card. For people who wish to stay for a week, the most feasible option is the Podorozhnik card, which stores credit and you pay as you go/ travel. Riders can also purchase cards for a number of rides, like a 10 trips card, which is valid for 7 days and costs 330 rubles. There is also an option for a 20 trips card, which is valid for 15 days and a 40 trips card, which is valid for 30 days which cost 630 rubles and 1205 rubles respectively. There is another type of ticket available that allows for anything from 1-70 trips, and is valid for a period of 90 days. This ticket costs 2450 roubles.
The public can choose to buy a uniform ticket, for all the modes of public transportation. This ticket is valid for a month and costs 2690 roubles for an adult, and just 960 roubles for a single student. The means of transportation that this ticket is valid for are; metro, trams, bus and trolley.
Children below the age of 7, travel for free.
For more information on the fares, tickets and cards that the St. Petersburg metro has to offer, you can visit the official website at: http://www.metro.spb.ru/pricetickets.html
St. Petersburg Metro Parking:
St. Petersburg metro offers parking facilities for bikes. Passengers can park their bikes for free in the parking lots provided. These parking lots are available in some of the stations and not all.
For more information on this, you can visit the official website at: http://www.metro.spb.ru/parkovki.html
St. Petersburg Metro Rules and Tips
Like many of the other metro networks in the world, the St. Petersburg metro too has certain terms and conditions, with regards to the size of the baggage. There are certain rules which need to be followed while using the escalators. Some of these include, keeping your child close to you and being careful not to overstep the boundary lines of the escalator. While travelling on the trains, holding the hand railings is always advisable and so is giving up your place for someone who really needs it, such as a pregnant woman or a disabled men. This is not really a rule, more of a tip though. Both, guide dogs, as well as regular pets are allowed to carried on board for free provided they are tiny enough to fit in a box of dimensions of 120 cm, all around. People with ice-creams and those without shoes cannot enter the metro network. For those people already in, smoking and drinking is prohibited.
For a more comprehensive guide on the rules and tips to be followed, while using the St. Petersburg metro, you can visit the official website at: http://www.metro.spb.ru/rulez.html
St. Petersburg Metro Lines
There are 5 metro lines and each line is recognized by its name and colour. You can transfer from one line to the other, up until midnight.
● Line 1 – Line 1 is also known by the name Kirovsko – Vyborgskaya and it is the oldest line opened in 1955. The length of the route is 29.6km and the metro offer service from Avtovo to Lesnaya . Line 1 serves 19 stations and it takes 47 minutes to ride between two terminals.
● Line 2 – Line 2 is also known by the name Moskovsko –Petrogradskaya and it is the second oldest metro line opened in 1961. The line features first cross-platform transferring in U.S.S.R. It is built with unique platform type and after extension in 2006; it became the longest line in the system. The length of the line is 30.1 serving 18 stations. The route operates from north to south from Tekhnologicheskiy towards parnas. It takes 47 minutes to travel between two terminals.
● Line 3 – Line 3 is also known by the name Nevsko- Vasileostrovskaya and this line was opened in 1967. The length of the route is 24.3km serving 10 stations. The line operates from Vasileostrovskaya towards Rybatskoye. The stations on this line is built horizontal lift type and it hold the longest inter station tunnel in the entire system. The line moves through east west axis turning south-east and heading towards Neva River.
● Line 4 – Line 4 is also known by the name Pravoberezhnaya and the line was opened in 1985. It is the shortest line in the system and it runs to the eastern part of the city along the banks of Neva River. The length of the route is 11.1 serving 8 stations. It takes 19 minutes to travel between two terminals.
● Line 5 – Line 5 is also known by the name Frunzensko – Primorskaya and the route connects the north-western part to the southern area. The line is further getting expanded towards south. The line opened in 2008 and the length of the route is 20.1km serving 12 stations. it takes 30 minutes to ride between two terminals.
● Line 6 is under construction and this line is also known by the name Krasnosel’sko- Kalininskaya . The line is planning to run from south-west of St. Petersburg towards the north-east of the city. The line is planning to get opened by 2020.
St. Petersburg Metro Map
Map of Saint Petersburg Metro showing various lines and stations. Click on the map to enlarge it or Download St. Petersburg Metro Map in PDF.
