New Petersburg subway station opens to swift technical woes
In Petersburg, the first subway station in five years has opened. The inauguration, intended to be a symbol of progress, ended with a malfunction after just six minutes.
On Friday, December 27, in Petersburg, the opening of a new subway station, Gorny Institute, took place, which was meant to symbolize the development of Russian infrastructure.
Five years after the last investment, the station became part of the fourth, "orange" metro line. However, instead of a triumph, the inauguration ended in technical failure.
Just six minutes after the station opened, the escalators broke down. First, the escalators going down stopped, and two minutes later, those going up also ceased to function.
Passengers had to use the stairs, while apologies echoed from the speakers: "The escalators are new, anything can happen." Additionally, passengers reported problems with the elevators, which also were not functioning properly.
The construction of the Gorny Institute station began with great ambitions but faced multiple delays. Initially, it was planned to be completed in 2015, then in 2018, and later in 2022. This process was disrupted by numerous difficulties, including the collapse of scaffolding in 2020, which resulted in the death of one worker and serious injuries to another. This station is the first new investment in the Petersburg metro since 2019, when three other stations were opened: Prospekt Slavy, Dunayskaya, and Shushary.
The opening of the station was supposed to be a symbol of the success of the Petersburg authorities and the development of transportation infrastructure in Russia. However, it ended in failure, which became a source of jokes among internet users. In a video from the station posted by NEXTa on the X platform, there were mocking comments such as: "Russian technology at its finest" or "Symbol of Putin's power…".
