Chronicle of Kharkiv · Episode 1 · Development
July 1968 — Kharkiv Metro
Construction of the first metro shaft began on July 15, 1968, on Slovianska Street, near the Southern Railway Station; the first stage was prepared after the decision on April 29, 1968, and it took 7 years until the launch on August 23, 1975. The project was promoted as a response to passenger transport issues and to connect residential areas with industrial zones; construction was carried out under challenging geological conditions that complicated the work.
The metro reduced the load on surface transport and provided a fast connection between working-class districts and the city center; on the day of launch, the first stage transported 413 thousand passengers.
👤 The decision to start construction of the first stage was made by the Council of Ministers of the USSR; at the opening of the first section, the symbolic key to the underground line was handed over by the head of Kharkivmetrobud H. O. Bratchun to the first head of the Kharkiv Metro M. Ya. Bezsonov.
🏳 In 1968, Kharkiv was part of the Ukrainian SSR, meaning under the control of the USSR; the city's residents were Ukrainians.
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