Tbilisi Metro
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The Tbilisi Metro is a rapid transit system in Tbilisi, Georgia. It mainly operates below ground, though two stations (Electro-depot and Didube) are above-ground. The main station is Vakzlis Square, near the Central Railway Station.
It was constructed in the Soviet era, and opened on 10 January, 1966, with only the Didube-Samgorskaya line. It extended from Didube to Rustaveli, and consisted of only six stations. In 1967, it was extended south to 300 Aragveli, and then again in 1971, to Samgori. It was only in the 1980s that the Didube-Samgorskaya line reached its current length.
The city's second line — the Saburtalinskaya line, opened in 1979, linking Vakzlis Square with Gotsiridze. In 2000, it was extended to its current terminus, Vazha Pshavela.
The metro currently has a length of 18.8km, although there have been proposals to extend both the existing lines, and to create a new, long third line, which would, among other locations, encompass the historic district of Vake.
An estimated 3.2 million passengers pass through Tbilisi's 23 metro stations each year. It uses the same token ticketing system as Russia, the Ukraine, and many other states in the region. The cost per token is 20 tetris, and remains valid no matter how far you travel.
The first line (Didube-Samgorskaya) opened in 1966 from Dibude to Rustaveli (6.3 km, 6 stations) via the city centre. A few years later it was extended towards the south to 300 Aragveli (1967) and Samgori (1971). During the 1980s it reached its current length of 21 km with 16 stations.
In 1979, the second line (Saburtalinskaya) began operating between Vagzlis Moedani (railway station) and Victor Gotsiridze. In the year 2000 it was extended to its current terminus Vazha Pshavela. The line has a total length of 7.5 km with 6 stations.
During the 1990s, most of the Soviet-era station names were changed. However, the metro uses the same series of trains as those in Moscow and many other ex-Soviet cities. Each station has a platform long enough to operate 5-car trains, although only 4-car trains are currently in use.
Though it is said to have improved in recent years, the Tbilisi Metro is still known for being somewhat dangerous, particularly for tourists. Muggings are not uncommon, and are the subject of many travel warnings about Tbilisi. Travelers are advised to be careful with their belongings while using the Metro. Another problem with use of the Metro is Tbilisi's often unreliable electricity service. This discourages many people from traveling via the Metro.
In addition to petty crime, there have been several incidents at metro stations in recent years. On October 9, 1997, a former policeman blew himself up at Didube station. On February 14, 2000, a teenager threw a homemade hand grenade into a metro station, injuring several people. In March 2004, several people were poisoned by an unidentified gas while using the Metro.