Pilotless trains and glass barrier expected in Baku subway
By Nigar Orujova
The Avtovagzal station of the Baku subway will have a special glass barrier along the path to separate the moving trains from the platform, the Baku Metro said on its website.
According to the Baku Metro, doors of the platform barrier will transform the station into a closed station to ensure high-level safety of passengers.
This will improve the microclimate conditions on the platform, ventilation and air conditioning, minimize the noise made by subway carriages, and remove the air pressure from the tunnels. It will also allow ensuring pilotless movement of trains in the future.
The Avtovagzal station is planned to be commissioned in 2014. It will be the first of the 12 subway stations of the planned "Purple" line, which starts from the international bus terminal complex and ends at the Garachukhur district.
Completion of the interior and exterior work is underway at the station. The station will cover the area of 356 meters; the construction of nine exits is also planned.
The new subway stations of the Purple line will be designed for seven carriages, thus, the station platform will be longer by 42 cm and will stretch 144 meters.
The station will also have elevators designed for disabled people. Installation of eight moving sidewalks 40-60 meters long is also planned to ensure convenient movement in long pedestrian tunnels.
The subway system is developing rapidly in the Azerbaijani capital. Subways are also planned to be opened in the most populated and developed cities of the country, including Sumgayit, Nakhchivan and Ganja.
Opened in 1967, the Baku Metro is currently 34.6 kilometers long with 23 stations and the Green and Red lines. The number of subway lines is planned to be increased from two to five, the length up to 119 kilometers, and the number of stations up to 76 by 2030.
Baku Metro is implementing a 20-year program for the development of the subway system. Under the program, two subway stations will be commissioned in May 2014 and about six stations are expected to be built by 2016.
Currently, eight stations and two train depots are under construction. Reconstruction of the central Baku subway station "28 May" is to be completed by the year-end.