Minsk Metro

The Minsk Metro (Belarusian: Мінскі метрапалітэн, romanized: Minski mietrapaliten; Russian: Минский метрополитен) is a rapid transit system that serves Minsk, the capital of Belarus. The construction of the metro in Minsk began in 1977. Opened 29 June 1984, it presently consists of 3 lines and 36 stations, totaling 44.89 kilometres (27.89 mi). In 2013, the system carried 328.3 million passengers, which averages to a daily ridership of approximately 899,450. In 2023, the system carried 233.9 million passengers, which averages to a daily ridership of approximately 640,800. The Minsk metro was the ninth metro system built in the USSR.

During the 1950s–1970s the population of the city grew to over a million and designs for a rapid transit system were initially proposed during the late 1960s. Construction began on 3 May 1977, and the system was opened to the public on 30 June 1984, becoming the ninth metro system in the Soviet Union. The original eight station section has since expanded into a three-line 36 station network with a total of 44.89 kilometres (27.89 mi) of route.

Despite the dissolution of the Soviet Union the construction of the Minsk metro continued uninterrupted throughout the 1990s (as opposed to other ex-Soviet Metros like those of Yerevan and Samara, which were halted due to a complete lack of funding). Some experts attribute it to the slow reform of the Soviet planned economy in Belarus, which turned out to be beneficial for metro expansion. For example, the final phase of the Aŭtazavodskaja Line, originally planned for 2006, was opened in late 2005, and similarly the northern extension of the Maskoŭskaja Line, originally scheduled for 2008, opened on 7 November 2007. In November 2012, three new stations opened on the southern end of the Maskoŭskaja line (Instytut Kultury - Piatroŭščyna) and in June 2014 the line was expanded in the south part with 1 more new station (Piatroŭščyna - Malinaŭka).

Construction of the 1st phase of the new Line 3 (Zyelyenaluzhskaya Line) started in 2014 which consisted of 4 new stations running from Yubileynaya ploshcha to Kavalskaya Slabada station. The 1st phase opened on 6 November 2020. The 2nd phase started construction in 2018 and opened on 30 December 2024 which contains the extension from Kavaĺskaja Slabada to Slutski Hastsinets stations with 1 depot being built in the new south terminal station of the line.

In 2016, the Minsk Metro placed an order with Stadler Rail for 10 units containing six four-car and four five-car trainsets that will replace older rolling stock. These Stadler M110/M111 trains entered service in February 2020.

The city is located on an almost level surface and on very dry soil. As a result, although all of the Minsk Metro stations are under the surface, there are no deep-level stations that are found in most of the ex-Soviet cities. Out of the current 36 stations 25 are pillar-spans and 11 are of vaulted type. Like most of the Soviet metro systems, all of the stations are vividly decorated. Some (notably, Ploshcha Yakuba Kolasa) exhibit Belarusian national motifs, while others focus on more Soviet socialist themes, although recent years have seen more priority on high-tech decorations.

Signs and announcements in the metro system are in Belarusian and English.

Construction of a third line, the Zyelyenaluzhskaya line (shown in green), began in 2014. When fully completed, this line will run from the south to the northeast of the city via the centre, creating two new transfer points with the existing lines.