According to АиФ Новосибирск, the city is considering extending the Leninskaya line of the Novosibirsk Metro to Tolmachevo airport. The project is treated as the final stage of the underground network's development, preliminarily scheduled for 2055. The information was shared by Mikhail Nikulin, head of the passenger transport organization department, during a discussion of amendments to the city's master plan.
Why an airport branch is linked to a new depot
Nikulin said the need for the airport branch is partly connected to finding a site for a second metro depot. That depot would be needed to support further development of the Leninskaya line and a planned extension toward Chistaya Sloboda. Officials examined a plot of 15 to 20 hectares. Specialists could not find a suitable territory within the city boundaries, so the Expocentre district is being considered as a possible location.
Changes to the planned Kirovskaya line
The future Kirovskaya line will not be abandoned, according to the source. However, the updated master plan may rename it the Dzerzhinskaya line. The route is expected to cross the Ob river via the second metro bridge and connect the Leninsky and Kirovsky districts.
For the Kirovsky district section, specialists studied seven track layout options. The choice took into account urban development prospects, the location of depots, and the need to coordinate the metro with other rail transport, including the railway and trams.
The preferred route runs along Stanislavsky Street. A transfer hub is planned at the square of the same name. From there, the line would continue toward Mira Street and the Yuzhno-Chemsky housing estate, and then reach the suburb of Krasnoobsk, where a depot is proposed.
Long-term outlook
The amendments show both new routes within the city and a possible link to Tolmachevo airport in the long-term scheme for the Novosibirsk Metro. The source stresses that these dates belong to long-term plans, and no construction schedule has been confirmed.