Orlavo Metro
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| Overview | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Native name | Метро Орлаво | ||
| Owner | Orlavo Provincial Government | ||
| Area served | Orlavo | ||
| Locale | Orlavo | ||
| Transit type | Rapid transit | ||
| Number of lines | 8 | ||
| Number of stations | 62 | ||
| Daily ridership | 1.431 million daily | ||
| Annual ridership | 494.56 million | ||
| Chief executive | Petro Trochanov | ||
| Operation | |||
| Began operation | 2 September 1953 | ||
| Operator(s) | Orlavo Metropolitan Transport Authority | ||
| Number of vehicles | 874 cars (in 150 trains) | ||
| Technical | |||
| System length | 68.648 mi (110.478 km) | ||
| Track gauge | 1,520 mm (4 ft 11 27⁄32 in) | ||
| Average speed | 36.11 mph (58.11 km/h) | ||
| Top speed | 50 mph (80 km/h) | ||
| |||
The Orlavo Metro (Narodyn Метро Орлаво) is a rapid transit system serving Orlavo, Vinalia. Opened in 1948 with one 10-kilometre line and 6 stations, it was the first underground railway system in North Vinalia, and until 1988 the only system in both Vinalia's. As of 2019, the Orlavo Metro, has 62 stations across 8 lines, and its route length is 68.648 km (42.656 mi), making it the largest in Vinalia. The system is mostly underground, with the deepest section 74 metres (243 ft) underground at the New Steelworks station, one of the world's deepest underground stations. It is the busiest metro system in Vinalia, as the system carries 1.431 million passengers daily (2019), accounting for 48.7% of Orlavo's public transport load (as of 2019). In 2019, the metro carried 494.56 million passengers.
History
Proposal
The first idea for an underground railway was flaunted around in 1937, after development elsewhere in the world, the idea of building such a system intrigued government officials which desired to prove with the project North Vinalian technological, engineering, and monetary prowess over the south. Plans were drawn out which called for an initial line running northwards under Liberty boulevard all the way to the Field of Liberty some 10 km's of stretch, with 5 stations every 2 km's. Although desire to build the system remained high, funding was a considerable hassle, following the recent civil war Orlavo was in need of reconstruction and a lack of government funding to support reconstruction tied down city resources, the plan was slotted to begin construction in 1942.
In 1942 with the explosion of the Second Vinalian Civil War the year prior the plan was revised and updated, calling for only 3 stations in a 9 km stretch with a construction date to be announced in the future. In 1945 after 3 years of delay the plan was once again revised, calling for the construction of 10 km's of tunnels with 6 stations, the central government now more open to the proposal approved the funding necessary for the building of the metro, being finished just in time to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the revolution in September 1953.
First years
The metro was quickly adopted and grew in popularity in Orlavo, as many rushed to the system as a sign of protest to the city's expensive bus systems. City officials had by 1949 approved further expansion of the system building another 5 km's of track with with 3 stations, now extending from Liberty Square in central Orlavo to the west ending in Workers square an dominated by industry, along an expansion to the Liberty Square station seeking to make it a central hub.