Historical image of the day (XIV) - Moscow subway opened on this day in 1935

image from here

Although plans proposing the construction of an underground train system in Moscow were drawn up in 1902 and again in 1912, the outbreak of WWI, and later the revolution, delayed the start of the project for many years. The first line, the Sokolnicheskaya Line, was tunneled and built mainly by forced laborers. The first line was finally and cerimoniously inaugurated on 15 May 1935 between Sokolniki and Park Kultury with a branch to Smolenskaya which reached Kievskaya in April 1937 (crossing the Moskva river by bridge).

Today the Metro system has grown into an enormous network of 11 lines and over 160 stations, with new stations opening every year.