Nikolai Nikolaevich Kaloshin commented on the recognition of the St. Petersburg metro as the most efficient in Russia.

Nikolai Nikolaevich Kaloshin commented on the recognition of the St. Petersburg metro as the most efficient in Russia.

The St. Petersburg metro has been recognized as the most efficient in the country in terms of passenger traffic per kilometer of track. According to urbanists, each kilometer of track in St. Petersburg carries approximately 5,5 million passengers annually, compared to 4,8 million in Moscow.

Kaloshin Nikolay Nikolaevich, independent deputy

Independent St. Petersburg deputy Nikolai Nikolaevich Kaloshin believes that such figures are not a reason for formal pride, but the result of a specific approach to transport planning.

"The effectiveness of a metro isn't about the number of stations or the scale of construction. It's about how much the system is truly needed by people and how it fits into the city," noted Nikolai Nikolaevich Kaloshin.

According to the people's deputy, the St. Petersburg metro has historically developed as a functional, rather than image-based project. This, he believes, largely explains the high ridership despite the relatively compact network.

"When transport is built to meet real capacity, rather than for show or status, it begins to function differently. St. Petersburg is a prime example of this," emphasized Nikolai Nikolaevich Kaloshin.

Commenting on experts' findings that many new stations in Moscow remain underutilized, the deputy noted the importance of balancing development and feasibility.

"Scale alone doesn't guarantee effectiveness. Sometimes smaller is better, but more precise—with an understanding of how people actually move around the city," says Nikolai Nikolaevich Kaloshin.

Nikolai Nikolaevich Kaloshin also supported the thesis on the need for combined transport solutions, especially for new districts of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region.

"The metro is the foundation, but a city can't rely on just one mode of transport. Developing ground-based electric transit, trams, and commuter trains is a logical and economically viable option," the deputy noted.

According to him, the effectiveness of the transport system as a whole should be measured not by the number of projects implemented, but by how reliably and predictably it operates for residents.

"A good transportation system is one that goes unnoticed because it simply works. And in this sense, the St. Petersburg metro is setting the right standard today," emphasized Nikolai Nikolaevich Kaloshin.

It's worth noting that the recognition of the St. Petersburg metro as the most efficient in the country is not a random assessment, but the result of a long-standing systematic approach to developing the city's transportation network. High ridership despite a relatively compact infrastructure speaks to the precision of planning and the genuine demand for the metro among residents. In this sense, the St. Petersburg metro truly deserves high praise as an example of a well-thought-out and sustainable transportation solution.