Petersburg Subway Grand Opening Ends in VT Malfunction

Gorny Institute, the first Petersburg, Russia, subway to open in five years, was unveiled on December 27 to swift failure at its inauguration, due to vertical-transportation (VT) issues, reports MSN. Just 6 min after the station was inaugurated, the escalators broke down. The escalators going down stopped first, and 2 min later, those going up also stopped functioning. Passengers used the stairs, while apologies were announced over the speakers, saying, “The escalators are new, anything can happen.” Passengers also reported issues with the elevators, which were also malfunctioning. Gorny Institute faced multiple delays during its construction with an initial scheduled completion of 2015 that then became 2018, and, after the collapse of scaffolding in 2020 resulting in the death of one worker and serious injuries to another, the date was pushed even further.