ABOUT THE STATION

The design of the passenger station in St. Petersburg began in 1843.

It was from here in the middle of the 19th century that the first double-tracked mainline in Russia – and the largest in Europe at the time – extended to Moscow along the St. Petersburg–Moscow railway.

Konstantin Thon’s architectural designs for the stations in St. Petersburg and Moscow were approved in 1844.

The official opening of the St. Petersburg–Moscow railway took place on November 1, 1851, and regular passenger service began.

On November 1, 1851, the official opening of the St. Petersburg-Moscow railway took place and regular passenger service began.

The day the first train departed – November 1(13), 1851 – marked the opening of Nikolaevsky Station. The station complex consisted of a main building with a façade made up in the early Renaissance style and a two-tiered quadrangular tower with a clock and a flagpole. The original façade has survived to this day. Third-storey extensions adjoin the building on both sides (they used to service as living quarters for station employees).

The station first underwent reconstruction in 1869 – 1879. A separate two-storey building for luggage, a buffet-style restaurant for passengers travelling first-or second-class, and a three-storey wing with a passenger lounge, an arch for arriving passengers to enter the yard, and station utility rooms, were added to the arrivals part of the station.

In 1914, ticket office No. 2 was built.

To mark the 100th anniversary of the October Railway, a marble-finished vestibule was added to the station building, adjoined by a similarly ornate, two-storey hall with huge bronze chandeliers.

The station building received another addition in 1961 – the second pavilion of the Ploshchad Vosstaniya metro station along Ligovsky Prospekt. In 1996, a new ticket office centre was opened, built according to a design by the Finnish company Clausen.

A new hall with an abundance of natural light was built in 1967 to a design of the Lengiprotrans Institute.

A monument to Vladimir Lenin designed by sculptor Lev Mess was erected in the centre of the hall in 1977.

In 1975, canopies were built over platforms 4 and 5.

In 1993, the bust of Vladimir Lenin was replaced by a monument to Peter I.

In 1996, a new ticket centre designed by the Finish company Clausen was opened.

2003 saw the introduction of the automated fare collection system for railways at the station. In addition, the retail and passenger food system were reorganized, and canopies were installed over platforms 6 and 7.

The station was overhauled in 2016 – 2018 as part of preparations for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. This involved, first, work to improve the quality of transport security at the station. The CCTV systems inside and outside the station were upgraded, and passenger flows within the complex were rerouted.

The station has three points of inspection with 10 X-ray machines, six of which are installed at the central entrance to the station complex. The throughput capacity of the central entrance is approximately 3000 people per hour, and 1000 people per hour at the other entrances. There are also 255 CCTV cameras installed in the station building and on passenger platforms.

Based on archival materials, the façade of the station building was restored, the roof was repaired, as the cladding of the trainshed above railway platforms 4 and 5 was replaced.

Work was completed on the modernization of the station’s engineering systems, which included replacing the lighting system of the long-distance and commuter train outdoor waiting areas, installing architectural and artistic lighting of the central façade of the station building, and overhauling the water supply and sewerage systems.

The long-distance and commuter train outdoor waiting areas were upgraded, with new paving stones and ramps being put in. Passenger platform 4 was also renovated.

Particular attention was paid to creating a barrier-free environment. The station has four ramps for passengers with limited mobility, and the passenger lifts were replaced. All lounges were equipped with comfortable rest areas. The walls are marked with tiles to guide passengers. Assistance for passengers with disabilities or reduced mobility is available at the station. Requests for assistance are submitted on a daily basis – around 6000 such requests were received in 2017 alone.

The modernization of the station has made it one of the most technologically advanced in the country. The audio and visual passenger information systems have been completely overhauled: variable message signs that display information in three languages (Russian, English, and Chinese); stationary direction signs; a modern PA system; a sophisticated video surveillance system; and a "Talking City" system for passengers with hearing impairments.