The History of the Construction of the Moscow Metro

Initially, they tried to build the metro using the cut-and-cover method. That is, they dug huge trenches across the streets. Because of this, the city was paralyzed, and historical buildings suffered significant damage. The construction curator, Lazar Kaganovich, was furious. Authoritative engineers offered excuses: “Moscow’s geology is terrible. Groundwater will flood everything.”

And then, a young engineer named Veniamin Makovsky appeared. He declared: “Digging up the streets is nonsense! We need to go 40 meters deep and drill tunnels using a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM), just like in London.”

The old professors rejected his idea, stating, “The pressure will crush the workers!”

At that time, arguing with authorities was unthinkable. But Makovsky took a major gamble. He personally pushed his idea through to Kaganovich. Realizing he had nothing to lose, Lazar presented the project to Stalin.

The authorities made an unexpected decision: to trust the young engineer. The USSR purchased one Tunnel Boring Machine from England, disassembled it, and, using reverse engineering, created their own copies. To prevent groundwater from flooding the workers, the ground was frozen using a solution of calcium chloride with a negative temperature, which circulated through special pipes.

A young Party leader, Nikita Khrushchev, personally descended into the shafts and stood knee-deep in icy mud, solving problems on site.

The metro opened in 1935. Makovsky turned out to be right with his project. For the first 20 years, the Moscow Metro was named not after Lenin, but after Lazar Kaganovich—the man whose iron will made this project come true.