History of Metro

1952, September 29 – by decree of Council of Ministers of former USSR is decided to build metro system in Tbilisi.
1952, January – Tbilisi “Metromsheni” (metro development organization) administration was created.
1953 – construction of first shafts and transit tunnels was started.
1957 – development of metro was put on halt and construction of various tunnels on territory of Georgian Republic (e. g. railway, road tunnels, hydrotechnical). For this purpose “Metromsheni” was reorganized into “Tbilgvirabmsheni” (Tbilisi tunnel building organization).
1959 – construction of first series of metro was resumed.
1962 – directorate for then still under construction metro was formed.
1965, February 8 – by decree #78 of Council of Ministers Tbilisi Metro Department was created.
1966, January 11 – exploitation of first section of the first series was started. 6.3 kilometer long section had 4 stations from Didube to Rustaveli.
1967, March – two-way traffic was started between Didube-Elektrodepo whith trains turning back on Didube station.
1967, November – after building a 4 kilometer line to 300 Aragveli station it became possible to turn train in the second end of the line. And after transition tunnel was finished at then Octomberi station (modern Nadzaladevi) it become possible to open two-way traffic on the whole line.
1971, May – 2.5 kilometer long section was opened to station Samgori thus completing the building of first series of metro with 11 stations and total length of 12.3 kilometers.
1979, September – second line of metro was opened with 5.8 kilometers in length which connected Station Square with Saburtalo district of Tbilisi. By first decision this line should have been built as a branch of the first line but by the end of construction it was decided to build second passage to Station Square-2 which at the beginning didn’t have independent exits to surface.
1985, November – two sections were finished and opened simultaneously; first 3.4 kilometer long Didube-Temka (modern Guramishvili station) and second, 2 kilometer long Samgori-Varketili.
1989, January – Sarajishvili and Akhmeteli stations were opened.
2000 – 1.2 kilometer long section between Gociridze and Vazha-Pshavela stations was opened with one-tunnel traffic.