Sportivnaya (upper hall)

The upper hall of the Sportivnaya metro station looks like an ordinary single-arched station (photo on the left). Meanwhile, this is a unique, the world's only single-arched two-tier deep-laid metro station (diagram on the right). Roughly speaking, a real two-story transfer railway station was built inside the only vault. At the same time, the western end of the station is located under the Malaya Neva River.

Such a two-storey structure requires special measures to dampen vibrations from trains. Therefore, this is the only metro station in Saint-Petersburg where there are no rescue recesses between the rails for passengers who have fallen on the way. The entire space under the rail grate is filled with gravel ballast. And, as can be clearly seen in the photo on the right, one of the railway tracks is still missing. In the future, there will be a Ring metro line.

Each tier of the station has its own exit. The upper hall, which we are talking about now, has an exit to the underground passage to Petrogradsky Island. The lower hall is via the travolator Sportivnaya (travolator) to Vasilievsky Island, but about this - in the story about the lower hall.

Escalators to the top are traditionally located at the end of the station. Hermetic door, traditionally vertical, of the "guillotine" type.

On both sides of the hermetic door there are beautiful lamps stylized as the cup of the Olympic flame.

Despite the fact that the exit to the underpass does not imply any special beauties, the lobby is richly decorated with a Greek-sports theme. In general, the name of the station is given by nearby sports facilities. Next to the station on Petrovsky Island are the Petrovsky Stadium and the Yubileyny Sports Palace.

There are many beautiful mosaics on the walls here. Not all of them were photographed ;)

The underpass itself and the entrances to it are ordinary, unadorned.

Here, at the junction point of the station lobby and the underpass, there are two more hermetic doors of the horizontal type - "wardrobe".

The most epic panel is located above the escalator, where it goes underground.

Let's go back underground. In the middle of the upper station hall there are two groups of small escalators leading to the lower station hall.

There are also beautiful circular benches, inside of which there are viewing windows to the lower hall.

You can even look into them ;)

As usual, a motivating Sports Ode to Pierre de Coubertin was placed at the end of the hall.

The antique style of the station is very becoming.

But the most interesting thing, of course, will begin when the Ring Metro Line is built in the distant bright future, and a second pair of rails will appear at the station.

In the meantime, trains pass through the upper hall of the station on the only operating track, moving to the northwest of the city.

But on the second track, where there are no rails or ballast yet, you can well see the supporting structure.

A small life hack. Since the lower hall of the station has an unobvious design, it is more convenient to use the second small escalator, far from the entrance, to switch to the travelator Sportivnaya (travolator).

Sportivnaya is certainly one of the most beautiful metro stations in Saint-Petersburg. Even permanent repairs cannot spoil it.

Shall we see the lower hall now?