Mosmetrostroy veteran, order bearer, Hero of Socialist Labor Pyotr Vasyukov died at the age of 89. Colleagues and relatives said goodbye to the outstanding metro builder on February 2. In total, Pyotr Aleksandrovich gave the company 31 years, proving himself to be a talented engineer and a demanding leader, attentive to people.
Peter Vasyukov was born in Kyiv on November 4, 1930. In 1952, a young graduate of the Dnepropetrovsk Institute of Railway Transport Engineers came to Moscow and got a job at Mosmetrostroy.
Vasyukov’s career began with the construction of transport tunnels and the construction of stations on the Circle Line. Then, as part of Tunnel Detachment No. 6, he was engaged in tunneling from the Lenin Hills (Sparrow Hills) to the University station.
In 1966, he took the post of chief engineer of TO-6 and five years later was appointed chief engineer of Mosmetrostroy. In this position, Vasyukov worked on improving the technology of mining shafts that existed at that time. In 1976, he was awarded the USSR State Prize for the development and implementation of a new progressive method. Then he became director of the Moscow Metro Construction.
Under the leadership of Vasyukov, the Kaluzhsko-Rizhskaya and Serpukhovsko-Timiryazevskaya lines were extended, the Kalininsky radius was started and expanded to six stations, and the most complex Gorkovskaya (Tverskaya) station was built. It was designed on the stretch between Revolution Square and Mayakovskaya in the early 30s. Then the idea was abandoned, but for the future they left space for a platform between the tunnels. Several decades later, it was possible to build a station on an existing section without stopping train traffic thanks to the wise leadership of Vasyukov.
For his great contribution to the development of metro construction and grandiose labor achievements, Pyotr Vasyukov was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor in 1980 and awarded the Order of Lenin and the Hammer and Sickle gold medal. In 1983, he retired for a well-deserved rest.
Vera Dakhno, granddaughter of Pyotr Vasyukov
Grandfather was kind and selfless, and also very inquisitive. I read a lot, especially about the history of Russia. He said that he completely missed several classes because he lived in Crimea during the occupation, and therefore spent his whole life trying to catch up on what he had not learned. He was happy to share his opinions about what he read or memories from his childhood. He especially often talked about the war: an interesting topic, although painful. Grandfather said that he had as many memories of that time as of the rest of his life. I was never bored with him and I just didn’t want to leave him.
Sergey Preobrazhensky, chief engineer of SMU-3 in 1975-1980
In 1971, at the final stage of construction of the running tunnels between the Sukharevskaya and Prospekt Mira stations, I, then still the head of the SMU-3 section, met the newly appointed chief engineer of Metrostroy, Pyotr Aleksandrovich Vasyukov. With only a few weeks left before launch, a difficult situation arose. It was necessary to make a competent technical decision together with designers and metro workers. Pyotr Aleksandrovich approved these measures and daily monitored their implementation on site. Thanks to his calmness and confidence, the team completed everything on time.
Anatoly Adadurov, director of SMU-12 in 1977-1986
I met Pyotr Vasyukov in the 1960s, when he was appointed to the position of chief engineer of TO-6 - at that time the leading team in Metrostroy with glorious deeds and traditions. Soon the employees appreciated the level of his technical knowledge and cultural attitude towards them and realized that a person had come to the tunnel detachment who had worthily replaced Yuri Koshelev. He was demanding but polite. If something went wrong at the site, he did not raise his voice and did not threaten with dismissal. The most severe punishment for me was his reproach: “Anatoly, you let me down.” Everyone was happy for Pyotr Alexandrovich when he was appointed head of Mosmetrostroy. It was during his leadership of the company that housing was actively built for metro construction workers, and many young families of workers received apartments.
Alexey Kryukov, director of SMU-15 in 1980-1983
At the end of the 1970s, Pyotr Aleksandrovich sent me to Yerevan to coordinate the work of all the teams involved in the construction of the metro in the capital of Armenia. Difficulties arose constantly, but while he was in Moscow, he always made decisions calmly, wisely and with restraint. The management of YerevanMetroStroy accepted them for implementation unquestioningly. In those same years, Vasyukov decided to create the youth team SMU-15, where I was appointed head upon returning from Yerevan.
Alexander Novozhilov, TO-6 veteran (worked as a tunneler)
Peter Vasyukov was an excellent organizer. I was always concerned about the working class: I made sure that good overalls were issued, that new housing was built for workers, and that I helped the Metrostroy children’s camp. When he appeared on the site, he greeted everyone and shook hands. And he even consulted with the workers. He was very economical. At the end of the shift on Friday and Saturday, he came and forced me to clean up the tunnel - so that the next week I could return to a clean workplace. Our tunnel detachment looked up to Pyotr Vasyukov. I'm glad I had the chance to work with him.