I have boundless respect for those who work underground

Sergey Anatolyevich, this is already the second anniversary of Mosmetrostroy under your leadership. What has changed, in your opinion, over the past five years in the company’s activities?

When the 85th anniversary of the founding of Mosmetrostroy was celebrated, I headed the company for only two years. It was a difficult, and to some extent fateful, period for the organization. However, construction did not stop. In 2014–2016, we opened three new stations on the Sokolnicheskaya line - Troparevo, Rumyantsevo and Salaryevo, and were preparing for the commissioning of the first launch section of the Lyublinsko-Dmitrovskaya line. From my point of view, the main achievement since the last anniversary is that we found a solution to bring the company out of bankruptcy, thereby saving Mosmetrostroy. The deal took place right at the end of 2016, and it was completed in 2017. If we had not found this way, then most likely there would not have been a 90th anniversary.

Today, Mosmetrostroy still remains the leader in metro and tunnel construction in the country, and the recent congratulations to the team and veterans of the company from Russian President Vladimir Putin confirm this. This is our common great merit, we have been working towards this for a long time, and the labor achievements of the metro builders were noted by the first person of the state. Over the past five years, we have managed to stabilize our financial position and provide our employees with confidence in the future. Another step to strengthen the company was the signing of a production plan with the city government. First for three years, then for five. This is a production portfolio of orders and, accordingly, financial guarantees. We are now implementing the tasks set by the contract. Six metro stations have already been opened on the Lyublinsko-Dmitrovskaya line from Butyrskaya to Seligerskaya, three on the Bolshaya Ring Road - Aviamotornaya, Lefortovo and Elektrozavodskaya, as well as the Savelovskaya station together with Ingeocom. In addition to Moscow, we modernized the Stalin Tunnel in Vladivostok, completed a major overhaul of the first stage of the Amur Tunnel, and carried out a huge amount of work in Serbia on the construction of the Chortanovtsy tunnels. We sum up the results of the past five years with such significant events. During this time, the construction of the metro in Moscow moved from a dead point, when one or two stations were launched per year, and we began to have volumes, and therefore revenue. There have also been changes in the structure of the Mosmetrostroy group of companies. Of the 64 enterprises, 38 divisions remained. This optimization made it possible to reduce overhead costs, increase efficiency and productivity from 170,000 rubles per person to 280,000 on average.

How do you assess the company today? How modern is it in terms of management and technical equipment? What else would you like to add?

If we talk about modern technologies, then on a 10-point scale, Mosmetrostroy is somewhere in the middle. This is due to various reasons. Construction of the metro is a complex process, work underground. But we strive to use all the technical innovations that are now rapidly moving into our field. For example, the BIM program. The designer just needs to set the initial parameters, and the program will issue a financing schedule, deadlines, and will itself control the process, signaling if milestones are approaching. Today, there are tools that encourage high-quality completion of work on time. This is how we achieved an input bonus of 2% of the contract. But they are paid if all conditions, contract price and terms are met. If something is missed, penalties apply. We have something to strive for. We also try to optimize everything inside. Electronic document management has been introduced in all departments, which eliminates unnecessary waste paper, and the presence of smartphones allows you to be in touch from anywhere with a phone and spend your time more efficiently.

What, in your opinion, are the strengths of modern Mosmetrostroy that distinguish the company from its competitors?

The first is a team, starting from a general worker, a miner and a driver, ending with the site manager and managers. We have a production facility where people do everything with their own hands and see the results of their labor. The second distinguishing feature is professionalism. For example, in everything related to mining. Some employees grew into managers, chief engineers, and went all the way from scratch. And frankly, there is something to compare with from the point of view of competitors. We have never had a single serious accident. As a manager, I see that the people working for us are professional in their work and understand all the intricacies well. The third is correct engineering thought in the form of free creativity. When we began implementing the signed plan for the construction of the metro until 2025, everyone understood that this was work from scratch. A person descends underground, and is faced with the task of going from point A to point B: for example, building an approach adit, a main tunnel, and at the same time deciding how to secure the soil, create a lining, a spacer system, and injecting cement into the space behind the lining. Everyone understands this even without drawings. But in practice, this often spills over into the creative process, as there may be surprises underground. Another strength is the courage and heroism of our employees. Construction of the metro is hard work, especially for those at the coalface. I have boundless respect and gratitude for those who start their work every day in the mine.

What is the brightest decade for you in the history of Mosmetrostroy? And what about it inspires you and makes you especially proud of the company?

When we were working on the architectural appearance of the Sokolniki Bolshaya Ring Road for each decade, we selected statistics on the leaders of different years, who built how many stations. Vasily Dementievich Polezhaev turned out to be the record holder; 43 metro stations were opened under him. Speaking about the heads of Mosmetrostroy, I always admire: each of them is a legend who has contributed a piece of himself, his knowledge and experience to what we are proud of today. I had the honor of finding Yuri Anatolyevich Koshelev alive, to whom the phrase “My life is all Metrostroevsky” belongs. After eight years of working in the company, I can also say that my life is all metro construction.

What are the prospects for the Moscow Metro Construction in the future? What projects to expect?

The five-year plan has been completed. I am sure we will meet both 95 and 100 years. By the end of this year, further production plans of the enterprise must be agreed upon with the Moscow government. In Moscow, the active development of the metro continues, in the future the construction of the Biryulyovskaya line in the south with ten stations, Rublevo-Arkhangelskaya in the west with six stations, three stations in the center - Volkhonka, Plyushchikha and Delovoy Tsentr of Kalininsko-Solntsevskaya, several stations on radial branches - Golyanovo, next to Shchelkovskaya of the Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya line and "Yuzhnoportovaya" of the Zamoskvoretskaya line, which will be located next to new residential areas and the "Dream Island" children's park. The construction of a new line in the TiNAO to Troitsk is also being considered.

We are also looking forward to further joint work with the Moscow Metro. By analogy with the Filevskaya line, many lines eventually need major repairs, and in some cases, reconstruction. For example, the Sokolnicheskaya line, opened in 1935. Groundwater does not spare either concrete or brick. The cable lines are also outdated.

I see great prospects in developing cooperation with Russian Railways. We performed well in our work on the Vladivostok Tunnel, where we used technologies that made the reconstruction faster and of better quality. For which they received an international award from the World Tunnel Association. Russian Railways has big plans for the development of the BAM-2 Eastern training ground. When this branch is launched, the reconstruction of the first one, which was built during my school days, will begin.

We also have great prospects for construction in cities where a decision has been made to expand subways. These are St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Yekaterinburg, Kazan, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Rostov-on-Don.

We are closely involved in the development of international relations. We carry out the construction of railway tunnels and artificial structures in Serbia. Since 2020, Mosmetrostroy has been involved in the reconstruction of railway tunnels on the Vrbnica–Bar line in Montenegro.

What would you wish to the veterans of the Moscow Metro Construction and the team in connection with the 90th anniversary of the company?

First of all, good health to everyone in our difficult times. To veterans - a happy life, which they deserved through their labor exploits. And for the team – as many production victories as possible. Mosmetrostroy has proven more than once that we are capable of them. And of course, so that in our difficult work there is time for creativity and family.