The Sormovo–Meschera Line is the only operating line of the Nizhny Novgorod Metro, connecting Sormovo District in the north of the city with the Meschera Lake microdistrict in the southwest. The line has operated since the Soviet period and, as of 2026, continues to develop in two directions at once.
Route and operating stations
The existing route of the line is recorded in the city's urban planning documentation. In 2026, the Nizhny Novgorod City Hall initiated the inclusion of both the operating line and its planned extensions in the city's master plan — the corresponding amendments were put up for public discussion on September 25, 2026.[1][2]
Extension toward Sormovo
The contract for the construction of the new Sormovskaya station in Sormovo District was signed in August 2022. The station is planned to be located next to the railway platform on Stantsionnaya Street.[3] Design work is being carried out by Mosproekt-3 (Mosproekt-3); during the design process it was decided to abandon the intermediate stop "Varya," and the metro depot is planned to be located in the Burnakovskaya Lowland.[2]
As of July 2026, most of the survey work had been completed, including work on the arrangement of the assembly and dismantling chambers, site preparation, and the construction of the launch pits; design work was continuing. Ownership of 87% of the plots in the construction zone had been transferred to the city.[4] In late August 2026, the demolition of garages falling within the construction site began; officials expect to complete the demolition by the end of 2026. The demolition of non-residential structures is being carried out under municipal contracts and is divided into two stages: in the first, 181 structures were fully demolished, and in the second, 158 objects (71% of the total) had been demolished by mid-2026; another 79 structures remained slated for demolition, while 65 objects were in the process of operational seizure.
As of early October 2026, demolition work was continuing: for the first group of objects, waste disposal had been completed and site improvement had begun, while for the second group of 222 planned objects, 158 had been demolished; a further 79 objects were to be covered by a new municipal contract the same month, and 65 objects were in the process of compulsory seizure.[5][6][3] The opening of the Sormovskaya station, originally planned for 2026, has been postponed to December 2029.[4]
The cost of the construction work was previously estimated at 19.4 billion rubles. In September 2026, the City Duma approved an increase in the Nizhny Novgorod budget of 8.722 billion rubles, of which more than 8.25 billion rubles will come from the regional budget as a targeted allocation for the extension of the line, including the cost of buying out non-residential premises in the work zone. After the budget adjustment in September 2026, the revenue side of the city treasury reached 96.8 billion rubles — the highest figure in the history of Nizhny Novgorod.[7][3]
Prospective extension toward Meschera
The project for Volga station in the area of Lake Meshchera on Proletarskaya Street received a positive conclusion from Glavgosekspertiza at the end of 2018; according to other sources, the state expert review conclusion was issued as early as 2014.[1][2] The station was supposed to be built in time for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but at that stage only "Strelka" was constructed; construction of Volga has been postponed indefinitely.[2] In 2023, GUMMiD Municipal Institution reported that construction is not planned under the transport infrastructure development program for 2018–2030.[1] Including the station and route in the 2026 master plan is intended to reserve land for future development and preserve the possibility of implementing the project in the long term.[1][2] Extending the line to the Burnakovsky microdistrict was also considered.[2]
The current city master plan additionally provides for extending the metro to Verkhniye Pechyory and Ankudinovsky Park.[2]
Chronicle of Events
Details of each event are in its own article; here are the dates and the gist.
Sources
- Newsroom24 — The Volga metro station may be included in the Nizhny Novgorod master plan — Transport
- GIPERNN — The Volga metro station is to be shown in the Nizhny Novgorod master plan
- NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" — More than 8.2 billion rubles will be allocated to the construction of the metro in Sormovo Nizhny Novgorod News
- V gorode N — Nizhny Novgorod residents were told how the construction of the metro in Sormovo is going (archive)
- Vremya N — By early October 2026, the demolition of structures along the future route from the Burevestnik station to Sormovskaya has been divided into several groups: under the first group, the following have been demolished (archive)
- Newsroom24 — The demolition of non-residential structures in the construction zone is being carried out under municipal contracts and is split into two stages: in the first stage, 181 structures have been fully demolished
- Biznes News. Vremya zarabatyvat — After the budget adjustment in September 2026, the revenue side of the city treasury reached 96.8 billion rubles — the highest figure in the history of Nizhny Novgorod;
Materials from the following articles were used (1)
Submission of the Volga metro station project to public discussion (2026)