Metro builders in Siberia

More than a hundred Muscovites helped to build Siberia's first underground rail line (nine kilometres and five stations) in Novosibirsk. Muscovites took part in designing and putting together the tunnel shields and the building of the tunnels and the stations. The weather is freezing here, and since the granite and marble finishing slabs for the stations were frozen, we've got to warm them before they can be used. Before our work crew came to Siberia, we had worked at Metro projects all over the country, and nowhere else did we meet so many difficulties as we met here. The average annual temperature in Novosibirsk is below the freezing point, but we didn't realize how many problems that would pose. For example before starting the finishing work for the stations' surface entrances we had to build heated shelters for them. Generally speaking, much of the work we did here during the winter is usually done in summer at other Metro projects. The summer here is very short and if we followed the usual practice, we would have dragged out the construction for another five years.

Builders from different place also worked on the project, since it is usual for Metro builders to pool efforts when a city undertakes such a major project. When we're through with our work here we'll go back to Moscow. And we'll return to Siberia because there are blueprints for the construction of Metro also in Omsk, Krasnoyarsk and Irkutsk.

shield — проходческий щит

finishing — отделочный

pose — поставить вопрос

drag out — затягивать

pool efforts — объединять усилия

to be through with — закончить

blueprint — проект