Photo: Autostrada

Avtostrada Group, the company building the Kyiv Metro, plans to begin drilling a second tunnel from Syrets station to the future Mostytska station in early 2026. This was announced by its owner, Maksym Shkil, in an interview with TSN.

"We have purchased a tunnel boring machine, which will be delivered to Ukraine after being restored in early 2026. We will begin work immediately. Right now, we’re relocating utilities and carrying out preparatory work to ensure readiness," he said.

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Shkil explained that Avtostrada acquired the Halyna tunnel boring machine from its previous owner, who had used it to construct the first tunnel. However, only the machine’s body remained.

"All the equipment had been stolen," the businessman noted.

The German company Herrenknecht will handle the restoration of the machine.

"The diagnostics phase lasted four months — their specialists developed a custom restoration plan and identified the necessary components. The machine will be shipped to Germany for repairs. The total cost of restoring the tunnel boring complex is €8 million," Shkil said.

Herrenknecht has already received a 30% advance payment.

  • Construction of the new Mostytska and Prospekt Pravdy (now Varshavska) metro stations in Kyiv began in 2019. They were originally scheduled to open in December 2021.
  • However, the project faced significant delays. In December 2023, Kyiv Metro terminated its contract with Kyivmetrobud through the courts. The company had managed to build a 1,250-meter right-hand tunnel from Syrets to Mostytska, and partially completed two-level tunnels toward the next station.
  • In November 2024, construction resumed with a new contractor, Avtostrada Group. The agreement between Kyiv Metro and Avtostrada provides for a 30-month construction period — meaning the work should be completed by early 2027 — at a total cost of UAH 13.785 billion.