Beneath Yerevan lies an abandoned metro line, a relic of Soviet-era infrastructure. Planned in the late 1980s as part of the Karen Demirchyan Metro system, the Ajapnyak extension was intended to connect Yerevan's western district to the city center. Construction stopped in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of funding.
The operational Yerevan Metro opened in 1981, designed not only for transportation but also to serve as a wartime bomb shelter. The Ajapnyak extension was meant to expand the system westward, accommodating a growing city. However, the incomplete tunnels remain raw and unused. Reinforced concrete mixes with jagged rock, and planned stations were never finished. Rusted construction equipment and debris still lie where workers left them decades ago.
The project was abandoned as Armenia faced economic challenges after the USSR's fall. Discussions about reviving the line have occurred but without concrete action. For now, the Ajapnyak extension remains a forgotten part of Yerevan’s underground network.
The contrast between the completed metro system—with its Soviet-style marble interiors and mosaics—and the unfinished tunnels highlights the ambitions of a bygone era. The Ajapnyak line stands as a reminder of Soviet aspirations and the economic realities that followed.
