On April 21, a short circuit occurred at the substation supplying energy to the "Narimanov–Ulduz" station, and smoke was recorded in the tunnel at that station. To ensure the safety of passengers, we first eliminated the consequences of the incident, then resumed movement.
Medianews.az reports that this was stated by Vusal Aslanov, chairman of "Baku Metro" JSC, in an interview with local media.
According to him, the evacuation was carried out promptly during the incident.
"First of all, I express my regret over the incident and apologize once again to our passengers. No injuries occurred among passengers and staff during the incident; evacuation was carried out promptly. I thank the staff of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Emergency Situations involved in the evacuation and initial medical assistance by TABIB staff, as well as media representatives who played a special role in promptly communicating Baku Metro information to the public and preventing panic.
Vusal Aslanov noted that ensuring the energy resilience of Baku Metro is a special clause in the State Program: "Overall, the electrical network of Baku Metro is built resiliently—each sector is powered from two different alternative energy sources. Ensuring the energy resilience of Baku Metro was included as a special clause in the State Program. In 2025, we invited foreign experts to fully audit the energy system technically and prepared an action plan. Starting from 2025, work is underway on the reconstruction of two existing substations, construction of one new substation, renewal of the cable network, and modernization of the SCADA system."
He added that the main role of diesel generators is focused on substituting the external energy supply; therefore, their use is not possible in this case.
"Baku Metro has 21 diesel generators, which undergo regular technical inspections. The function of these generators is to automatically operate when there is an interruption in the external energy supply. We conduct emergency drills twice a year.
However, in this incident, there was no problem in the external electrical network—the short circuit occurred at the metro's own substation. Therefore, their use is not possible in this case," Vusal Aslanov stated. //Bakuvaxti.az