Yerevan puts Ajapnyak metro station on hold, redirects funds to trolleybuses

By Elen Muradyan

Yerevan city authorities said on Tuesday that funds initially earmarked for the construction of a new Ajapnyak metro station have been redirected to the purchase of trolleybuses, drawing renewed criticism over stalled metro expansion plans in the capital.

Mayor Tigran Avinyan told a meeting of the Yerevan City Council that budget allocations for the Ajapnyak station had been sharply revised this year, with most of the money instead used to buy 45 new trolleybuses scheduled to arrive in early 2026. 

Plans to construct the Ajapnyak station have been discussed for decades, with another attempt mounted in recent years, resulting in a detailed project proposal. City officials have repeatedly described it as a priority infrastructure project expected to significantly increase metro passenger numbers, but construction has yet to begin.

Avinyan said the project’s delay was due to its technical complexity, noting that the station falls into the highest category of construction difficulty and that expert assessments alone took about a year. He insisted the station would eventually be built and said additional funding was planned in the 2026 budget for preparatory work.

Opposition councillors criticised the decision to reallocate funds mid-year, arguing that money budgeted for construction should not have been diverted to other needs. They said the move highlighted a broader pattern of postponing long-term infrastructure projects in favour of quicker transport solutions.

The discussion also revived scrutiny of Avinyan’s 2023 election pledge to open another metro station near the Petak wholesale market by adding stair access to an existing elevated line. Councillors said that promise has since been overlooked and was not addressed during Tuesday’s session.

City officials defended the trolleybus purchase as a necessary step to improve public transport capacity, while maintaining that metro expansion remains part of Yerevan’s long-term plans. No specific timeline was given for when construction of the Ajapnyak station might begin.