The plans were revived in November 2007 when the Rostov Metro reappeared in the development program for rapid transit approved by the Ministry of Transport.
The program required Rostov authorities to redraft the old proposal, taking account of past and projected development in and around the city, so that construction could resume in 2011.
City officials expected the first stretch of the Rostov metro to be operational in thirteen to fourteen years, assuming normal financing from the federal budget.
The book, part of the Universe of Metro 2033, takes some liberties from the reality, as the subway system is halfway ready by 2013, when the war breaks out.
The in-story explanation is that Rostov mechanical plant, Rostselmash, had to switch from agricultural to mining equipment as a result of financial crisis, and the metro was dug with its products as a sort of advertising campaign.