Scheme of the Krestovsky stadium with numbering of sectors. New stadium, new bridge, new impressions
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New home stadium St. Petersburg Zenit during the construction stage repeatedly became the object of everyone's attention. This is primarily due to constant postponements of delivery deadlines and regular budget increases. Nevertheless, in 2017, the long-awaited project was completed, and the northern capital of Russia received a modern stadium on Krestovsky Island.
general information
Official site: arena.fc-zenit.ru
Capacity: 56,196 seats (at sporting events)
Address: St. Petersburg, Football Alley, 1
GPS coordinates for the navigator: 59.972878, 30.221394
Year of construction: 2017
Field: 105×68 m.
Scoreboard: electronic.
Roof: sliding.
Coating: natural.
The inner thicket of the stadium is traditionally divided into two tiers and four sectors: A, B, C, D. Tickets for Zenit matches can be purchased different ways: through the official website, in the club store, client office, using terminals. The address of the client office is Dobrolyubova Ave., 16, lit. A, building 2. Addresses of stores and other places where you can purchase tickets to the Zenit Arena must be checked on the official website of the stadium or on the website of FC Zenit.
One of the easiest ways to buy a ticket is to use the official Internet portal. It contains all the necessary information for clients, as well as a convenient graphical interface that allows you to quickly select and book a suitable place.
Despite the protracted construction process, confusion with names and other unpleasant nuances, the St. Petersburg Stadium (Zenit Arena) has every chance of becoming the central sports facility of the northern capital of the Russian Federation. UEFA assigned the new stadium on Krestovsky Island the 4th maximum category, thereby placing the St. Petersburg arena on a par with the best football facilities.
St. Petersburg Arena is not only a place for football matches. The structure, like almost all modern stadiums, is multifunctional. At cultural and entertainment events, the capacity of the bowl can be increased to 80,000 seats. This makes the stadium an excellent venue for large-scale festivals and performances by world stars.
How to get to the stadium. Infrastructure
Metro
About two kilometers from the main sports arena of St. Petersburg is the Krestovsky Island metro station. Fans can also use two more stations - “Staraya Derevnya” and “Chkalovskaya”, which are located within walking distance from the stadium. It is worth noting that the travel time from the Krestovsky Island station to the arena will be about 25 minutes.
Tram
No. 48, No. 19. The tram schedule and the availability of additional routes need to be clarified.
Buses and shuttles
Buses No. 10, No. 14, No. 25, No. 25A, K-131. Special shuttle buses run two hours before and after the match. Their schedules and final stops may change, so such information should be checked on the official website before visiting the stadium.
You can also walk to the stadium via the Yacht Bridge, which opened at the end of May 2017. It is assumed that the bridge will be pedestrian. However, it can also be used to transport fans on buses.
By car
There is also the option to get to the St. Petersburg stadium by your own personal transport. The car can be parked in external parking (2,732 spaces) or internal parking (240 spaces). Both parking areas are located on the bay side. The address where you can purchase a car pass, and all the conditions can be found on the official page of the stadium.
Zenit Arena is the main, but not the only sports facility on Krestovsky Island. Not far from the football stadium is the Sibur Arena multifunctional complex, which can accommodate 7,120 fans. During boxing matches and MMA competitions, the spectator capacity is up to 8,000 seats.
In addition to the Sibur Arena, the St. Petersburg stadium on Krestovsky Island is accompanied by the Locosphinx cycling track and Athletics arena. Among all these sports facilities there is also the Park Krestovsky Hotel, which was built in 2009.
Lengthy construction
The construction of a new stadium in St. Petersburg was regularly accompanied by scandals that were actively discussed in society. The construction of the arena was seriously delayed, and its budget was constantly increasing. This caused negative sentiments and mistrust both among St. Petersburg fans and among people quite far from football. Journalists calculated that more than 40 billion rubles were spent on construction. Naturally, this colossal amount was compared with the costs of building the best stadiums in the world. For example, Juventus Stadium was built in just over three years, and the costs amounted to just over 100 million euros.
Zenit Arena was built on the site of the former stadium. Kirov, which operated at Krestovsky since 1950. It is noteworthy that the previous stadium also had a complex and long story construction. Work began in 1932, and the stadium was put into operation. Kirov was introduced only after 18 years. True, in that case the reason for the protracted construction was the Second World War.
In 2006, work began on dismantling the stadium. Kirov, after which the construction of the future St. Petersburg arena began. At that time, it was assumed that the stadium would be named Gazprom Arena. Quite interesting metamorphoses occurred with the name of the complex. Even representatives of the press at different stages called the stadium either “Gazprom Arena”, or “Zenit Arena”, or “St. Petersburg”. This confusion was partly due to the ambiguous situation surrounding the construction of the complex. Initially, the work was to be financed by Gazprom. The presence of the name of the corporation in the name of the stadium in this case was quite logical. However, later money for construction was allocated from the city budget. The issue with the name of the arena remains relevant. For the duration of the matches of the 2017 Confederation Cup and the 2018 FIFA World Cup, it was decided to use the name “St. Petersburg Arena”.
It was completely demolished in 2007 old stadium on Krestovsky. After excavation work, the first stone of a new modern sports complex. The architectural design competition was won by the agency “Kisho Kurokawa architects & associates” of the famous Kise Kurosawa, who passed away in the same 2007.
The project deadline was repeatedly pushed back, and the cost of the stadium regularly increased. Nevertheless, the complex construction on Krestovsky Island was completed in 2017. The 2018 World Cup undoubtedly became one of the main catalysts for the logical conclusion of the famous and controversial construction in St. Petersburg. The first official match at the new arena took place on April 22, 2017.
Sport events
The debut unofficial game at the Zenit Arena stadium took place at the end of 2016. Then the teams of Metrostroy and the builders of St. Petersburg took to the field. The stadium on Krestovsky hosted the official match in April 2017. The match took place as part of the 24th round of the Russian Football Championship. St. Petersburg Zenit beat Ural with a score of 2-0.
Already at the first game, obvious problems with the lawn appeared, which were added to the multiple excess of vibration standards. Work was urgently carried out to re-lay the lawn, which was completed at the end of May. Nevertheless, St. Petersburg Zenit was forced to return to Petrovsky and finish out the 2016-2017 Premier League season at the old stadium.
The stadium project was developed by a famous Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa. The arena capacity is 62 thousand spectator seats, but for theatrical and concert events an increase in capacity is provided up to 80 thousand viewers. The stadium is managed by Gazprom, which gives it to the local community for use. football club"Zenith".
The main features of the stadium project are a retractable roof and a retractable pitch. Thanks to these solutions, it is possible to hold matches in the arena in any weather, as well as use the stadium for any public events without fear of damaging the football pitch. Appearance the structure resembles a spaceship. The shipping theme is played out with masts rising above the roof.
Progress of construction of the stadium in St. Petersburg
The decision to build a new stadium in St. Petersburg was related to the plan to demolish the Kirov Stadium. This became known in 2005. At the same time, the first thoughts were expressed regarding the new stadium - a 50,000-seat capacity and a cost of $150 million. Last match in the old arena took place on August 17, 2006. The structure was dismantled at the end of 2006.
2006 - Project approval
The city authorities organized international competition, which was supposed to determine the architectural appearance of the future arena. The victory was won by the Japanese Kisho Kurokawa, in whose project the stadium was represented as a “spaceship”. It was he who proposed a retractable roof and a special heating system that can melt the snow accumulating on it with hot air. At that time, the cost of the stadium was estimated by its designers at $225 million. The right to build the structure was entrusted to SINTEZ-SUI LLC (Avant LLC). Cost of work - approx. 6.7 billion rubles.
2007 - Construction began. Or not?
At the beginning of the year, city authorities optimistically reported that the stadium would be commissioned at the end of 2008 In addition, the final decision was made that the arena will have a retractable field. In 2007, they managed to lay the first stone on the construction site, and at the end of the year they announced that the work was being carried out ahead of schedule. The Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg, Alexander Vakhmistrov, promised that Zenit would play its first match here at the beginning of 2009.
2008 - Increase in price and first postponement of delivery
With the onset of 2008, it became clear that the construction conditions were too difficult due to the peculiarities of the soil. RFU President Vitaly Mutko suggested that they could be involved additional funds- for example, from the capital of Gazprom. Zenit President Dyukov was more specific: the stadium will rise in price at least twice - from 6.7 billion rubles before 13-14 billion rubles. In this case, the due date is shifted by at least a year.
In July, a new estimate was approved, the cost of the stadium more than tripled - up to 23.7 billion rubles. At the same time, the capacity will also increase - 62 thousand seats. Due to the rising cost of the project, the city authorities terminated the contract with the previous developer, Avant LLC, valuing the work done at 5.45 billion rubles. The new general contractor for the construction of the stadium on Krestovsky Island was Oleg Deripaska’s Transstroy company, which proposed to build the stadium at a third cheaper - 13.3 billion rubles instead of 18.6 billion.
2009 - Construction stopped
The previous project, in some respects, showed inconsistencies with FIFA requirements for matches itself. high level. At the same time, the construction process was already underway. This mainly concerned the stands, which had already begun to be built. Construction has been suspended.
2010 - Redesign
It became known that Russia will host matches of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and St. Petersburg has been proposed to host one of the semi-finals of the tournament. In this regard, it was proposed to expand the stadium, increasing the capacity to 67 thousand seats. The cost of the new project has increased again. In connection with the 2018 World Cup, city authorities had the opportunity to apply for an increase in the budget by attracting federal funds. By the end of the year, Zenit President Dyukov announced that the redesign of the stadium was completed, its final capacity will be 68 thousand spectators.
2011 - Cost already more than a billion dollars
Another postponement of the due date - end of 2012. The estimate has increased again, now it reaches $1 billion - 33 billion rubles at the 2011 exchange rate. The conclusion of the state examination came three months later than planned, but builders have already begun to erect the roof, which will now have to be dismantled due to changes in the stadium design. The general contractor reiterates that it can build the arena cheaper - 28.7 billion rubles.
At the end of the year, the deadline was moved to 2013. The roof is being redone again, which will take up to a year and a half. The construction customer insists that the retractable roof cover not only the stadium stands, but also the field. According to new information, the cost of construction will increase by 40 billion rubles.
2012 - Let's build with the whole world!
The project was again sent for state examination. Its value is now 43.8 billion rubles! The Prime Minister arrives at the stadium and is surprised at the long-term construction. Governor Georgy Poltavchenko (construction began under Matvienko) refutes rumors about theft at the construction site and admits that city residents may be involved in the construction.
2013 - Criminal case and the Accounts Chamber
Almost 15 billion rubles have already been spent on the stadium, and its readiness is estimated at almost 35%. Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation opens a criminal case: the first general contractor Avant LLC is suspected of unreasonably inflating the cost by 500 million rubles. The new general contractor Transstroy and the Mostootryad-19 enterprise are exchanging claims, challenging the funds allocated for the construction of the stadium roof.
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The stadium's commissioning date has been postponed as of June 15, 2016. The Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg, Marat Oganesyan, and the President of Zenit, Alexander Dyukov, agree with this date. The Accounts Chamber conducts an audit, finds non-core areas at the stadium and reduces the cost of the arena to 34.9 billion rubles. Oganisyan confirms that no more will be needed, and the head of the Accounts Chamber, Sergei Stepashin, does not believe in the designated delivery time frame - in his opinion, the stadium will be built no earlier than 2017. The city terminates the project with Transstroy in order to hold another competition, which will be won by the same contractor. A new project requires a new contract.
2014 - The fall of the ruble exchange rate
Transstroy is allocated 9.1 billion rubles for the completion of the stadium. The stadium's retractable roof and retractable pitch are not ready. At the end of 2014, an additional 2.3 billion rubles were allocated for construction - to form an alluvial plot of land in the area of the stadium. The dollar is rising sharply in price, and suppliers are announcing a 20-30% increase in the price of building materials. City officials say this will not affect the cost of the stadium.
2015 - Conflict between contractor and customer
The stadium's readiness is estimated at 79%. The Construction Committee reports that the first game on the Krestovsky field will take place in September 2016. December 2016 will be announced later. The general contractor is asking for another half a billion rubles, increasing the cost of the project to 35.3 billion rubles. A protracted dispute begins between the contractor and the city authorities.
Construction stops at around 85%. The general contractor accuses the city authorities of artificially delaying the approval of the project, which is why the company cannot begin work. Inzhtrasstroy-Spb also announces that a raider takeover attempt was thwarted. City authorities are threatening to terminate the contract with the company.
2016 - Almost ready!
The city construction committee freezes the Transstroy contract for six months at the beginning of 2016. The reason is failure to complete the work in the amount 3.1 billion rubles. According to the contract, the work should have been completed until the end of 2015. Company representatives say that the contract amount has not been indexed for the last three years, despite economic turmoil and the use of imported equipment at the construction site. A month later the contract is renewed. The headquarters coordinating the construction is headed personally by the vice-governor Igor Albin.
The cost of the stadium will increase by 4.3 billion- before 39.2 billion rubles. The reason is FIFA security requirements. The city authorities are terminating the contract with Transstroy, which has a construction deficit of 2.5 billion rubles. They plan to recover the amount through the court, but in the meantime they allocate money from the city budget intended for social spheres. The general contractor was appointed " Metrostroy", partly owned by the city. The stadium receives the official name - “Krestovsky”.
In the last days of December 2016 a certificate of commissioning of the stadium was received. On him 41 billion rubles have already been spent and a contract was signed for additional work worth 952 million rubles.
2017 - What happened in the end?
The stadium has problems with the roll-out pitch - they say they did not take into account the problem of vibration of the structure and the problem with the retractable roof, which is leaking.
April 22, 2017 the first official Soccer game- St. Petersburg “Zenith” hosted Ekaterinburg “Ural” as part of the Russian Football Championship and won with a score of 2:0. The first goal in the history of the new stadium was scored by Serbian Zenit defender Bronislav Ivanovic.
Summer 2017 The Confederations Cup took place in Russia. The St. Petersburg Stadium hosted the final of the tournament.
December 7, 2017 it became known that the St. Petersburg stadium will host matches group stage Euro 2020 (the first tournament in history to be held in 13 countries).
Is the St. Petersburg Stadium worth the money?
Cost of the stadium in St. Petersburg according to official data amounted to 43 billion rubles.
According to Fontanka, which studied open sources, the arena cost 48 billion rubles. Part of it was spent even before the ruble exchange rate changed, so the cost can be estimated at more than $1 billion dollars. This is the most expensive stadium in Russia and one of the most expensive in the world.
The tallest skyscraper in the world - Burj Khalifa stood $1.5 billion.
The updated one costs about the same "Wembley"(capacity - 90 thousand seats).
In the world there is no stadium with the same capacity, which would cost at least $1 billion.
How to get to the stadium in St. Petersburg?
Metro
You should take the train to the metro station " Krestovsky Island" Next you need to walk 2 km through the park. It will also be possible to get to the metro station " Novokrestovskaya» - 1.6 km along the pedestrian bridge over the Southern Road.
By tram
– From the Staraya Derevnya metro station and further to Yakhtennaya Street you can get by tram number 19, then along Yakhtennaya Street, Yachtenny Bridge and Northern Road (2.3 km). The tram takes about 10 minutes.
– From the Chernaya Rechka metro station and further to Yakhtennaya Street you can get by tram No. 48, 48A, then along Yakhtennaya Street, Yachtenny Bridge and Northern Road (2.3 km). The tram takes approximately 20 minutes.
There are several ways to get to the St. Petersburg Stadium, also known as the Gazprom Arena, Zenit Arena and Krestovsky Stadium, on Krestovsky Island, and all of them have their advantages and disadvantages. We tested and described each briefly and clearly.
Here is the stadium on the Yandex map:
How to get to the stadium via Novokrestovskaya
In May 2018, the Novokrestovskaya metro station (green line) was built right in front of the stadium. It's not just close, it's right next to the stadium. This is the fastest, although probably not the fastest. convenient way get to the site. The only big disadvantage that can be here is the terrible crowd. The station is small, the common passage along which fans walk from the station to the stadium is also not the size of the Panama Canal, so if you have an aversion to crowds, then this is definitely not the place for you. If you are with children, then this is not the place for you, at least not right before the start of the match, otherwise the children will hear and see enough that in the fall they will greatly surprise school teachers with their expanded vocabulary.
Well, there is a smaller minus: you will also be deprived of walks around the surrounding area.
There is also this risk: Novokrestovskaya was built recently, it has been in operation for less than a month. It was erected twice as fast as originally planned. It has, of course, already been broken in a little, but you never know what might come out when maximum load.
View or download new map St. Petersburg metro is possible.
As you can see, the station is not very big, however, this is only half of it
We get to the stadium via the Krestovsky Island metro station
Before the appearance of Novokrestovskaya, it was the Krestovsky Island station (purple metro line) that was the main one for fans. It is located a 25-minute walk in a straight line from the stadium, plus allow another 15 minutes to find your entrance and get to the place. Total, about 40 minutes. You can get there faster, but we took into account the fact that there will be a lot of fans.
The path is very simple: there is one exit from the Krestovsky Island station, past which you will immediately see the main entrance to the park. And upon entering the park, you will notice the stadium at the end of the straight alley.
There is an option to get from the metro to the stadium using a free eco-mobile. This transport will be specially stationed at the entrance to the park for people with limited mobility. People with limited mobility are not only disabled people, but also elderly citizens or, say, injured people.
On the plus side: a wonderful walk along the very beautiful Krestovsky Island. If you have an hour or two before the game, you can have fun inside or outside. On Krestovsky, right on the main alley, they rent anything from hoverboards to bicycles and catamarans.
Of the minuses: crowding at a small station, like at Novokrestovskaya, is guaranteed (but immediately after it the dense flow dissipates).
How to get to the stadium on Krestovsky Island via Begovaya metro station
Begovaya (the green metro line) was put into operation simultaneously with Novokrestovskaya and is the next station after it, and the final one. The path from Begovaya to the stadium takes about half an hour at a leisurely pace and allow another 15 minutes to find the entrance to the stadium and your seat. Total 45 minutes, if you're not in a hurry.
How to get there: after leaving Begovaya (there is only one exit), turn right, walk along Savushkina Street to the intersection with Yakhtennaya Street; turn (without crossing Yachtennaya) to the right, go straight until it stops, you will see the Yachtennaya Bridge, which leads to the stadium. In fact, you can also see the stadium from afar.
The photo was taken from the Yacht Bridge, near Piterland. The stadium is visible in the distance
So we walked from Peterland along the Yachtny Bridge to the St. Petersburg Stadium
Pros:
— there is no crowd, except in the subway car;
- a walk along the Yacht Bridge with beautiful views of the Gulf of Finland and the tallest building in Europe, the Gazprom office called Lakhta Center (pictured below).
Of the minuses:
- in bad weather, namely in rain and strong winds or just strong winds, crossing the Yachtny Bridge only makes sense if you need heroic photographs from the “me and the storm” series.
View of Gazprom's Lakhta Center, also known as the Tower of Sauron :)
View from the Yachtny Bridge to the WHSD (Western High-Speed Diameter highway) and the passenger port 'Marine Facade'
Our choice
You may ask - which option is the best?
Our choice based on the combination of pros, cons and risks in good weather, that is, without rain and wind, is the Krestovsky Island metro station, Novokrestovskaya in second place, Begovaya in third. If the weather is bad, it is better to go through Novokrestovskaya.
One last piece of advice: get to the games early. As a rule, a few hours before the games, some kind of mini-festival is organized, the so-called “Fan Promenade” with entertainment and trade. You will have a good time, and at the same time relieve the access roads from the excess population immediately before the match.
And, by the way, they already give tours of the stadium. Original? Yes! You can view the tour by clicking on the ad below:
Ivan Semenov
On May 7, I had the opportunity to attend the second “test” game of Zenit at the brand new stadium on Krestovsky Island. It was notable for the fact that the organizers, in addition to the stadium itself, also tested a scheme for transporting fans to the June Confederations Cup games. The metro near the arena will only be completed by next summer, so for now the routes are as follows:
- From the Krestovsky Ostrov metro station through Primorsky Victory Park. Just under 2km on foot, 25 minutes.
- From the Staraya Derevnya and Chernaya Rechka metro stations, take trams 19 and 48, get off at the intersection of Yakhtennaya and Savushkina streets and walk across the new Yachtny Bridge to the stadium. From the stop to the entrance areas it is about 1.7 km, 20 minutes on foot. I walked this route, it was interesting to see the trams and the new bridge!
- All sorts of exotic options with free shuttle buses from different metro stations. I didn’t even try to figure this out, because the concepts of reliability and speed, in my understanding, are incompatible with mass events.
Diagram for a better understanding of the area 
Corner of Yakhtennaya and Savushkina. There is still a whole hour before the match starts, but fans are already actively approaching the stadium. However, to the nearby park of the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg today increased interest- camps were set up there in honor of the holidays military equipment, old and new, and various military-patriotic movements were also organized. I didn't get in, and now I regret it a little. 
I have nowhere to rush yet, so I linger at the bus stop and look at the trams carrying fans. This couple is just going to pick up spectators. There is nothing special in the first tram, a new, but already relatively common product of the Ust-Katav Carriage Plant. These began to appear in the center in 2013, on the revived Route 3, and are slowly spreading throughout the city. 
The next type after him is already more interesting, this is the Tver “Vityaz”. I’ve never seen anything like this before, but it’s not surprising; they’ve only been used in the city since this winter, and even in areas I don’t visit often. This is confirmed by the board number, which can easily be used to identify a guest from another tram fleet. 
Now about the sad stuff. New trams are very good, but the fact that they are specially driven “for the game” on these routes leaves two impressions. On the one hand, we get a clear demonstration of the tram as an independent urban transport (not just the metro!), fast, modern, convenient and capable of handling large flows of people. On the other hand, there is a bitter aftertaste of showing off, since the next day “Vityazi” and other invited guests will again be replaced by the old LAN-86. I hope that at least by 2018 they will be able to equip these routes with normal transport on an ongoing basis. And replace the tracks at least at the intersection with roads :) 
I finish with the transport and head towards the stadium, along the odd side of Yachtennaya Street. A lot of cars! Surprisingly, I thought that no one would really remember about the new bridge, and the surrounding area would be sparsely populated. No matter how it is! Not only pedestrians, but also motorists decided to take advantage of the alternative route. The logic is clear - “I’ll park at the Carousel/Piterland/Yakhtennaya/near the park, and then quickly walk across the bridge.” But there were much more of these cunning ones than there were parking spaces, which are already in short supply in the vicinity of the park on weekends. A local transport collapse has formed, so I advise motorists to leave their car away from Yachtennaya. With which after the game it will be oh so difficult to leave... 
The landscaping on this side of Yakhtennaya is still a problem; at some point the sidewalk ends and a trampled “lawn” begins, after which you need to squeeze through to the bridge between the construction site and the road. 
Those suffering find parking. Motorists are controlled by the traffic police, the flow of people was organized by volunteers, guys in red vests. But what the representative of St. Petersburg Parking in gray was doing there remains a mystery to me. 
I've reached the bridge! On May 7 it was opened to the public for the first time, and one must understand that this is still a test mode. In the future, lighting, road markings and other decor are expected. For now, only the essentials are ready. The lawns have just been marked with fresh soil :) This is not the case, of course, nothing good will grow in such soil on its own, especially if in the future you do not cover them with fences from crowds of fans. 
The atmosphere of a football festival, sometimes it’s worth going to the game just for that! 
View of Yakhtennaya Street. So-so view :). I wonder what impression foreigners will have of St. Petersburg after traveling to the stadium along this route? Soviet panel houses look ugly, but the views from the bridge make up for them. Or not? What do you think? 
The guy doesn't care about football, he has fishing today! 
And there is festive activity in the park. While I was crossing the bridge, the amphibious landing began, with shots, a smoke screen and other special effects! 
And this is Krestovsky Island, its westernmost part. The island was slightly expanded towards the bay to make room for the WHSD and a future metro station. The blue fences in the distance are a construction town, somewhere there will be the lobby of Novokrestovskaya. 
Active landscaping is underway. In 10 years there will be a beautiful park here, but for now... It’s annoying to see that nature will have to start all over again here, before there was a very green, even slightly wild area behind the stadium, I didn’t think that they would be able to save so little from it. 
The bridge has been crossed, here is the stadium! Finally, I’ll be able to look at it properly up close, and not from the window of a car rushing past along the WHSD! 
I came closer and was convinced that the arena really looks terrible up close :) It’s always a shame to see when the architects’ plan turns out to be violated in small details and materials. If anyone doesn’t understand, I’m talking about composite panels, multi-colored double-glazed windows on the stairs and the white frames on which they rest. The materials in color and quality correspond to a commercial building somewhere in Adler, but not to the “most expensive stadium in the galaxy.” I suspect that such “cost optimization” on materials is one of the reasons why we had to once again change the contractor already at the finish line of construction. 
Compare with one of the later renders of the project, larger size by clicking. Composite panels are much smaller, the glass is clearer, and frames are not visible at all. It seems like little things, but they have a big impact on the final impression. 
What about the other aspects of the stadium? It’s difficult to say for now, work on the auxiliary facilities is still underway, and we are still seeing the test, rough operation of the arena. For example, not all entrance groups are ready yet; on May 7, we had to go to the main one, which is from the Krestovskaya side, go through inspection and control there, and then approach the desired entrance to the sector. I had "C", it's near the main staircase. But the fan sectors, the main stand - this is all further away, and if you came to the stadium from the Yachtenny Bridge, then going to the seats would be completely inconvenient.
The infrastructure up to the security zone is not yet ready for mass spectators - there are few trash cans, there are queues for the toilets, the lawns are protected from spectators only by the ignored "Do not walk on the lawns" signs, which everyone ignores. 
The further you are from the stadium, the better it looks! The most advantageous option is from a quadcopter in the evening, when distance and lighting mask a careless attitude towards materials :)
This photo also shows the main entrance area. There were more than enough “doors”, 20 minutes before the start of the match there was almost no need to stand in line, the security check took place in about three minutes. They check carefully. 
The pavilions remained from the old stadium. They built a full third floor instead of balconies, repainted it, and changed the windows. It looks good, but I didn't like it. It’s as if some parts were removed or poorly restored. I looked at old photos for a long time, but still didn’t understand what exactly was wrong. samiznaetekto
, maybe you see where they cheated? Previously, it was customary to hang large posters on the walls on the sides of columns, maybe this is the case? 
I climb the main staircase to the entrances. There are plenty of shops, both for souvenirs and food, and there is plenty of free space to install new ones. You can sit outside or in the stands, there are enough hot dogs for everyone! 
View towards the Krestovsky Ostrov metro station. "Route 1" was used by many more people than the new Yacht Bridge. On May 7, there were about 30 thousand spectators at the new stadium, which is already more than the 20+ who were accommodated at Petrovsky. The new arena is designed for 68,000 football fans. For those who don’t know, the load on new arena raised gradually to practice all scenarios and procedures. 
Entrance near the main staircase. There is a queue here, but you can enter the stadium to the right or left and go to your sector already inside. Stopping by on the way to the toilet or for a hot dog. The trick about the neighboring entrances was told by volunteer stewards, but the fans didn’t really trust them and were in no hurry to leave. I believed it, got inside in a minute. However, this line also moved quite quickly; they only check tickets at the doors. The doors themselves are inconvenient, not automatic sliding, but regular and without latches. 
Field, stands, roof. About 10 minutes before the start of the match, so the lower sectors have not yet filled with fans. Spectators were allowed onto the second floor only above our sectors; the opposite was still empty.
After the first test match there was a lot of talk about the poor quality of the lawn, and the uneven color of the grass was visible this time too. I don't know how much it really is
in fact, it is critical, but experts write that the field was still ruined, the main reason being the organizational chaos, in which for a very long time it was not clear who was responsible for the condition of the lawn de jure and de facto. Abnormally cold April (snow and night frosts down to -10 in the second half!) and May also did not add lushness and strength to the grass. The good news is that this problem can be solved in at least several ways, and you shouldn’t worry too much about it. How to be surprised, because the proverb about “the first pancake” is popular in Russia for a reason. For those who want to know more, I recommend an article on Fontanka; you can skip about Zenit’s suffering there, but lawn problems are described in detail - http://www.fontanka.ru/2017/05/10/025/. I also recommend this post lisaivolk
about flying from under the feet of football players in different sides grass (Spoiler - this is absolutely normal) - http://lisaivolk.livejournal.com/250400.html 
I really liked the football part of the stadium compared to Petrovsky. The most obvious thing is that "Petrovsky" was not purely football stadium, there were more Treadmills and other nonsense that alienates spectators from the field. Here the stands practically hang over the lawn, and you can see the game much better. The second is the chairs. It was comfortable to sit, my butt didn’t get tired. Place! There was enough space for both legs and shoulders; at Petrovsky, with large neighbors, it was a problem to sit until the end of the half.
The roof was open on May 7. The stadium bowl is well protected from the wind, but cold air penetrates from above, so you need to dress for the weather with a small margin of insulation, and do not count on a closed roof and lack of wind. On the one hand, it helps, but on the other hand, you sit for an hour and a half almost without moving, this is not at all the same as walking for an hour and a half. 
Press areas. At first I thought, “Why so many? Why do we have so many journalists and commentators?” And then I remembered about the Confederations Cup and the 2018 World Cup. They will come from all countries! 
The game has started, but fans are still filing into their seats. About 15 minutes after the start they were still arriving. Didn't calculate traffic jams or distance from the metro? Did you circle around the stadium? Or did you just take too long to warm up before the match? 
During the break I took myself tea (100 rubles) and a hot dog (200 rubles). The taste is nothing special, the prices are robbery! But this is a necessary evil of mass events. There are plenty of catering outlets inside the stadium itself, but you will still have to stand in line. If you are completely hungry, it is better to go out before the whistle for a break. Bank cards are accepted for payment, but not everywhere and it is better to check with sellers. It’s even better to prepare a cache in advance, since payment took a long time, and there was a line of sufferers behind you, which is inconvenient.
There are enough toilets for everyone. Both times I came across toilets without water, this is a mess.
I've heard complaints about low ceilings - see for yourself. Not five meters, as in Stalinist buildings, but not critically low either. They find fault)
I finished watching the game, sad and frozen, I walked towards the house. At first, the plan was to photograph the stadium and surroundings a little more from the new bridge, especially since the sunset light and the backlight turned on... 
But May in St. Petersburg this year is not at all pleasing with warmth, so I preferred to warm myself up with a quick step towards home! While walking to the bridge, I noticed all the same problems as on the way to the stadium - pedestrian routes towards the bridge were not thought out and not marked, so I ran into a bus stop, then a lawn, then a fence. I hope that the organizers will take this point into account for the next game. 
Thank you for your attention! I will be glad to hear your questions about the stadium, the bridge and the surrounding area, as well as your impressions of the arena if you also went to the game!
