Moscow Metro

External videos
Moscow Metro opening, Soviet Archive Footage

When the Metro opened in 1935, it immediately became the centrepiece of the transportation system (as opposed to horse-carried barrows still widely used in 1930s Moscow). It also became the prototype, the vision for future Soviet large-scale technologies. The artwork of the 13 original stations became nationally and internationally famous. For example, the

station. Opened in 1944 (the third stage)

The Metro was also iconic for showcasing

This maxim sums up the reasons why the stations combined aesthetics, technology and ideology: any plan which did not incorporate all three areas cohesively was rejected.

• Kaganovich was in charge; he designed the subway so that citizens would absorb the values and ethos of Stalinist civilization as they rode. Without this cohesion, the Metro would not reflect Socialist Realism. If the Metro did not utilize Socialist Realism, it would fail to illustrate Stalinist values and transform Soviet citizens into socialists. Anything less than Socialist Realism's grand artistic complexity would fail to inspire a long-lasting, nationalistic attachment to Stalin's new society.[29]
• Socialist Realism was in fact a method, not exactly a style.^[30]

Bright future and literal brightness in the Metro of Moscow

The Moscow Metro was one of the USSR's most ambitious architectural projects. The metro's artists and architects worked to design a structure that embodied svet (literally "light", figuratively "radiance" or "brilliance") and svetloe budushchee (a well-lit/radiant/bright future).^[30] With their reflective marble walls, high ceilings and grand chandeliers, many Moscow Metro stations have been likened to an "artificial underground sun".^[31]

This palatial underground environment^[31] reminded Metro users their taxes were spent on materializing bright future; also, the design was useful for demonstrating the extra structural strength of the underground works (as in Metro doubling as bunkers, bomb shelters).

The chief lighting engineer was Abram Damsky, a graduate of the Higher State Art-Technical Institute in Moscow. By 1930 he was a chief designer in Moscow's Elektrosvet Factory, and during World War II was sent to the Metrostroi (Metro Construction) Factory as head of the lighting shop.^[32] Damsky recognized the importance of efficiency, as well as the potential for light as an expressive form. His team experimented with different materials (most often cast bronze, aluminum, sheet brass, steel, and milk glass) and methods to optimize the technology.^[32] Damsky's discourse on "Lamps and Architecture 1930–1950" describes in detail the epic chandeliers installed in the Taganskaya Station and the Kaluzhskaia station (Oktyabrskaya nowadays, not to be confused with contemporary "Kaluzhskaya" station on line 6). The work of Abram Damsky further publicized these ideas hoping people would associate the party with the idea of bright future.

The Kaluzhskaya Station was designed by the architect [Leonid] Poliakov. Poliakov's decision to base his design on a reinterpretation of Russian classical architecture clearly influenced the concept of the lamps, some of which I planned in collaboration with the architect himself. The shape of the lamps was a torch – the torch of victory, as Polyakov put it... The artistic quality and stylistic unity of all the lamps throughout the station's interior made them perhaps the most successful element of the architectural composition. All were made of cast aluminum decorated in a black and gold anodized coating, a technique which the Metrostroi factory had only just mastered.

The Taganskaia Metro Station on the Ring Line was designed in...quite another style by the architects K.S. Ryzhkov and A. Medvedev... Their subject matter dealt with images of war and victory...The overall effect was one of ceremony ... In the platform halls the blue ceramic bodies of the chandeliers played a more modest role, but still emphasised the overall expressiveness of the lamp.^[32]

— Abram Damsky, Lamps and Architecture 1930–1950

Industrialization

Stalin's first five-year plan (1928–1932) facilitated rapid industrialization to build a socialist motherland. The plan was ambitious, seeking to reorient an agrarian society towards industrialism. It was Stalin's fanatical energy, large-scale planning, and resource distribution that kept up the pace of industrialization. The first five-year plan was instrumental in the completion of the Moscow Metro; without industrialization, the Soviet Union would not have had the raw materials necessary for the project. For example, steel was a main component of many subway stations. Before industrialization, it would have been impossible for the Soviet Union to produce enough steel to incorporate it into the metro's design; in addition, a steel shortage would have limited the size of the subway system and its technological advancement.

The Moscow Metro furthered the construction of a socialist Soviet Union because the project accorded with Stalin's second five-year plan. The Second Plan focused on urbanization and the development of social services. The Moscow Metro was necessary to cope with the influx of peasants who migrated to the city during the 1930s; Moscow's population had grown from 2.16 million in 1928 to 3.6 million in 1933. The Metro also bolstered Moscow's shaky infrastructure and its communal services, which hitherto were nearly nonexistent.^[24]

Mobilization

The Communist Party had the power to mobilize; because the party was a single source of control, it could focus its resources. The most notable example of mobilization in the Soviet Union occurred during World War II. The country also mobilized in order to complete the Moscow Metro with unprecedented speed. One of the main motivation factors of the mobilization was to overtake the West and prove that a socialist metro could surpass capitalist designs. It was especially important to the Soviet Union that socialism succeed industrially, technologically, and artistically in the 1930s, since capitalism was at a low ebb during the Great Depression.

The person in charge of Metro mobilization was

: failure.

mosaics by various artists depicting life in Ukraine

which was then part of the Soviet Union.

This was a comprehensive mobilization; the project drew resources and workers from the entire Soviet Union. In his article, archeologist Mike O'Mahoney describes the scope of the Metro mobilization:

A specialist workforce had been drawn from many different regions, including miners from the Ukrainian and Siberian coalfields and construction workers from the iron and steel mills of Magnitogorsk, the Dniepr hydroelectric power station, and the Turkestan-Siberian railway... materials used in the construction of the metro included iron from Siberian Kuznetsk, timber from northern Russia, cement from the Volga region and the northern Caucasus, bitumen from Baku, and marble and granite from quarries in Karelia, the Crimea, the Caucasus, the Urals, and the Soviet Far East

— Mike O'Mahoney, Archeological Fantasies: Constructing History on the Moscow Metro[33]

Skilled engineers were scarce, and unskilled workers were instrumental to the realization of the metro. The Metrostroi (the organization responsible for the Metro's construction) conducted massive recruitment campaigns. It printed 15,000 copies of Udarnik metrostroia (Metrostroi Shock Worker, its daily newspaper) and 700 other newsletters (some in different languages) to attract unskilled laborers. Kaganovich was closely involved in the recruitment campaign, targeting the Komsomol generation because of its strength and youth.

Later Soviet stations

"Fifth stage" set of stations

The beginning of the

. The stations, too, were supplied with tight gates and life-sustenance systems to function as proper nuclear shelters.

In the further development of the Metro the term "stages" was not used any more, although sometimes the stations opened in 1957–1959 are referred to as the "fifth stage".

Nikita Khrushchev's era of cost cutting

During the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s, the architectural extravagance of new Metro stations was decisively rejected on the orders of

) got their final decors simplified: VDNKh's arcs/portals, for example, got plain green paint to contrast with well-detailed decorations and pannos around them.

A typical layout of the cheap shallow-dug metro station (which quickly became known as Sorokonozhka – "centipede", from early designs with 40 concrete columns in two rows) was developed for all new stations, and the stations were built to look almost identical, differing from each other only in colours of the marble and ceramic tiles. Most stations were built with simpler, cheap technology; this resulted in utilitarian design being flawed in some ways. Some stations such as adjacent Rechnoi Vokzal and Vodny Stadion or sequiential Leninsky Prospect, Akadmicheskaya, Profsoyuznaya and Novye Cheryomushki would have a similar look due to the extensive use of same-sized white or off-white ceramic tiles with hard-to-feel differences.

Walls with cheap ceramic tiles were susceptible to train-related vibration: some tiles would eventually fall off and break. It was not always possible to replace the missing tiles with the ones of the exact color and tone, which eventually led to variegated parts of the walls.

Metro stations of late USSR

The contrasting style gap between the powerfully decorated stations of Moscow's center and the spartan-looking stations of the 1960s was eventually filled. In the mid-1970s the architectural extravagance was partially restored. However, the newer design of shallow "centipede" stations (now with 26 columns, more widely spaced) continued to dominate. For example, Kaluzhskaya "centipede" station from 1974 (adjacent to Novye Cheryomushki station) features non-flat tiles (with 3D effect utilized), and Medvedkovo from 1978 features complex decorations.

1971 station Kitay-Gorod ("Ploshchad Nogina" at the time) features cross-platform interchange (Line 6 and line 7). Although built without "centipede" design or cheap ceramic tiles, the station utilizes near-grayscale selection of colors. It is to note the "southbound" and "northbound" halls of the station have identical look.

).

Downtown area got such stations as

from 1986.

Post-USSR stations of the modern Russian Federation

Metro stations of the 1990s and 2000s vary in style, but some of the stations seem to have their own themes:

• Ulitsa Akademika Yangelya station used to feature thick orange neon lamp-like sodium lights instead of regular white lights.
• Park Pobedy, the deepest station of the Moscow Metro, was built in 2003; it features extensive use of dark orange polished granite.
• Slavyansky Bulvar station utilizes a plant-inspired theme (similar to "bionic style").
• The sleek variant of aforementioned bionic style is somewhat represented in various Line 10 stations.
• Sretensky Bulvar station of line 10 is decorated with paintings of nearby memorials and locations.
• Strogino station has a theme of huge eye-shaped boundaries for lights; with "eyes" occupying the station's ceiling.
• Troparyovo (2014) features trees made of polished metal. The trees hold the station's diamond-shaped lights. The station, however, is noticeably dim-lit.
• Delovoy Tsentr (2016, MCC, overground station) has green tint.
• Lomonosovsky Prospekt (Line 8A) is decorated with various equations.
• Olkhovaya (2019) uses other plant-inspired themes (ольха noun means alder) with autumn/winter inspired colours.
• Kosino (2019) uses high-tech style with the addition of thin LED lights.

Some bleak, bland-looking "centipedes" like Akademicheskaya and Yugo-Zapadnaya have undergone renovations in the 21st century (new blue-striped white walls on Akademicheskaya, aqualine glassy, shiny walls on Yugo-Zapadnaya).

Moscow Central Circle urban railway (Line 14)

A new circle metro line in Moscow was relatively quickly made in the 2010s. The Moscow Central Circle line (Line 14) was opened for use in September 2016 by re-purposing and upgrading the Maloe ZheleznoDorozhnoe Kol'tso. A proposal to convert that freight line into a metropolitan railway with frequent passenger service was announced in 2012. The original tracks had been built in pre-revolutionary Moscow decades before the creation of Moscow Metro; the tracks remained in place in one piece as a non-electrified line until the 21st century. Yet the circle route was never abandoned or cut. New track (along the existing one) was laid and all-new stations were built between 2014 and 2016. MCC's stations got such amenities as vending machines and free water closets.

Line 14 is operated by

.

There is a noticeable relief of congestion, decrease in usage of formerly overcrowded Koltsevaya line since the introduction of MCC. To make line 14 attractive to frequent Koltsevaya line interchanges users, upgrades over regular comfort of Moscow Metro were made. Use of small laptops/portable video playing devices and food consumption from tupperwares and tubs was also improved for Line 14: the trains have small folding tables in the back of nearly every seat, while the seats are facing one direction like in planes or intercity buses - unlike side-against-side sofas typical for Metro.

Unlike MCD lines (D1, D2 etc.) MCC line accepts "unified" tickets and "Troika" cards just like Moscow Metro and buses of Moscow do. Free transfers are permitted between the MCC and the Moscow Metro if the trip before the transfer is less than 90 minutes.^[34] It's made possible by using same "Ediny", literally "unified" tickets instead of printing "paper tickets" used at railroads.

• To interchange to line 14 for free, passenger must keep their freshly used ticket after entering Moscow Metro to apply it upon entering any line 14 station (and vice versa, keep their "fresh" ticket to enter underground Metro line after leaving Line 14 for an interchange).

MCD (D lines)

In 2019, new lines of

As for the fees, MCD accepts Moscow's "Troika" cards. Also, every MCD station has printers which print "station X – station Y" tickets on paper. Users of the D lines must keep their tickets until exiting their destination stations: their exit terminals require a valid "... to station Y" ticket's barcode.^[citation needed]

Big Circle Line (line 11)

After upgrading the railway from 1908 to a proper Metro line, the development of another circle route was re-launched, now adjusted for the pear-shaped circle route of line #14.

Throughout the late 2010s, Line 11 was extended from short, tiny Kakhovskaya line to a half-circle (from Kakhovskaya to Savyolovskaya). In early 2023, the circle was finished.^[36]

• Similarly made Shelepikha, Khoroshovskaya, CSKA and Petrovsky Park stations have lots of polished granite and shiny surfaces, in contrast to Soviet "centipedes". Throughout 2018–2021, these stations were connected to line 8A.
• Narodnoye Opolcheniye (2021) features lots of straight edges and linear decorations (such as uninterrupted "three stripes" style of the ceiling lights and rectangular columns).

As for the spring of 2023, the whole circle route line is up and running, forming a circle stretching to the southern near-MKAD residential parts of the city (Prospekt Vernadskogo, Tekstilshchiki) as opposed to the MCC's stretching towards the northern districts of Moscow. In other words, BCL "mirrors" MCC, avoiding forming a perfect circle around the city centre. While being 70 km long, the line is now the longest subway line in the world, 13 kilometres ahead of the previous record holder - the line 10 of Beijing Subway.^[37]

Expansions

Since the turn of the 2nd millennium several projects have been completed, and more are underway. The first was the Annino-Butovo extension, which extended the

(opened in 2006).

The

Pyatnitskoye Shosse

, was completed in December 2012.

After many years of construction, the long-awaited

station.

In 2011, works began on the

In 2013, the

station, opened in December 2014.

Current plans

In addition to major metro expansion the Moscow Government and Russian Railways plans to upgrade more commuter railways to a metro-style service, similar to the MCC. New tracks and stations are planned to be built in order to achieve this.

List of expansion projects of Moscow Metro by date

Line	Terminals		Length (km)	Stations	Status	Planned opening
Troitskaya line	Novatorskaya	Kommunarka	19	7	Under construction	2024
Sokolnicheskaya line	Kommunarka	Potapovo	2.4	1	Under construction	2024
Troitskaya line	Novatorskaya	ZIL	8.5	4	Under construction	2024
Rublyovo-Arkhangelskaya line	Shelepikha	Bulvar Karbysheva	3.7	3	Under construction	2026-2027
Koltsevaya line	Suvorovskaya		0	1	Under construction	2028
Biryulyovskaya line	ZIL	Biryulyovo	22.2	10	Under Construction	2026+
Lyublinsko-Dmitrovskaya line	Yuzhny Port		0	1	Planned	2027
Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya line	Shchyolkovskaya	Golyanovo	1.5	1	Planned	2027
Troitskaya line	Kommunarka	Troitsk		6	Planned	2028-2029
Rublyovo-Arkhangelskaya line	Bulvar Karbysheva	Ilyinskaya		5	Planned	2028-2029
Kalininskaya line	Tretyakovskaya	Delovoy Tsentr	5.1	3	Planned

Stations

Of the metro's 250 stations, 88 are deep underground, 123 are shallow, 12 are surface-level and 5 are elevated.

This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (January 2018)

The deep stations comprise 55

) on a bridge. Two stations have three tracks, and one has double halls. Seven of the stations have side platforms (only one of which is subterranean). In addition, there were two temporary stations within rail yards.

The stations being constructed under

Mayakovskaya

and others built after 1935 in the second phase of the evolution of the network are tourist landmarks: their photogenic architecture, large chandeliers and detailed decoration are unusual for an urban transport system of the twentieth century.

The stations opened in the 21st century are influenced by an international and more neutral style with improved technical quality.[41]

• 
  Ploshchad Revolyutsii (1938)
• 
  Baumanskaya (1944)
• 
  Novoslobodskaya (1952)
• 
  Frunzenskaya (1957)
• 
  Leninsky Prospekt (1962)
• 
  Kakhovskaya (1969) (after 2021 reconstruction)
• 
  Tretyakovskaya (early station, 1971)
• 
  Shabolovskaya (1980)
• 
  Tretyakovskaya (additional adjacent station, 1986)
• 
  Konkovo (1987)
• 
  Tyoply Stan (1987)
• 
  Rimskaya (1995)
• 
  Park Pobedy (2003)
• 
  Slavyansky Bulvar (2008)
• 
  Novokosino (2012)
• 
  Kosino (2019)

Rolling stock

Since the beginning,

, which allows normal length trains).

Trains on the Zamoskvoretskaya,

uses three-car trains of another type.

Dimensions have varied subtly, but for the most cars fit into the ranges of 19–20 metres (62 ft 4 in – 65 ft 7 in) long and 2.65–2.7 metres (8 ft 8+3⁄8 in – 8 ft 10+1⁄4 in) wide with 4 doors per side. The 81-740/741 Rusich deviates greatly from this, with a 3-car Rusich being roughly 4 normal cars and a 5-car Rusich being 7 normal cars.

Rolling Stock for Moscow Metro

Car	Delivered	In service
А/Б ("A/B")	1934–1939	1935–1975
B ("V", earlier C)	1927–1930	1946–1968
Г ("G")	1939–1940, 1946–1956	1940–1983
Д ("D")	1955–1963	1955–1995
E/Ем/Еж ("E/Em/Ezh")	1959–1979	1962–2020
81-717/81-714	1976–2011	1977 ff.
И ("I", 81-715/716)	1974, 1980–1981, 1985	—
81-720/721 "Yauza"	1991–2004	1998–2019
81-740/741 "Rusich"	2002–2013	2003 ff.
81-760/761 "Oka"	2010–2016	2012 ff.
81-765/766/767 "Moskva"	2016–2020	2017 ff.
81-775/776/777 "Moskva 2020"	2020 ff.	2020 ff.

Trains no longer in operation

The V-type trains were formerly from Berlin U-Bahn C-class trains from 1945 to 1969, until its complete demise in 1970. They were transported from the Berlin U-Bahn during the Soviet occupation. A-type and B-type trains were custom-made since the opening.

• 
  A-type
• 
  B-type
• 
  V-4-type (former Berlin Class C-1)
• 
  V2-type (former Berlin Class C-2)
• 
  G-type
• 
  D-type
• 
  E-type
• 
  I-1-type (81-715.1/716.1)
• 
  I-2-type (81-715.2/716.2)
• 
  81-720/721-type ("Yauza")

Trains in operation

Currently, the Metro only operates 81-style trains.

Rolling stock on several lines was replaced with articulated 81-740/741 Rusich trains, which were originally designed for light rail subway lines. The

was designed by different standards, and has shorter (96-metre (315 ft) long) platforms. It employs articulated 81-740/741 trains, which consist of three cars (although the line can also use traditional four-car trains).

On the Moscow Monorail, Intamin P30 trains are used, consisting of six short cars. On the Moscow Central Circle, which is a route on the conventional railway line, ES2G Lastochka trains are used, consisting of five cars.

• 
  81-717/81-714-type
• 
  81-717.5A/81-714.5A-type ("retro train")
• 
  81-717.6-714.6-type
• 
  81-740/741-type ("Rusich")
• 
  81-760/761-type ("Oka") (ru)
• 
  81-765/766/767-type ("Moscow") [ru]
• 
  81-775/776/777-type ("Moscow-2020")
• 
  Intamin P30 train (operates on the Monorail line)
• 
  ES2G Lastochka train (operates on the Moscow Central Circle line)

Ticketing

The Moscow Metro charges a flat fare for a single journey, regardless of distance or time travelled within the network. An exception to this is the Moscow Central Diameters, which operate on a zone-based fare system. The Moscow Metro ticketing system allows free interchanges within a 90-minute window between different transport modes, including the MCC, the MCD, trams and buses.^[42]

Modern Metro turnstiles are designed to accept various forms of payment, including plastic cards like the Troika card or Moscow Resident Social Cards, bank cards, bank stickers, souvenir tickets such as Troika rings, bracelets, or keychains, and disposable RFID chip cardboard cards. Additionally, all stations are equipped to accept biometric payments. Some transport cards have usage limitations that impose a waiting period between consecutive uses (e.g., delays of 7 or 20 minutes).^[43]

History of the ticketing system

Soviet era turnstiles simply accepted N kopeck coins.

In the early years of Russian Federation (and with the start of a

were introduced in 1993 on a trial basis, and used as unlimited monthly tickets between 1996 and 1998. The sale of tokens ended on 1 January 1999, and they stopped being accepted in February 1999; from that time, magnetic cards were used as tickets with a fixed number of rides.

On 1 September 1998, the Moscow Metro became the first metro system in Europe to fully implement "contactless"

, known as Transport Cards. Transport Cards were the card to have unlimited amount of trips for 30, 90 or 365 days, its active lifetime was projected as 3½ years. Defective cards were to be exchanged at no extra cost.

In August 2004, the

. Social Cards can be used for unlimited free access to the city's public-transport system, including the Moscow Metro; while they do not feature the time delay, they include a photograph and are non-transferable.

Since 2006,

In January 2007, Moscow Metro began replacing limited magnetic cards with contactless disposable tickets based on NXP's MIFARE Ultralight technology. Ultralight tickets are available for a fixed number of trips in 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 60-trip denominations (valid for 5 or 90 days from the day of purchase) and as a monthly ticket, only valid for a selected calendar month and limited to 70 trips. The sale of magnetic cards ended on 16 January 2008 and magnetic cards ceased to be accepted in late 2008, making the Moscow metro the world's first major public-transport system to run exclusively on a contactless automatic fare-collection system.^[46]

Contemporary ticketing system

On 2 April 2013, the Moscow Department of Transport introduced the Troika smartcard, which serves as the foundation of the city's modern ticketing system. Currently, passengers can use a single Troika card to pay for travel on the metro, MCC, MCD, buses, trams, river transport, suburban trains, and Aeroexpress. Approximately 80% of all trips in Moscow are paid for using Troika, with over 50 million cards sold to date.^[47]

In 2023, Troika production, including its chip, was fully localized in Moscow. In 2024, Moscow plans to launch a virtual analog of the card for smartphones.^[48]

Moreover, the Moscow Metro offers Ediniy (Unified) tickets with varying durations: 1 day, 3 days, 30 days, 60 days, 90 days and 365 days.^[49]

In 2015, the Moscow Metro started testing bank card payments at ticket windows.^[50] At the moment, bank card or bank sticker payments are accepted at all turnstiles in the network. As of April 2024, this payment option is used approximately 900 thousand times daily.^[51]

In October 2021, the Moscow Metro became the first metro system in the world to implement biometric payment on a large scale. To use this system, passengers must link their photo, bank card, and metro card to the service through the Moscow Metro mobile app. This allows passengers to pay for their rides without taking out their phone, metro card, or bank card, thereby increasing passenger flow at station entrances. The technology is available at all metro stations, the MCC, and on river transport. As of April 2024, passengers have completed 100 million trips using biometric technology.^[52]

Other payment methods include:

• Payment via Mir Pay using an Android phone with a Mir card
• Payment with a smartphone via FPS in open test mode at all metro, MCC, and river transport turnstiles
• Cash or bank card payments at ticket offices and vending machines
• Moscow Resident Social Card

The Moscow Metro ticketing system received two prestigious international Transport Ticketing Awards in 2020^[53] and 2021.^[54]

Fares

Ticket rates effective February 2023^[44]

Trip limit	Cost for central zone	Cost for suburban zone
Ediny ticket. Valid for metro, monorail, MCC and ground transport. Not valid for MCD.
1 ride	62	-
2 rides	124	-
Koshelek ticket on the Troika card. Valid for all public transport in Moscow (Metro, MCC, all surface transport, suburban electric trains).
1 ride	50	65
90 minutes	75	-
Ediny ticket on the Troika card. Valid for all metro, monorail, MCC, MCD zones "Central", "Suburban" or land transport.
60 trips	2.730	–
1 day	285	–
3 nights	540	–
30 days	2.540	3.010
90 days	6.150	7.800
365 days	19.500	24.450

MCD network is divided between the "Central" and "Suburban" zone. Metro (with the monorail and the MCC) is completely within the Central zone.

Single-trip fares, 1935–2018^{[citation needed]}

Effective date	Price	Remarks
1935-05-15	50 kopecks
1935-08-01	40 kopecks	with season ticket – 35 kopecks
1935-10-01	30 kopecks	with season ticket – 25 kopecks
1942-05-31	40 kopecks
1948-08-16	50 kopecks	Banknotes were cut in value to one-tenth but most prices stayed the same
1961-01-01	5 kopecks	redenomination; turnstiles accepted 5 kopek coins
1991-04-02	15 kopecks	Turnstiles accepted three 5 kopeck coins (written 5+5+5)
1992-03-01	50 kopecks	5 kopeck coins were replaced by turnstile tokens
1992-06-24	1 ruble
1992-12-01	3 rubles
1993-02-16	6 rubles
1993-06-25	10 rubles
1993-10-15	30 rubles
1994-01-01	50 rubles
1994-03-18	100 rubles
1994-06-23	150 rubles
1994-09-21	250 rubles
1994-12-20	400 rubles
1995-03-20	600 rubles
1995-07-21	800 rubles
1995-09-20	1,000 rubles
1995-12-21	1,500 rubles
1997-06-11	2,000 rubles
1998-01-01	2 rubles	Redenomination due to post-Soviet inflation
1998-09-01	3 rubles
1999-01-01	4 rubles
2000-07-15	5 rubles
2002-10-01	7 rubles
2004-04-01	10 rubles
2005-01-01	13 rubles	Monorail fare is 50 rubles (25 rubles discount fare), no other tickets are valid on monorail
2006-01-01	15 rubles
2007-01-01	17 rubles
2008-01-01	19 rubles	Monorail fare is equal to the metro fare (reduced to 19 rubles), and only special monthly tickets also available and valid on this line
2009-01-01	22 rubles
2010-01-01	26 rubles
2011-01-01	28 rubles	Russian Railways fare in Moscow fare principles are separated and the fare did not increase (26 rubles) unlike in earlier years.
2013-01-01	28 rubles	minor change: Monorail fare included in all metro fares, first transfer in 90 minutes does not charge
2013-04-02	30 rubles	Single journey fare increased. Most other kinds of fares are lowered. New: 90 minute fare.
2014-01-01	30–40 rubles	Single and double fare increased. 5–60 pass fare, and all 90 minute fare are stayed. Russian railway fare in Moscow increased to 28 rubles.
2016-01-01	32–50 rubles	All ticket fares increased. Single fare increased to 50 rubles or 32 rubles (by Troika e-wallet). All unlimited fare are stayed.[55]
2017-01-01	35–55 rubles	All ticket fares increased. Single fare increased to 55 rubles or 35 rubles (by Troika e-wallet). All |-unlimited fare are stayed.
2018-01-02	36–55 rubles	Single fare increased by 1 ruble, only while paying by Troika e-wallet. 90 minutes fare increased from 54 to 56 rubles.
2019-01-02	38–55 rubles	Single fare increased by 2 rubles, while paying Troika card. 90 minutes tickets increased by 3 rubles.
2019-12-09	38–55 rubles	4 of 10 railway lines included in metro fare; central zone does not require (0–2 zones), surburbian +7RUR (but 7 RUR is difference only, 2–3 zones cost 23 RUR as earlier)
2020-02-01	40–57 rubles	fares increased by 2 rubles, season tickets stayed. Also opened Ostafievo in zone 5 that caused to lower some fares is you set as destation and course of another ticket
2020-04-21	40 rubles	Till 2010-06-09 COVID-19 restriction: single fare tickets are eliminated, bank cards disabled till June 9, some discount ticked also blocked (dates non shown)
2020-02-01	42–60 rubles	fares raised except 90/365 days

Passenger services

Passenger Mobility Center

The Passenger Mobility Center was created within the Moscow Metro in October 2013 to aid passengers with reduced mobility, encompassing individuals with hearing or visual impairments, mobility limitations, senior citizens, large families, and parents with strollers.^[56] Today, the PMC staff escorts passengers at the metro, MCC, MCD, buses and trams.

Since its inception, PMC has assisted over 1.15 million passengers with reduced mobility.^[57] In 2023, PMC staff escorted approximately 70,000 passengers, representing a 9% increase compared to 2022.^[56]

Wayfinding

In 2013, the Moscow Metro started to develop the new principles of wayfinding, including a redesigned metro map. Today, these principles have been applied to all of Moscow Transport. The new system is characterized by the following features:

• The single font of the Moscow Transport – Moscow Sans
• More concise and comprehensible signage
• Geographical maps across the city that includes information on surrounding streets and landmarks
• Use of easily understandable pictograms instead of words (e.g., line numbers)
• Assignment of numbers to each metro exit
• Floor signage on stations
• Accessibility information for passengers with reduced mobility
• Digital wayfinding screens above the doors in the newest train models
• A standardized design for temporary announcements^[58]

Digital services

Mobile app

Launched in 2017, the Moscow Metro mobile app offers a range of useful features for passengers:

• Troika card management (purchase tickets, view pass and transaction history, set up auto-payment)
• Transfer of Troika card balance to a new card in case of loss
• Identification of less crowded carriages on arriving trains
• Temporary suspension of annual passes (once per year for 14 days)
• Route planning
• Linking of the Moscow Resident Social Card
• Purchase of intercity bus tickets
• Registration for biometric payment service
• Reporting of lost items
• Request for assistance from the Passenger Mobility Service
• Chatbot access

As of March 2024, the app has been downloaded 13 million times and is used by 2 million people monthly.^[59]

Chatbot

In 2020, the Moscow Metro introduced Aleksandra, a chatbot that has since become the official chatbot for all types of urban transport in Moscow. As of February 2024, Aleksandra has answered over 6.8 million questions and is equipped to respond to over 58,000 inquiries related to Moscow's urban transport system.^[60]

Statistics

This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (January 2018)

one of the busiest metro systems in the world

.

Ridership statistics
Passengers (2018)	2,500,400,000 passengers[1]
—— full-fare	1,812,900,000 passengers
—— privileged category	473,500,000 passengers
—— pupils and students	214,000,000 passengers
Maximum daily ridership	9,715,635 passengers
Revenue from fares (2005)	15.9974 billion rubles
Average passenger trip	14.93 kilometres (9.28 mi)
Line statistics
Total lines length	333.3 kilometres (207.1 mi)
Number of lines	15
Longest line	Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya Line (43.5 kilometres (27.0 mi))
Shortest line	Kakhovskaya Line (3.3 kilometres (2.1 mi))
Longest section	Strogino–Krylatskoye (6.7 kilometres (4.2 mi))
Shortest section	Vystavochnaya–Mezhdunarodnaya (502 metres (1,647 ft))
Station statistics
Number of stations	228
— transfer stations	68
— transfer points	29
— surface/elevated	16
Deepest station	Park Pobedy (84 metres (276 ft))
Shallowest underground station	Pechatniki
Station with the longest platform	Vorobyovy Gory (Metro) (282 metres (925 ft))
Number of stations with a single entrance	73
Infrastructure statistics
Number of turnstiles with automatic control on entrances	2,374
Number of stations with escalators	125
Number of escalators	631
— including Monorail stations	18
Longest escalator	126 metres (413 ft) (Park Pobedy)
Total number of ventilation shafts	393
Number of local ventilation systems in use	4,965
Number of medical assistance points (2005)	46
Total length of all escalators	65.4 kilometres (40.6 mi)
Rolling stock statistics
Number of train maintenance depots	16
Total number of train runs per day	9,915
Average speed:
— commercial	41.71 kilometres per hour (25.92 mph)
— technical (2005)	48.85 kilometres per hour (30.35 mph)
Total number of cars (average per day)	4,428
Cars in service (average per day)	3,397
Annual run of all cars	722,100,000 kilometres (448,700,000 mi)
Average daily run of a car	556.2 kilometres (345.6 mi)
Average passengers per car	53 people
Timetable fulfillment	99.96%
Minimum average interval	90 sec
Staff statistics
Total number of employees	34,792 people
— males	18,291 people
— females	16,448 people

Notable incidents

1977 bombing

On 8 January 1977, a bomb was reported to have killed 7 and seriously injured 33. It went off in a crowded train between Izmaylovskaya and Pervomayskaya stations.^[61] Three Armenians were later arrested, charged and executed in connection with the incident.^[62]

1981 station fires

In June 1981, seven bodies were seen being removed from the

1982 escalator accident

A fatal accident occurred on 17 February 1982 due to an

1996 murder

In 1996, an American-Russian businessman Paul Tatum was murdered at the Kiyevskaya Metro station. He was shot dead by a man carrying a concealed Kalashnikov gun.^[65]

2000 bombings

On 8 August 2000, a strong blast in a Metro underpass at Pushkinskaya metro station in the center of Moscow claimed the lives of 12, with 150 injured. A homemade bomb equivalent to 800 grams of TNT had been left in a bag near a kiosk.^[66]

2004 bombings

On 6 February 2004, an explosion wrecked a train between the

. The same group organized another attack on 31 August 2004, killing 10 and injuring more than 50 others.

2005 Moscow blackout

On 25 May 2005,

2006 billboard incident

On 19 March 2006, a construction pile from an unauthorized billboard installation was driven through a tunnel roof, hitting a train between the

2010 bombing

On 29 March 2010, two bombs exploded on the

later claimed responsibility for the bombings.

2014 pile incident

On 25 January 2014, at 15:37 a construction pile from a

2014 derailment

On 15 July 2014, a train derailed between

Metro-2

Conspiracy theorists have claimed that a second and deeper metro system code-named "D-6",

In popular culture

The Moscow Metro is the central location and namesake for the

, with the various stations being turned into makeshift settlements.

In 2012, an art film was released about a catastrophe in the Moscow underground.[76]

See also

• List of Moscow Metro stations
• Expansion timeline of the Moscow Metro
• List of metro systems
• Moscow Metro ridership statistics [ru] (in Russian)
• Metro dogs
• Trams in Moscow
• Metro 2033

Notes

References

Further reading

• Winchester, Clarence, ed. (1936), "Moscow's underground", Railway Wonders of the World, pp. 894–899 illustrated contemporary description of the Moscow underground
• ISBN 978-3869224121
  .

External links

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Template:Attached KML/Moscow Metro

KML is from Wikidata

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Moscow Metro (category)

• Official website
• List of famous Moscow Metro stations
• Geographically precise Moscow Metro map (in Russian)