In June 2006, to meet the demands of inter-suburb travel, a second ring line around Moscow was proposed.Īfter receiving approval from the Moscow City Government, the start date for the project was set for 2008, and a 12km section between Mezhdunarodnaya and Savyolovskaya was to be built initially, with eight stations. In 1934, the construction of the first line was taken up in three stages and completed. The construction of another ten lines with a length of 80km was approved in 1933. In 1932, the plan for the first line was approved and work on an experimental tunnel was initiated. The main aim of the project was to provide cheap and adequate transportation to the people of Moscow. In 1931, the government needed to address the growing transportation problems in the city and commissioned the construction of an underground railway system. 'The new metro ring line will reduce the number of journeys made into the city to reach other outlying areas.' The plan, however, did not materialise due to high costs and other factors.

The project was originally conceptualised in 1901 and included the construction of a 67km elevated railway line and 16km of tunnels. The need to provide a convenient and quick transport option for the people of Moscow led to the development of the ring railway system. The Myakinino station is the first station of the metro to be situated outside Moscow. In December 2009, three new stations, Myakinino, Volokolamskaya and Mitino, were inaugurated. The metro system is continuing to expand to provide better services to the people. However, even with such an extensive network of radial lines from the city centre to the suburbs and a connecting circle line within the city centre, the Moscow Metro still needs more routes in order to meet the demands of all the outlying suburbs and provide more flexible inter-suburb connections. The majority of the network is hidden deep below the streets of Moscow – there are a total of 70 deep level stations, 87 on a more shallow level, a further ten on the surface, and four on elevation. They are spaced 1,800m apart, allowing trains to attain a speed of around 42km/h (26mph) between stops. The system has 194 stations spread across 12 conventional lines. However, the network is now under severe strain as nine million passengers use the 325.4km system every day, and there is an urgent need to reduce the amount of passengers at city centre interchanges, and on the current ring line.įar from being an ordinary railway, the stations are ornately designed, and home to a wide array of socialist realist art. The Moscow Metro is one of the world’s busiest underground railway systems, and also one of the most extensive.

Underground need for speed 2