Millions of people ride the Moscow metro every day! With over 250 stations, it connects 7 million people per day to other parts of the city. Courtney Thomas tells us about the Moscow Metro.
Most people in the U.S. drive, take a taxi, or take buses, with only a few large cities that have a metro system. The metros in the states usually makes one feel like they’re just in a hole underground forever waiting on a late train. However, the metros in Moscow are quite the opposite by a long shot. Not only is it an intricate, yet easily navigated system, but each one has its own unique architecture, hidden gems such as a four-story mall above, and they’re always on time! The first metro line was opened to the public in 1935 with 13 stations and over the years, the system has grown exponentially with 16 lines and 224 stations as of 2018! Despite this dizzying number of stations, the lines are fairly easy to navigate due to the signs and announcements within the cars being in both in English and Russian, as well as color coding to assure that you’re on the right or wrong train. As students who live off campus, we have to use the metro everyday. In fact, we use a station that was the fourth stage of the system and is one of the most beautiful, clean, and busiest stations on the Light Blue (4) line, Kiyevskaya. This station is a large hub for tourists due to being adorned in breathtaking art from ceiling to floor, but it’s also a connection to a major suburban train system that reaches throughout Russia. Some themes of other stations for example: Novoslobodskaya station that has incredible stained glass throughout, Vorobyevy Gory station that since the 90’s has been used as an exhibition of porcelain dolls and period costumes, and Arbatskaya station, which is next to the Defense Ministry headquarters. There is an urban legend that it was designed so that in case of a major war it could be quickly converted into an emergency bunker for military officials.
Another entertaining part of the Moscow metro is the people that use them, in fact, it’s the 2nd most heavily used subway system in the world, with a daily number of 6.9 million users! With so many people using the metro, you’re bound to see some strange sights and quirky characters. One small cultural difference between the U.S. and Russia that can be experienced on the metro: people stare right at you and do not break eye contact if you meet eyes. Granted, while in motion, there’s not much to look at besides other people and the maps if you don’t have a book or your phone. At first, I found the staring weird, but now I’m finding it to be a fun game of who can stare longer. For the most part, however, the people look and act just like anyone you would see in the states riding buses or driving in cars.
Overall, the Moscow metro system is much different than systems that we have in the U.S., but not at all in a negative way. It’s so large that you could take an entire day to explore every station and still not see each and every one. The city of Moscow is enormous and filled with numerous museums, but what lies beneath is one gigantic museum all its own.
USA in Russia 2019 