On September 10, 2016, the Moscow Central Circle will open for passengers in the capital. True, construction work on the new highway will continue after this date: according to the head of the transport department, Maxim Liksutov, some MCC stations will be completed after the start of work. Nevertheless, officials are seriously counting on the highway and hope that over the next two years it will become popular among citizens. In anticipation of the opening of the Central Circle, The Village answers the most popular questions about the new type of urban transport.
What is MCC?
The Moscow Central Ring (formerly known as the Moscow Ring Railway) is a new interchange circuit that should combine the metro and radial directions of suburban railways and greatly decongest the center of Moscow by removing transit passengers from it.
According to its designers, the launch of the route will relieve congestion in the metro by 15%, and the average travel time will decrease by 20 minutes (for example, travel time from the Leninsky Prospekt station to the Mezhdunarodnaya station will be reduced from half an hour to ten minutes). In other words, thanks to the MCC it will be possible to transfer from one metro or train line to another, bypassing the center. In addition, the MCC should partly solve the so-called “Vykhino” problem - a situation in which trains going to the center fill up immediately at the end metro stations. Electric train passengers coming from the Moscow region will be able to transfer to the new ring, and from there to metro lines and other suburban routes.
MCC project estimate
rubles
Planned passenger flow
person per year
Road length
kilometers
Number of stops
station
Transfers on the metro line
stations
Transfers to trains
stations
Ride in full circle
minutes
Train intervals
minutes
Train speed
Train capacity
Human
How did the idea for the project come about?
The creation of the MCC is actually not a revolutionary idea. In most Western megacities, the metro and train are not separated and are one and the same transport: this practice allows passengers to move around the city much faster and easier. The designers of the ring themselves cite the example of Berlin, where the S-Bahn city train and the U-Bahn metro coexist within the same system.
The central ring was created on the basis of the Moscow District railway, the decision to build which was made at the end of the 19th century on the initiative of the Minister of Finance of the Russian Empire Sergei Witte. They built a ring around Moscow according to the design of engineer P. I. Rashevsky from 1903 to 1908. According to the original design, the route was supposed to have four tracks, which would be divided between goods and passenger traffic, but due to lack of funds, only two tracks were built. In 1930, passenger traffic was closed due to the development of buses and trams, and only freight trains began to operate around the ring.
The return of passenger traffic to the ring is not new idea: they wanted to launch it back in the 60s, but the complexity of electrifying the ring prevented this. Yuri Luzhkov returned to this project again in the late 2000s, but reconstruction of the MCC began under Sobyanin in 2012. The ring was finally electrified, and a third track for freight traffic was also built. The total investments in the project, which was jointly carried out by Russian Railways and the Moscow government, exceeded 200 billion rubles, and 86 billion of them were provided by the federal budget.
Are the MCC and the Third Interchange Circuit the same thing?
No. The MCC is often called the third interchange circuit and the second ring of the Moscow Metro, but this is not so. The second ring metro line, 58 kilometers long, will appear in the capital by 2020, and this year its first section will open - from the Delovoy Tsentr station to Petrovsky Park. The new ring will also include the Kakhovskaya line, built in the late 1960s. If the MCC route, due to historical reasons, is shifted to the north, then the metro ring, on the contrary, will be shifted to the south. Thus, both lines will form a huge figure eight.
How will the MCC connect with other modes of transport?
In total, the MCC will have 31 stations (24 of them will be ready by September 10, the rest will be commissioned before 2018), each of which is planned to be connected to ground transport stops. In the first few months after the official launch of the ring, it will be possible to transfer to the metro at 14 stations, but then they promise to add this option at three more stops. Also, six MCC stations (later their number will increase to ten) will have transitions to commuter train stations.
The transfer time to the MCC will vary depending on the sections: the longest transition will be from the Voikovskaya metro station to the Streshnevo and Baltiyskaya stations - you will have to walk for 12 minutes, while the shortest one will take no more than three minutes. At 11 stations, builders promise to implement the “dry feet” principle: the crossings will be completely closed, which will allow people not to go outside. They promise to build a ground connection between the Volgogradsky Prospekt metro station and the Ugreshskaya platform.
How much will the trip cost?
Fares for travel on the central ring will be the same as in the metro. It will also be possible to use “United”, “Troika” and “90 minutes” tickets. All benefits that apply to metro travel will apply when using the MCC: special conditions for travel along the ring will be provided to people with disabilities, schoolchildren and students.
The number of transfers from the metro to the MCC and vice versa in one trip is not limited. The only condition is that you must make all transfers within 90 minutes. In the first month after the launch of the ring, passengers will have to reprogram the “United” ticket in order to make free trips and transfers to the MCC if it was purchased before September 1, 2016. This can be done at the ticket office of the subway or monorail. For those who use the Troika card, starting from September 1, it will be enough to put more than one ruble on the card.
In addition, passengers will be able to buy tickets at ring stations using both cash and cards. They also plan to introduce a contactless fare payment system, allowing you to pay using mobile phone, and PayPass/PayWave, thanks to which money will be debited automatically if you attach bank card to the validator.
What will the stations look like?
By the opening of the MCC, stations will be equipped with navigation panels in Russian and English languages. For visually impaired passengers, they promise to install tactile plates on lifts, stepless escalators and Braille. Also, at each station there will be information and boards showing the time of train arrival, and at five stations there will be “Live Communication” counters. In addition, about 70 mirrors, 470 trash cans, gadget charging points, umbrella packers and free toilets will be installed. Trees will be placed in tubs for decoration. Unlike the metro, the MCC will have turnstiles not only at the entrance, but also at the exit, and the platforms will be treated with anti-icing coating.
What trains will be on the MCC?
33 Lastochka trains (five cars each), which are produced at the Ural Locomotives plant in the city of Verkhnyaya Pyshma, will run along the ring. Sverdlovsk region. The Lastochka prototype is a German electric train from Siemens AG, which served guests and participants of the Sochi Olympics. This summer there was a scandal: during a test drive, the electric train of the ED-4M series was too wide for the platform, but the Lastochka must fit into the dimensions of the track.
The maximum capacity of "Swallow" is 1,200 people, and maximum speed- 120 kilometers per hour, but along the MCC trains will move no faster than 40–50 kilometers per hour. The operating hours of the MCC are the same as those of the metro, but the interval of trains on the ring will be longer and will range from five minutes during rush hour to 15 minutes at other times. Now the Yandex.Maps service is preparing to update the metro application in order to inform passengers about the train schedule not only of the metro, but also of the Moscow Central Circle.
All Lastochkas have soft seats and climate control systems. Passengers will be able to use Wi-Fi and devices for charging gadgets. Each train will have toilets at the beginning and end of the train. Unlike conventional electric trains, Lastochka cars do not have vestibules, but the double doors are wide enough for passengers with limited mobility to pass through.
Will it be possible to travel with strollers and bicycles?
Two of the five train cars (second and fourth) are equipped with bicycle racks. Each carriage can accommodate no more than six bicycles. The trains will also have space for strollers and other large carry-on luggage. Near each transport hub of the MCC they are planning to build bicycle parking and bike sharing stations. Rentals are now available near the Delovoy Tsentr, Ploshchad Gagarina, Luzhniki, Botanical Garden and Vladykino stations.
How to navigate the roundabout?
On September 1, the Moscow government several detailed maps MCC, which indicate transfers from the Central Circle to ground and suburban transport, as well as to the metro line. The ring itself will be indicated as the 14th metro line.
The names of MCC stations either repeat the usual names of nearby metro stations (“Dubrovka”, “Vladykino”), or indicate the area in which they are located (“Gagarin Square”, “Luzhniki”). In the summer, on the website of the “Active Citizen” project, a vote was held to rename the MCC stations “Voikovskaya” and “Cherkizovskaya”; as a result, they received new names “Baltiyskaya” and “Lokomotiv”.
How will the MCC affect the city outskirts?
The central ring runs mainly through industrial areas. According to the authorities, the emergence of new transport will contribute to the development of these territories, for example ZIL. The mayor's office plans to improve the lands adjacent to the MCC stations: create parking spaces for cars and bicycles, bicycle rentals, landscaping, and also build about 750 thousand square meters of commercial real estate - hotels, retail areas, offices and technology parks.
At the same time, the preserved historical buildings of the Moscow Railway stations, which were designed by architects Alexander Pomerantsev, Nikolai Markovnikov and Ivan Rybin, are now being studied to determine the security zone for each of them. And in the fall, a museum of the history of the MCC will open at the Presnya station, where documents, photographs and films telling about the history of the highway will be presented.
Photos: cover, 1–4, 7 –
So, I decided not to put this matter off, and yesterday, after work, I joined. I didn’t drive the full circle, I didn’t have time, but I mastered three quarters of it - from Vladykino to Izmailovo.
Well, what can I say? So far, it is obvious that this is a pure attraction, much like the Moscow monorail immediately after its opening, which was then officially operating “in excursion mode.” Only the monorail was paid, but the MCC was not, which is what the vast majority of its passengers use. But - first things first.
What I liked: Electric trains! You can laugh at me, but yesterday I rode the Swallow for the first time. Very smooth acceleration and quiet, in terms of sound, movement. While driving, you can hear not the sound of traction engines, not the howl of gears, not the knock of compressors - but only the grinding of the wheel flanges on the rails in curves. Well, still on high speed You can feel the car wobbling. But, by and large, in comparison with those ER1 ED4M that we drive - heaven and earth. In general, comparing Siemens Desiro Rus and the crafts of the Demikhovsky plant is like comparing black sturgeon caviar with capelin caviar.
Navigation at the stations is fully present (although in some places the signs with the original names, which were changed during the construction process, have not been replaced). But, in general, everything is clear and intelligible:
Escalators work at all stations where I was - which is important, considering that the route of the Circular Railway, historically, is located on high embankments for almost its entire length.
What I didn't like: Everything on the MCC is still very, very raw. Fortunately, it will take at least two more months to finish it - but in our country, assault and show-off are at the forefront, so... Many stations have not completed the actual exits to the city - for me, for example, to get to the platform from Dmitrovsky highway, I had to walk past the Okruzhnaya platform, because the entrance to it is only open from the inside of the ring, and walk to the next station, Vladykino. There is a transition to the outside on Okruzhnaya, but it is not yet completed and is closed. The former “wild” crossing over the tracks was blocked with fences - however, citizens have already made holes in them... you have to cross the railway, but walk a kilometer around - no fools. The same thing happened at the exit - and I got out in Izmailovo: the direct access to the Partizanskaya metro station is still in the finishing stage, so citizens are forced to use the only exit towards Tkatskaya Street, and make a detour under the overpasses of the MK MZD and the fourth ring. Three hundred meters in a straight line, and six hundred along the existing route - there is a difference.
Secondly, as many have noted, there really are not enough informant announcements on which side the platform is to which the train arrives. On the MCC, the platforms are mostly coastal, but about a quarter are island ones. Until the train approaches the platform directly, it is not visible. As a result, those leaving rush from one side of the car to the other. Over time, of course, they will remember where everything is located and get used to it - just as they are already accustomed to pressing buttons on doors so that they open - but now this is noticeably lacking.
Third is the name. What does it mean Moscow Central Circle? Where is the Moscow non-central ring located? There was a normal name - the Moscow Circular Railway, historical, and understandable to everyone: BMO is BMO, it is in the region, and Okruzhnaya is in Moscow. But no. EM TSE KA. The central committee of some EM. The combination of three consonants is terrible.
Well, the fourth thing I don’t like about the MCC - but this is my personal IMHO: the organization of a purely roundabout traffic. The MK MZD has connections with all radial railway lines of the Moscow hub, including those that do not have a through diametrical passage: Kazansky, Kievsky, Paveletsky and Yaroslavsky. Nothing prevents some trains from these directions from running not to their dead-end stations, but in transit through the ring to another radius. Part, not all - maybe one train out of five - ten. Especially considering the desire of the Moscow region authorities and Russian Railways to increase the pairing commuter trains under the slogan of turning them into a kind of “light metro” (the term, in this case, is absolutely illiterate, but I will use it in relation to the situation). Yes, this will complicate scheduling and will force you to combine schedules in different directions - but nothing is impossible. After all, the New York subway has been operating on the same route pattern for many decades. Of course, someone will object to me that this is a utopia - my dears, ten years ago the very passenger traffic along the Small Ring was also considered a utopia. However...
Will they use: Definitely they will. First of all, those who work or live within walking distance of the ring stations. I myself, if I still lived on Kutuzovsky Prospekt, would absolutely use it - my home is located directly opposite the platform:
With transfer trips it is much more difficult - so far, on the MCC you can count convenient transfers on the fingers of one hand - "Leninsky Prospekt" - Gagarin Square, "Kutuzovskaya", "Vladykino", "Cherkizovskaya" - Lokomotiv - well, perhaps that's all. Transfers to trains and ground transport are even more difficult. Perhaps, when all this is brought in accordance with plans, passenger traffic will calm down. Again, it is convenient to use the ring for travel only if the route along it is a quarter, or maximum a third, of the length of the ring. If it is more, then it is much more convenient to drive in a straight line, especially since such an opportunity is almost always available. Well, now 80-90% of passengers are exclusively curious citizens. Including transport freaks - weirdos, loudly discussing the advantages and disadvantages of electric trains of the ES2G class compared to trains of the ET2M series, for example:) But someone has already fully appreciated the innovation and is using it directly - transport - purpose:
True, these are mostly young people, for whom seven miles before a transfer is not a detour :) Interestingly, I noticed that on the trains traveling along the inner side of the ring there are much more passengers than on those traveling on the outer side. Well, personally, the MCC is neither a village nor a city for me, at least at the present time.
About the views from the train window: Let's be objective: since the construction of the Circular Railway in 1908, it has been the center of attraction for industrial zones, which were built around it over the course of seventy (I repeat: SEVENTY) years. And overnight they, and the surrounding surroundings that accompany them, will not go anywhere, even though they try to bashfully cover them with fences:
No, I don’t argue that the railway also passes by some pretty beautiful places in Moscow: in Luzhniki, for example, this is the Novodevichy Convent, and the Luzhniki sports complex itself; in Izmailovo - the hotel complex of the same name, and the Izmailovskaya Fair, with its popular print Kremlin; post-war development in the Oktyabrsky Field area; from bridges across the Moscow River open beautiful views, the Belokamennaya station is generally located in the forest, and not just in the forest, but in the Losiny Ostrov National Natural Park; and some people like City skyscrapers:
But, in eighty percent of cases, the surrounding landscape from the window will look like this:
So if you love aesthetics fucking- industrial zones, garages, and multi-level transport interchanges - you will certainly enjoy a trip along the MCC. Just hurry up - with the current pace of Moscow urban development, they will soon, for the most part, be exhausted.
My impressions. Of course, I liked it more than I didn’t like it, judging on a five-point scale :) Just one thing - a ride on an electric train along the legendary Circular Railway, on which passenger trains have not run for more than eighty years - is worth a lot. Of course, the shoals are very noticeable. But there is no doubt that they will be corrected. The main thing is not to forget about the little things.
It’s good that the ring was not turned into a purely passenger ring, a complete analogue of the metro, as some radically minded comrades proposed: after all, the original purpose of the Circular Railway - to connect all Moscow railway radii - is a strategic thing, and should have remained untouched. Again, variety for railway fans ;)
More from what I noticed. The MCC has its own Moscow time:
Business Center station, with its vibrant green color:
The canopy over the platform is connected to the walls in such a way that when it rains, water will pour into the station. Is this how it was intended?
With me at the Kutuzovskaya station, two hard workers dragged, right across the tracks, some kind of hefty electrical box, and threw it onto the platform, in its narrowest place. A minute later, Swallow arrived on the same path, disembarking passengers who had to step over this box, or squeeze between it and the wall. That is, ensuring the safety of both workers and passengers on the MCC is, so far, in complete disarray. I would like to hope that this will not lead to serious consequences.
Here it is, somehow. Of course, I plan to drive along the MCC again, more thoughtfully, and during daylight hours. Otherwise in the dark you can’t see anything around at all :)
In the meantime, I voiced my first impressions of his visit. So all of the above is solely my personal subjective opinion.
Yes, and: a note for those who are in the know;) In my passport, in the “Place of birth” column it says “Moscow city”. And on my father’s side I am a third generation Muscovite;)
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While we were driving around the Caucasus, Transcaucasia and Iran, a miracle happened in Moscow - traffic and all stations of the Moscow Central Circle (MCC) opened. Yesterday we drove a full circle on a new type of transport and were shocked to the core. Below the cut, read why the MCC is a real miracle.
We decided to start the inspection of the new type of transport from the station closest to us, Baltiyskaya, which can be reached by walking down the street from the Voikovskaya metro station.
We left the metro, followed the signs and crossed the road and got a little lost.
We look back, are we going exactly where we need to go? In Moscow, as a rule, there are pronounced flows of people moving to the stations, but here, it seems, people are rushing to go shopping at Metropolis :) As you like christmas tree at the shopping center?
It’s good that Pasha knows where the railway runs. We go straight without signs. By the way, it turns out later that the main path lies through the shopping center.
We reached a pedestrian bridge across the road. To get to the bridge, you need to enter the shopping center through one of the entrances, where a sign greets us.
This is not an exit from the shopping center, it is the most popular entrance to the bridge leading to the MCC station. There is another one, but it is located inconspicuously and almost no one walks through it. We don’t know how we managed to lobby for this, but the traffic flow of the shopping center should now increase significantly.
It's nice to walk along a new clean passage.
We go through the turnstiles to the station, holding the Troika card that we used in the metro to the reader. Our trip counts as a transfer, and the trip to the MCC will be free.
The Moscow railway ring has existed since the 19th century, and until the 30s of the 20th century it was used not only for freight, but also for passenger transportation. But then the metro appeared, and the project was abandoned. In those years, the word “metro” was still masculine.
Look at the photo, a girl with bare legs at minus 10. Where are the parents looking? Previously, they only took off their hats when leaving the house, but now they also roll up their pants.
While Pasha was looking at the diagram in the center of the station, a woman approached and tried to understand how far one of the MCC stations in the south was from the metro station.
The long-awaited Swallow is a Siemens train, created by the Germans at the request of Russian Railways and adapted to the requirements of our roads. Russians have been riding Lastochka for a long time in Sochi, Nizhny Novgorod and, since last year, in Tver.
According to our observations, quite a lot of people use the MCC even in the middle of a weekday.
It’s great that we managed to purchase such modern trains for urban public transport. The train is warm, light, Wi-Fi works, it’s clean and comfortable to sit in, and there’s even a toilet in the first and last cars. Well, what a miracle!
Lastochka is a class of urban transport comfort never seen before in Russia. The carriage has excellent sound insulation, which adds a “luxury” feel. The train doesn't move, it flies!
We drive mainly through industrial zones.
And this station is named after the street of the same name in the west of Moscow.
The display indicates not only the time and temperature, but also the speed of movement. In some sections, the Swallow accelerates to 100 km/h. We choose the MCC, and you stand there :)
There is even a shelf like this. What would it be used for? :)
We pass Moscow City and the Moscow River. Correct endings? :)
The design of the stations is mostly standard, all have a scoreboard and a rain roof. The downside: you have to wait outside for the train, and the interval varies from about ten minutes in the early morning, afternoon and late evening to three minutes during rush hours. Ten minutes in the cold is not everyone's cup of tea.
Metro map at the station from Lebedev Studio.
Approximately half of the MCC stations have surface passages to the nearest metro or railway stations. At Baltiyskaya, where we boarded, the transfer took about ten minutes. The transition from Luzhniki station to Sportivnaya metro station will take only a couple of minutes, passengers are in luck here.
The towers of the “Business Center” are visible in the distance in the haze. There is also a ring station there.
The train has arrived, let's move on. The first and last carriages are equipped with places for transporting bicycles. We’ve already figured out how we’ll go for a ride in Moscow parks in the summer: Izmailovsky Park and Sokolniki are located in pleasant proximity to the MCC stations.
In the area of the ZIL plant, a grand demolition of houses and the construction of new real estate are taking place.
It is very unusual to see a toilet on public transport in Moscow.
The inside of the toilet is not as fresh as it used to be, but it’s tolerable for now. We hope that the trains and stations will be constantly looked after, otherwise it will all get clogged up very quickly, literally and figuratively.
Toilet selfie from Lena. Our first report from Zlatoglavaya, by the way. We are thinking about what else to photograph in Moscow, write your recommendations.
We arrived at the Izmailovo station, decided to take a break and walk into the city. We leave the doors of the ring station.
Tickets can be bought from vending machines, just like in the subway.
We find ourselves in the station building, where there will soon be a shopping center.
Now the stores are closed, and this may continue for quite some time. Russian Railways has a talent for long-term construction; the installation of new pavilions at Leningradsky Station takes years.
The width of the escalator is such that only one person can fit in the width; you cannot run quickly on the left.
Entrance to the transition.
Russian realities: the hacks designed the passage in such a way that it would be impossible to open the outer door.
It’s cold in the passage, but it’s clear that heating the street is too expensive.
Nearby are the buildings of the Izmailovo Hotel and the Izmailovo Kremlin.
We come out of the passage, go straight, and there is some kind of homeless shopping center selling sausages in dough. Moscow, you are infinitely diverse :)
As an epilogue:
Never in our memory has it been opened in Moscow new look transport (monorail does not count). It will probably never open again; such miracles don’t happen very often.
We ourselves tried to come up with useful routes around Moscow for the MCC, but we couldn’t come up with anything other than transporting bikes to forest parks; all our routes will remain on the metro, minibuses and electric trains. We hope that Muscovites and guests of the capital will be able to adapt this type of transport to their needs, and this will at least slightly relieve the congestion on the Moscow metro and commuter trains.
What do you think about MCC?
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The metro is the main way of transportation for most people in densely populated cities. It attracts with its underground coolness, elegant architecture and lack of traffic jams. It is difficult for emergency incidents to interfere with the rhythm of the measured life of the Moscow metro. The professionalism of the drivers, station security and strict rules of use are bearing fruit.
Metro mapThe subway is convenient for its speed of movement, working from early morning until late at night. It fascinates with the art of construction and, guiding tourists to memorable places, is itself a tourist attraction.
Moscow metro How not to get lost in the abundance of paths
It is very easy to get confused in the numerous metro lines, especially for visitors. A route map should always be at hand. Thick yellow reference books and laminated maps have not yet gone out of print, but they are already a thing of the past. You ensure the availability of maps and information by accessing PulsMSK from any gadget. The high-resolution diagram of the central ring is painted in detail and marked in different colors for user convenience.
Maps and schedule
The site allows you to study the complete MCC map. If you still prefer the paper version of the map, you can print and use it completely free of charge. The resource also shows the exact schedule of train arrivals at the station on weekdays and weekends. Their movement clockwise and counterclockwise is described in detail minute by minute.
What else can you find out?
Additional information indicated on the site:
- fares, payment methods, available social benefits;
- information about the Moscow metro;
- rules for using the services provided;
- answers by the site administration to pressing questions;
- standards of conduct and safety charter.
"Eyes" of the metro Moscow infrastructure
The resource has an intuitive interface. And in addition to metro data, it offers categories:
- state and housing and communal services;
- medicine and health;
- leisure and recreation.
Resource menu Other site projects
Keep your finger on the pulse public life Additional functions will help.
- Search for information of interest using keywords.
- Current high quality videos about events in Moscow and the region.
- Useful information about resorts and tourist sites, supplemented by panoramic views, maps, and tips on interesting pastimes.
Current videos The Moscow metro is an integral part of metropolitan life. The underground is comfortable, reliable and convenient. The MCC layout with transfer hubs will allow you to avoid confusion with transfers and get off at the correct stops. With this service you will always be punctual and confident.
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Surely many have heard about the imminent launch of passenger traffic on the Moscow Ring Railway. But although the abbreviation MKR has recently been heard from all the irons controlled by the mayor’s office, it is not at all easy to find in one place brief information on the main issues of interest to a potential passenger. I came across this when I was recently preparing a publication on this topic. Therefore, since I had to find and collect all this information (from the city hall portal, the websites of Russian Railways and the Moscow Ring Railway, and from messages from the city government-owned publication m24.ru), I decided to make a short review post about the Moscow Ring Railway as a whole and specifically dwell on what will change launch of passenger traffic along the ring for residents of Zelenograd and others settlements Leningrad direction.
Scheme of the Moscow Ring Road. Image from m24.ru
First, a few words about history. The Small Ring of the Moscow Railway (that is what the Moscow Ring Railway was correctly called until recently) was built in 1903-1908. The road was originally intended for intracity and transit freight traffic, but at first it also carried passenger traffic, which was stopped in 1934.
They started talking about the return of passenger traffic to the Moscow Ring Railway almost immediately after Sobyanin’s arrival, and initially a much earlier date for its launch was mentioned. But, apparently, the project required a significantly more serious reconstruction of the infrastructure than seemed necessary at first glance, and its implementation dragged on for more than five years. They promise to launch electric train service in September 2016.
Moscow Ring Railway station "Luzhniki". Image from the Moscow construction complex website
As you can see in the diagrams, the Moscow Ring Road has different distances from the center in different sections: in some places the road comes almost close to the metro ring line, in others it is a decent distance away from it. There will be 31 stations on the Moscow Ring Railway, which will provide 17 transfers to 11 metro lines (including the future second subway ring) and 10 transfers to 9 radial railway directions. The issue of the construction of the 32nd station, Presnya, which is marked on some diagrams, is planned to be resolved later. I will add that one station, “Gagarin Square” on Leninsky Prospekt, will be underground - the rest will be above ground. I’ll also note that the names of some stops, in my opinion, are still floating around, so don’t be surprised if you suddenly find some inconsistencies in the diagrams.
Scheme of transfers from the Moscow Ring Railway to the metro. Image from the Moscow construction complex website
Perspective (for 2020) metro and Moscow Ring Road map. Image from the Moscow construction complex website
In essence, the Moscow Ring Railway will become a ring line of the city commuter train, integrated into the metro system. You can pay for travel on the above-ground ring with a metro ticket. At the same time, the transfer between the Moscow Ring Railway and the subway will be free for passengers if they do it within 15 minutes. Well, that is, apparently, both on the Moscow Ring Railway and in the metro you will have to go through the turnstiles, but if you did not go on a spree between them, the money (trips) will not be written off when you re-enter.
“Swallows” will be used as rolling stock on the ground ring. It is stated that during rush hours they will run at intervals of no more than 6 minutes, and in the future the intervals may be reduced.
High-speed electric train "Lastochka". Photo Zelenograd information portal
Now, briefly about the transfer from the Moscow Ring Railway to the Leningrad direction. It will be carried out through the NATI platform, which until recently was the deadliest stopping point between Moscow and Zelenograd. The phrase “the train runs with all stops except NATI” in the minds of passengers meant “with all stops”, because no one stopped at NATI anyway. :) Now this platform promises to live a new life.
The thing is that 350 meters from it (if you count in a straight line), there is the Nikolaevskaya station of the Moscow Ring Railway. These two stopping points will be combined into a transport hub, for the construction of which the Moscow Urban Planning and Land Commission recently allocated a plot of 0.38 hectares. According to Moskomstroyinvest, in addition to the transport terminal, there will be areas for consumer services, public catering, and vehicle maintenance. I don’t know exactly what all this will look like. I can only appeal to pictures from the Moscow Ring Railway website, the relevance of which I am not sure.
The TPU scheme, for example, dates exactly from 2013 - perhaps something has changed in the plans since then.
I also don’t know what the situation is with the construction, but I seriously doubt that by September there will be such a healthy transport hub building with transitions there, because the announcement about the allocation of land for construction was only a few months ago. However, no matter when and in what form this transport hub is built, the opportunity to transfer from NATI to the Moscow Ring Railway should appear in September of this year. This means that Zelenograd residents (and our neighbors in the Leningrad direction) will have new options for laying routes to many districts of Moscow.
