By Metro, Moscow

Moscow METRO (subway) is very safe and economic way to travel.

By the way, many stations are tastefully decorated -- at least they were when I visited in 1992; so you may ride METRO just to look at various stations.

Also, you can buy all kinds of stuff -- watch out for thieves, though. It applies to all large cities, though.

The quickest and easiest way to get around this huge city is the subway. You might even want to study the map before you go--a good idea because it's pretty complicated. Trains run from 5:30 A.M. to 1:00 A.M. Metro stations are identified by the red (M) signs. Trains usually run about every 2-4 minutes and even more often during rush hours. The loudspeakers aboard the train announce the next stop and the station you are at. Should you need it, each station has a police post, a first-aid station and telephones.

The beautiful map I have reproduced here is of the entire system (in Russian) and I found it at this website: . Headquarters are at Mira Prospekt 41.

There is a very useful English-language source of information (including reproductions of important signs in Russian with their translations) and another great map at http://www.moscow-guide.ru/Transport/Metro.htm.

There is the only mono-railway metro line in Moscow between VDNkH (orange line) and Timiryazyavskaya (grey line) metro stations. You should exit the metro system that to get the final station of the mono-line. The price is the same to the metro.

Metro is the most comfortable and the most speedy transportation in Moscow. You can get by metro every of location in the city. In the center it's easier to have walking, though. Use metro only when you need to get places situated far from the center city. The Moscow metro stations are the most beautiful underground places in the world. There are many pictures, statues, monuments. When you'll be underground, look around for the interesting pictures of the metro style.
The metro card (in the photo) you can buy in every metro station. Buy card for 10 journey at least that to economize money.
Since January 1 2011 one journey costs RUR 28 (EUR 0.70). There are cards for 2,5, 10 and 20 routes as well. The more routes you buy the less price you have per 1 journey.
You should attach the card to the surface of the lights on tourniquet in the entrance and then, when you see green light, you would go to any metro station, change different lines and spend time how much you want undeground for 1 price (in comparision with Europe where the price depends on how far you go). In Moscow if you leave metro station (go out into the city) then you should pay once more that to go inside again.

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The old-timer ‘Sokoloniki’ train is actually not very old. It is the same modern metro train with the colour palette, lighting and wall finishing of the 1930s. But this is not the only thing that makes it look so unusually peaceful and unobtrusive – there are no ads around!

‘Sokolniki’ runs, as one can easily guess, along Sokolniki red metro line, there is no specific schedule, with luck you may ride it any time of the day.

The uniformed fellow you sharing the carriage with a happy Moscow family is none other than Dmitry Gaev, the Moscow Metro boss. But his days are numbered, they say.

The Retro train was launched May 15, 2010, when the Moscow metro turned 75.

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If you come within a couple of months, you will probably catch a wonderful porcelain exhibition in the Vorobyovy Gory metro station.

They have the two celebrated Moscow factories – the Kuznetsovs’ Dulevo and Gardner’s Verbilki, St.Pete’s Imperial (former LFZ) with their famous ‘cobalt grid’ and the collectors' hit, blue-and-white Gzhel.

If you contact the metro office, they may send you a PDF booklet, but it's in Russian only.

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The metro is the easiest and most reliable way to get around Moscow. It operates from 5:30 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. Trains run at intervals 2-5 minutes. Its layout is very simple: ten radial lines are joined together by a circular line.
Each radial line has its own name and color on the map, and you can get from practically any station to another with a maximum of two transfers.
Metro stations are marked with the large letter 'M'. To pay for your ride, buy a magnetic card at the station ticket office and lean it against the yellow ring of one of the automatic gates.

The fare for any length trip (whether you make one or two transfers) is 22 roubles (about US $ 0.70) for one-trip ticket. You can save money by buying magnetic cards for 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 or 60 trips for less than 22 roubles a trip.
In every car there are several colored metro maps, above the doors is a diagram with the names (in Russian and English) of the stops of the line you are on (the diagram has the color of the line).
The loud speaker announces (in Russian) the next coming stop and the stop you are on.

Be careful: the doors close and open automatically!

Each station has a police post, a first-aid station and local telephones. Plastic cards for telephones can be bought at the metro station ticket office.

...in Metro English, too -)

Total number of passengers carried a year 2528,7 mln.
including: commuters paying concessionary fares 917,3 mln.
among them: students and schoolchildren 254,6 mln.
Maximum daily number of passengers 9554,7 thous.
Total operation length (two tracks) 298,8 km

Number of lines 12
The longest line Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya (43,7 km)
The shortest line Kakhovskaya (3,3 km)
The longest line section between stations Krylatskoe - Strogino (6625 m)
The shortest line section between stations Vystavochnaya – Mezhdunarodnaya (500 m)

Number of stations 180
of exchange stations 61
of station junctions 26
of sub-surface stations 15
The deepest station Park Pobedy (84 m)
The stations closest to the surface Pechatniki
The longest station (the longest station platform) Vorobiovy Gory (282 m)

Number of stations with one ticket hall 70
Number of ticket halls 273
Number of sub-surface ticket halls 119

Cladding area (total) 795,5 thous.sq.m
including:
marble cladding 358,5 thous.sq.m
granite cladding 72,6 thous.sq.m
various cladding 219,9 thous.sq.m
other cladding 144,4 thous.sq.m

Number of ticket gates in automatic fare collection system (entrance) 2545
Number of stations with escalators 126
Number of escalators 643
Including: at the stations of Monorail transport system 18

Total length of escalators staircases 67,4 km
The longest escalator 126 m (Park Pobedy)
Number of steps 175423

Number of depots 15
Trains capacity (per day) 10072
Average train speed 41,55 km/h

Inventory rolling stock (average per day) 4545
Rolling stock in operation (average per day) 3565

Total car/km 733,6 mln.car.km
Including: with passengers 699,2 mln.car.km
Passenger/km 32872,5 mln.passeng.km
Daily car/km 562,3 car.km
Car utilization ration 0,79

Traction power consumption 55,36 kWh thous.km
Average number of passengers in a car 48

Ventilating shafts 406
Local ventilation systems in operation 5551

Number of staff 37401
men 19936
women 17465

Fulfilment of train schedule 99,98 %
Minimal headway 90 sec.
Average trip length 13,0 km