By Metro, Moscow

The Moscow metro is apparently twice as busy as the London and New York undergrounds combined... and I concur they were ludicrously busy! Busy but never packed like sardines as in London.

The Moscow metro runs a smooth, easy to use, efficient, cheap and regular service and it makes getting around this very large metropolis a little quicker whilst taking some of the wear a nd tear off your feet!

There are ticket booths and machines.... the machines have an English option!
You can buy a card for a number of journeys and each time you scan it against the barrier (ie each new journey) it deducts one automatically.

You will need to organise yourself between using a metro map where the station names written in the English/Latin alphabet and the names within the metros which are in cyrillic. You will soon get used to it.

NB The dark brown line, which I called the circle line, is number 5. It operates in both clockwise and anti-clockwise directions. Tip - one direction has a man announcing the stations, the other direction has a woman (I am sorry - I can't remember whose voice is for which direction.. but you can work it out and it helps to know!)
Inside some trains there is a red light that follows the journey to show you where you are going and which station you are proaching. This can be helpful as it is not always easy to see the name of the station you are entering (the name is ONLY on the wall train side, not platform side!)
The circle line is also the line that has the best underground palaces / stations!

Line 1 - RED - Sokolnicheskaya
Line 2 - DARK GREEN - Zamoskvoretskaya
Line 3 - DARK BLUE - Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya
Line 4 - LIGHT BLUE - Filyovskaya
Line 5 - BROWN (circle line) - Koltsevaya
Line 6 - ORANGE - Kaluzhsko-Rizhskaya
Line 7 - PINK - Tagansko-Krasnopresnenskaya
Line 8 - YELLOW - Kalininskaya
Line 9 - GREY - Serpukhovsko-Timiryazevskaya
Line 10 - LIGHT GREEN - Lyublinsko-Dmitrovskaya
Line 11 - MID BLUE - Kakhovskaya
Line L1 - LIGHTEST BLUE - Butovskaya

Sometimes they like to play around with the letters so it reads/sounds similiar but you are never quite sure if it is the same! ...but it is easy and I worked with the attitude that if I got on the wrong train... I would see a station I hadn't anticipated on seeing!!!

This interactive map will help you plot the quicket journey and tell you the duration of it : http://engl.mosmetro.ru/flash/scheme01.html

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La red del Metro de Moscú cubre todas las necesidades de un turista normal .
El mapa del Metro es sencillo , existe una línea circular y once líneas radiales que enlazan en el centro de Moscú , por lo cual sólo hay que hacer como máximo dos transbordos para ir a cualquier estación
El precio de un billete normal que se compra en la estación era 28 Rublos y la frecuencia de los trenes puede ser de dos a tres minutos en horas punta
De las estaciones hablaremos en otro sitio, pero de los vagones diremos que están limpios , son cómodos y hay mucha información , aunque está con caracteres cirílicos .
Preguntando , especialmente a la gente joven que hay más probabilidades que hable algo de inglés , aunque en general la gente es muy amable e intenta ayudarte a pesar de las barreras del idioma , contando estaciones con un plano del Metro y viendo los paneles que hay en los vagones se puede viajar perfectamente
A los que usamos el Metro de Madrid "nos extraña" que no haya pintadas , anuncios , músicos y que esté tan limpio

The Moscow Metro network covers all the needs of a normal tourist.
The Metro map is simple, there is a circular line and eleven radial lines that link in the center of Moscow, so you just only have to make two transfers to go to any station in Moscow
The price of a normal ticket, that is bought at the station , was 28 Rb and the frequency of trains can be two to three minutes at peak hours
We will talk of stations later , but the cars are clean, comfortable and there is a lot of information, but in Cyrillic characters .
Asking, especially to young people because are more likely to speak some English, but in general people are very friendly and try to help you despite language barriers, counting stations with a subway map and seeing there in wagons panels you can travel without problems
Those who use the Metro de Madrid "miss" that there are not paintings in the walls , ads, musicians and that the trains and stations are so clean

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Metro when I was in Moscow was the main type of transportation which I was used. I bought 2 times tickets for 10 rides. I payed about 250 RUB. I suppose that this ticket is cheaper and are more useful than if you're going to buy every day ticket.
One ride by metro cost about 30 RUB. Also is available to buy tockets for 1, 10, 20 and 60 rides.
Metro in Moscow is the best and the fastest way to get somewhere. Yes, you can spend more than houre going by metro. But this is a Moscow, huge city and it's nothing you can do with it.
Also I need to say that stations in Moscow are wonderful, beautiful! Not all, but some are really architecturally beautiful.

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.

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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

Just copied and pasted:

How do I get from the airport to the city centre?
If you travel to/from Sheremetievo airport, you can take an express train that operates between Sheremetievo airport and Belorussky railway station (Belorusskaya metro station, Circle line). Bus and taxi services are also available.
You can also easily get to or from Domodedovo airport at any time. Click here for more information.

Are there toilets in Moscow metro?
No, there are no toilets for passengers in Moscow metro.

Who is responsible for giving names to new metro stations?
According to Moscow city regulations, Moscow city committee that is in charge of giving names to streets and new metro stations.

Can I take photographs in metro? How can I get a permission for shooting and how much does it cost?
Amateur photography (without using stationery equipment and professional cameras, permitted body height - under 140 mm and/or lens length under 100 mm) in Moscow metro is allowed and therefore no permission is necessary.
To obtain a permission for professional photography, send a letter on the company’s letterhead to the head of Moscow metro Dmitry Gaev to this fax: +7 (495) 631-3744 (telephone: +7 (495) 688-0291) and state the following: purpose of the filming, date, location (station), equipment and name of the person responsible for shooting.
The staff of Moscow metro PR department will get in touch with the person responsible for shooting within 5-10 working days and advise him on further actions.

Do you have a metro museum? Where is it located?
Moscow metro museum occupies the first and the second floor of Sportivnaya station south vestibule (36, Khamovnichesky val). For more information, click here.

Is it possible to travel with bicycles in metro?
Moscow metro regulations prohibit transportation of bicycles or other means of transport, excepting wheelchairs and baby carriages. Bicycles can be carried as luggage when they are dismantled and packed.

How do I use a smart card?
Smart cards should be handled with care. To go through the turnstile, put the smart card to the card reader and pass when the green light is on. To pass through the turnstile with the same card again, you’ll need to wait 7 minutes.

What shall I do if the smart card doesn’t work?
If the smart card fails, try it again with the same turnstile. If it fails again, use a card reader in the station vestibule to check the card. If the card is valid, address anyone in the metro ticket office.
Smart cards should be handled with care. Don’t expose them to extreme temperatures, moisten, bend or keep near magnets.
If a card was damaged by the passenger, it can be restored. Passenger will only have to pay for a new card and the number of trips left on the damaged card will be encoded to the new card. Once this card expires, passengers can give it back to metro ticket office and get the money for the smart card back.