Moscow Metro facts for kids

Moscow Metro map

Novoslobodskaya station

Komsomolskaya station

Sokol station

Alma-Atinskaya station (opened in 2012)

The Moscow Metro is one of the busiest metro systems in the world.

A-type — the first train of the Moscow Metro

The Moscow Metro is a huge underground train system in Moscow, Russia. It helps people travel to almost every part of the city. It's one of the busiest metro systems in the world, meaning lots and lots of people use it every day!

The Moscow Metro is also famous for its beautiful stations. Many of them are like underground palaces, decorated with amazing paintings and designs.

About the Moscow Metro

The metro system is very long, stretching over 325 kilometres. It has 194 stations where people can get on and off trains. Every weekday, about 8.2 million passengers use the metro. On weekends, about 7.1 million people ride it.

Each metro line has its own special color, name, and number. There are 12 lines in total. The metro runs from 5:30 AM until 1:00 AM. During busy times, like rush hour, trains come every 90 seconds. At other times of the day, they come every 3–4 minutes. In the evening, trains arrive every 6–10 minutes. Because trains come so often, there isn't a set timetable for most lines.

Metro Lines and Colors

The Moscow Metro has 12 lines. Most are regular metro lines, and one is a "light metro" line. Here's a quick look at them:

How to Get Tickets

You can buy tickets for a certain number of rides or for a certain amount of time.

The Moscow Metro used to use special magnetic cards for tickets with a set number of rides (like 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 60, or 70 rides). These tickets had to be used within 30 days.

Now, most tickets are Transport Cards (which are like smartcards). There are two main types: 'unlimited' cards and 'social' cards. Both can be used for 30 days, 90 days, or even a whole year. 'Social' cards are free for senior citizens and cheaper for students.

Cool Facts About the Metro

The metro tracks are 1520 mm wide, which is a common size for railways in Russia. Trains get their electricity from a special third rail.

The average distance between stations is about 1800 meters. The shortest distance is only 502 meters, between Delovoy Center and Mezhdunarodnaya stations. The longest distance is 6627 meters, between Krylatskoe and Strogino. Longer distances between stations help trains go faster and be more efficient.

Most platforms are at least 155 meters long. This means they can fit trains with 8 cars. However, some stations on the Filyovskaya Line are shorter and can only fit 6-car trains. These stations are:

• Delovoy Center
• Studentcheskaya
• Kutuzovskaya
• Fili
• Bragationovskaya
• Filyovskiy Park
• Pionerskaya

All these shorter stations are above ground.

Trains on lines 2, 6, 7, and 9 have eight cars. Lines 1, 3, 8, and 10 have seven cars. Lines 4, 5, and 11 have six cars. All train cars are 19.6 meters long and have four doors on each side.

Line L1 is called the "Light Metro." It's a bit different from the others. Its platforms are shorter, only 96 meters long. It also has newer trains built by a company called Rusich.

Out of 194 stations, 71 are very deep underground, and 87 are just below the surface. There are also 10 stations above ground and 3 on bridges.

Did you know? On trains going towards the city center, a male voice makes announcements. On trains leaving the city, a female voice makes announcements! People say it's like "the boss calls you to work, and the wife calls you home."

One special station, Vorobyevy Gory, is located on a bridge. It offers a great view of the Moscow River and is also the longest station in Moscow.

The Secret Metro (Metro 2)

Many people believe there's a secret, deeper metro system under Moscow, even though it's not officially confirmed. Studies suggest it was built for important city officials to use in emergencies, like an attack.

It's thought to have a single track and connect important places like the Kremlin, military headquarters, and the Ministry of Defence. There might also be hidden entrances from regular buildings like the Russian State Library and Moscow State University. Some think these secret entrances would allow a few regular people to be evacuated too. The only known link between this secret system and the regular metro is said to be near the Sportivnaya station on the Sokolnicheskaya Line.

Metro Statistics

Here are some interesting numbers about the Moscow Metro:

Images for kids

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  A-type trains

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  Soviet government decision to build the Moscow Metro

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  Sokolniki station, Line 1. Opened in 1935 (the first part)

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  Krasnye Vorota, also opened in 1935 as part of Line 1

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  Mayakovskaya station. Opened in 1938 (the second part)

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  Elektrozavodskaya station. Opened in 1944 (the third part)

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  Statue representing Soviet workers at Baumanskaya station

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  Monument to Soviet partisan Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya at the Partizanskaya station from 1944

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  Kiyevskaya (Line 3) (1954) is decorated with mosaics showing life in Ukraine.

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  Komsomolskaya station, opened in 1952, Line 5

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  Profsoyuznaya, 1962, Line 6 only has gray tiles

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  Rechnoy Vokzal, 1964, Line 2

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  Kakhovskaya, 1969, Line 11 (before being rebuilt)

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  Polezhayevskaya. Opened in 1972. Its colorful walls are still there.

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  Luzhniki MCC station

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  Old Belokamennaya station building from 1908

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  Delovoy Tsentr MCC station is made with green-tinted plastic.

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  Kakhovskaya after being rebuilt

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  81-765 train on Shelepikha station

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  One-trip transport card of Moscow Metro

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  Moscow Metro turnstiles

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  Site of a construction accident the day after it happened (2006)

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  Ploshchad Revolyutsii (1938)

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  Baumanskaya (1944)

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  Taganskaya (1950)

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  Novoslobodskaya (1952)

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  Prospekt Mira (1952)

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  Arbatskaya (1953)

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  Frunzenskaya (1957)

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  Kakhovskaya (1969, after 2021 reconstruction)

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  Tretyakovskaya, (southern hall, opened 1971)

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  Tretyakovskaya (northern hall, opened 1986)

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  Aviamotornaya (Line 8) (opened 1979)

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  Shabolovskaya (opened 1980)

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  Tyoply Stan (opened 1987)

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  Rimskaya (opened 1995)

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  Park Pobedy (opened 2003)

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  Novokosino (opened 2012)

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  Kosino (opened 2019)

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  Aviamotornaya (line 11) (opened 2020)

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  Nizhegorodskaya (opened 2020 as part of line 15, planned part of line 11)

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  A-type

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  B-type

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  V-4-type (from Berlin)

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  V2-type (from Berlin)

See also

In Spanish: Metro de Moscú para niños