By ashleykaren
On 15 May, the Moscow Metro celebrated its 88th anniversary with a festive program. The first metro line was commenced in 1935– Sokolnicheskaya (Line 1), which at the time of launch had 13 stations and was 11.2 km long. Today, this metro contains 14 lines with a length of 449.1 km.
There was a parade of trains – for the first time on the BCL on 13 and 14 May, and passengers have ride seven trains of various models.
Elder trains were exhibited at the underground retro cars show, which was held at Partizanskaya metro station from 13 to 16 May. These are five historical cars which used to carry Moscow’s citizens and guests from the 1940s to 2008.
Moreover, to mark the birthday of the city’s metro, the Moscow Transport Museum has launched guided tours. The first two tours along the Big Circle Line (BCL) were said to be free of charge on May 21. During them, passengers can discover how the Big Circle Line stations were constructed and how they operated, and how the commencement of the line influenced the life of the city.
The festive day also featured contests, audio greetings from artists, and gifts for passengers.
Maksim Liksutov, the Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Transport stated: “For 88 years, the Metro has become an indispensable transport for Moscow. On weekdays, passengers make around 8 million trips – a huge figure comparable to the population of a small country. At the same time, by order of Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, the metro continues to develop at a rapid pace: new lines are built, modern rolling stock is purchased, the level of passenger services is increased – everything to make travel more comfortable and safer. We have prepared a lot of interesting things for the birthday of the metro – I invite everyone to join our celebration.”
The Moscow Metro is one of the most extensive metro systems in the world and one of the world leaders in the number of contactless payment methods. The ticketing system of Moscow has been acknowledged internationally several times. For two consecutive years, it has acquired the prestigious Transport Ticketing Award (2020, 2021).
