Sergey Sobyanin announces the launch of the first Moscow Tram Diameter
The T1 tram diameter has opened in the capital. The news was announced by Sergei Sobyanin in a post in his channel in the MAX messenger.
The 27-kilometer-long tram route connects Universitet metro station in the southwest with Metrogorodok in the east of Moscow. The creation of completely new urban public transport routes, such as the Moscow Tram Diameters (MTD), which pass through the center and connect remote districts of the capital, is one of the key goals of the Moscow Transport Development Strategy for the coming years.
“The Moscow tram diameters will in effect serve as above-ground metro lines. They will pass through the center and thus connect the outlying districts of the capital. It will be faster to get to many places in the city by tram than by Metro,” wrote the Mayor of Moscow.
Source: Sergei Sobyanin’s channel in the messenger MAX
Tram line
In September 2025, with the opening of traffic on the new tram line on Prospekt Akademika Sakharova and Ulitsa Mashi Poryvaevoy, the first stage in the creation of the MTD — the laying of the infrastructure — was completed.
Before the opening of the new section, public transport did not run on Prospekt Akademika Sakharova and the tram routes ended in the center without crossing it. There were 33 trams operating on routes No. 13 and No. 39, accounting for about 60,000 passenger journeys each day. The total capacity of the line between the Metrogorodok district and Universitet metro station was 90,000 passengers per day.
After the opening of the line on Prospekt Akademika Sakharova, trams began running in the city center on Route No. 90. The number of trams running between Metrogorodok and Universitet metro station has increased to 53, including 20 battery-operated trams. About 75,000 trips were made on them every day. Their carrying capacity has now increased by 30 percent to 120,000 passengers per day. In the last two months 900,000 passengers have used the new tram route No. 90. This success has demonstrated the high demand for through routes that cross the city center.
The second stage in the creation of the MTD was the opening of the T1 diameter from Universitet metro station to Metrogorodok on November 12, 2025. The new 27-kilometer-long route links tram routes No. 39 and No. 13, and the section on Prospekt Akademika Sakharov, previously used by tram No. 90.
The T1 diameter connects 13 Moscow districts and has improved transportation services for more than one million residents. Passengers can make transfers to four railway termini — Yaroslavsky, Leningradsky, Kazansky and Paveletskiy stations, as well as to 24 metro and MCD stations, including Preobrazhenskaya Ploshchad, Sokolniki, Krasnoselskaya, Chistye Prudy, Komsomolskaya, Novokuznetskaya, Tretyakovskaya and Tulskaya metro stations, and Mitkovo Station on MCD-3 and Ploshchad Triokh Vokzalov on MCD-2 and MCD-4.
There are many sites along the route that are popular with residents and visitors. These include Zaryadye, Sokolniki and Losiny Ostrov parks, the Danilov and Donskoy monasteries, the State Darwin Museum, the Great Moscow Circus, the district centers Mesto Vstrechi Yantar and Mesto Vstrechi Almaz, Danilovsky and Cheremushkinsky markets, Paveletskaya Plaza, the Gagarinsky and Capitol shopping centers, and a number of major universities including the M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, the Higher School of Economics National Research University, the Moscow Finance and Law Academy, MIREA — the Russian Technological University, the Russian State Social University and Kosygin Russian State University.
The T1 diameter will greatly improve the transportation accessibility of many government agencies and offices of large companies. These include the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Russian Ministry of Agriculture, the Federal Antimonopoly Service, Rosimushchestvo, Lukoil, the Russian Government Analytics Center, Alfa-Bank, the International Investment Bank, Rosstat, Russian Railways and Sber.
“The diameter will be served by fifty of Russia’s first battery-operated Lvyonok Moskva trams. It has 64 stops, spaced 300–400 meters apart, and the time interval between trams will be six minutes — the minimum interval for such a large project,” added the Mayor of Moscow.
Source: Sergei Sobyanin’s channel in the messenger MAX
The travel time from one end of the diameter to the other will be about 110 minutes.
Tram routes No. 13 and No. 39, which run along sections of the T1 diameter, will continue to operate for the convenience of passengers. In the combined corridor of the first MTD, passengers will be able to use the following routes:
— T1 Metrogorodok — Metro Universitet;
— No. 13 Metrogorodok — Kalanchevskaya Street;
— No. 39 Metro Universitet — Metro Chistye Prudy.
With the launch of T1, the number of trams on these routes has increased by a factor of 2.5. Today, 83 trams, including 50 battery-operated trams, run between Metrogorodok and Universitet metro stations. The carriage capacity of the section has more than doubled to 200,000 passengers per day.
On the combined sections of routes T1, No. 13 and No. 39, the frequency of trams has increased by a factor of 2.5 and the average interval between trams more than halved, from 10 to four minutes. It is planned that the total passenger traffic on the line from Metrogorodok to Universitet metro station will almost double, reaching about 110,000 passengers per day.
The passengers on the T1 diameter will be transported by 50 battery-powered Lvyonok Moskva trams. They will travel two kilometers along Prospekt Akademika Sakharov without connection to the overhead wire network. This is the first time such technology has been used in Russia. On the parts of the route served by overhead wires the trams will recharge their batteries, enabling them to run in autonomous mode on the wireless sections.
With the launch of the T1 diameter, tram travel will in many cases be up to 25% faster than metro travel, given that there is no need to spend time going up and down stairs and escalators.
Here are some examples of travel times by metro and tram:
— from Paveletskiy Railway Station to Ploshchad Triokh Vokzalov: by metro — 25 minutes, by tram — 20 minutes (20 percent less);
— from Paveletskiy Railway Station to Lukoil: by metro — 20 minutes, by tram — 15 minutes (25 percent less);
— from the Higher School of Economics National Research University to Three Station Square: by metro — 25 minutes, by tram — 14 minutes (44 percent less);
— from Novokuznetskaya metro station to Ploshchad Triokh Vokzalov: by metro — 26 minutes, by tram — 17 minutes (35 percent less);
— from Tulskaya metro station to Novokuznetskaya metro station: by metro — 25 minutes, by tram — 20 minutes (20 percent less).
In the third stage of the creation of the MTD, in spring 2026, the T2 diameter, a 33-kilometer-long line from Chertanovskaya metro station to Novogireevo station on MCD-4, running along routes No. 3 and 37 will begin operation. It will improve transportation services for more than one million residents. Passenger traffic on the line is expected to be about 85,000 people per day.
Thus, Moscow will have two tram diameters with a total length of about 60 kilometers.
Lvyonok-Moskva — a new battery-powered autonomous tram
The Lvyonok Moskva a single-section autonomous trams are made in Russia. They run along the Prospekt Akademika Sakharova section of the route without any connection to overhead wires. The trams have proven their efficiency and reliability, operating consistently on tram route No. 90. This route connects Sokolniki metro station and Paveletskiy Railway Station via Prospekt Akademika Sakharova. In its two months of operation route No. 90 has been used by 900,000 passengers.
The new trams can run in autonomous battery-powered mode for more than five kilometers, and recharge the batteries on other sections of the network.
When entering a section without an overhead line, the driver lowers the pantograph. This process requires a minimum of time and does not affect the length of the trip, as all such activities take place during stops.
There are 41 seats in the tram’s interior, and in total the carriage can carry more than 110 people. For passenger convenience, there are climate control systems and push-button door openers, multimedia screens and charging sockets for mobile devices. The new trams have a low floor at all doors and are adapted for passengers with limited mobility and for those with baby carriages, bicycles and bulky luggage.
The use of the autonomous mode on the route makes it possible to reduce the number of delays caused by damage to infrastructure, thus ensuring the trams run on schedule and, in the long term, enabling significant cost savings on maintenance and repair of the tram infrastructure. The long service life of the batteries installed on the new generation trams also helps to reduce maintenance costs.
In addition, tram lines without overhead wires look more aesthetically pleasing.
Development of Moscow’s tram network
The total length of tram tracks in Moscow is about 430 kilometers, of which 82 percent have their own dedicated track separate from highways.
In 2010, modern trams accounted for only four percent of the total fleet. Today, the 97 percent of the city’s trams have been replaced. The average age of the rolling stock does not exceed six years, making Moscow’s tram fleet the most modern not only in Russia, but in any of the world’s major cities.
There are 37 tram routes in the capital, and passengers make about 800,000 trips daily. Compared to 2023, passenger traffic is up 40 percent. Among the most popular routes are No. 17: Medvedkovo — Ostankino (more than 52,000 trips), No. 6: Bratsevo — Sokol Metro Station (44,000 trips) and No. 12: Eastern Izmailovo — Dubrovka (more than 34,000 trips). It is planned that by 2030, thanks to the launch of the Moscow tram diameters, about 1.2 million passengers will use this type of transportation every day. This will exceed the targets of the Transportation Complex Development Strategy.
Since 2010, the average speed of trams has increased by 30 percent, to 16 kilometers per hour. This has become possible thanks to a large-scale program of infrastructure modernization, development of the route network, renewal of the tram fleet with increased carrying capacity, the separation of tram tracks from highways and the construction of comfortable elevated platforms at stops.
In 2024, a double-track tram line with a length of over 860 meters opened on Ulitsa Sergia Radonezhskogo. This made it possible to organize a new route for tram route No. 2, from 3 rd Vladimirskaya Ulitsa — Kursky Station. The interval between trams is 10 minutes. About 700,000 residents of the South-Eastern Administrative District, Eastern Administrative District and Central Administrative District now have access to more convenient and faster travel options. These include more than 300,000 residents of the eastern districts of the city — Lefortovo, Sokolinaya Gora and Perov — who now have a direct transport link to Kursk station.
In April this year, the renovated P. L. Apakov tram depot on Shabolovka Street was opened after a large-scale reconstruction. It is the oldest operating electric transportation facility in the capital, having operated since 1909. Following its renovation, it is now a modern, innovative depot, able to serve the new generation of trams that operate in the capital. The capacity of the depot is 100 single-section cars.
In September this year, a new 2.1-kilometer track opened on Prospekt Akademika Sakharova, running from Komsomolskaya Square to Chistoprudny Boulevard, and traffic began on another new route, No. 90, which runs from Sokolniki metro station to Paveletskiy railway station. In November, it became part of the first Moscow T1 tram diameter.
In the coming years there are plans to further expand the Moscow tram network, including restoration of the track on Trifonovskaya Street to Rizhskaya Square (by the end of 2025), extension of the tram track on Shosse Entuziastov to Ivanovskoye district and from Ulitsa Akademika Koroleva to the TV center and Ostankino station on the MCD. The new track will make it possible allow to organize additional tram routes and increase the popularity of this mode of transport.
For the convenience and increased safety of passengers, tram stops are equipped with elevated boarding platforms, which are located at the same level as the tram entrance. They have ramps and special guardrails separating them from the roadway. More than 530 such platforms have now been installed in the city. Another 50 are scheduled to be installed by the end of 2026.
By the end of next year, the city fleet will receive another 50 modern single-section new-generation trams. All of them will be delivered to the P. L. Apakov depot. This will complete the renewal of Moscow’s tram fleet. The new trams will be equipped with everything necessary for comfortable travel, including low floors through the vehicle, climate control systems, multimedia screens and charging sockets for mobile devices. Trams will be able to run in autonomous mode for more than five kilometers without connecting to overhead wires.
In addition, Sergei Sobyanin ordered that work begin on the modernization of tram depots. Four of these are to be renovated by 2030, and the former 7 th Trolleybus Park on Nagatinskaya Ulitsa will be converted into a new tram depot, Nagatinskoye. As a result, all seven tram depots in Moscow will meet modern standards for servicing the latest generation of vehicles.
Launch of the first fully unmanned tram in Russia
In 2023, the Moscow Center for Research and Development of Unmanned Transport began resolving practical issues connected with the organization of unmanned trams, a goal established by Sergei Sobyanin.
Tram route No. 10, which plays an important role in the daily life of residents in the Strogino district, was chosen for pilot testing and then regular traffic. Every day more than 4,500 passenger journeys are made in this district, on six modern trams of Russian manufacture.
In accordance with Russian legislation, the launch of the country’s first fully unmanned tram was carried out in three stages, during which numerous tests were conducted.
In the first phase, which began in May 2024, an unmanned tram was tested without passengers, and a driver was present in the cabin, which was equipped with a system to duplicate the driver’s actions. The system kept the car moving, but the final decisions were left to the driver.
As a result, the unmanned tram and its software were fully prepared for the second stage of testing — pilot testing with passengers.
The second stage became possible after the Russian Government established an experimental legal regime (ELR) for the launch of unmanned public transport. The document was prepared by the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia on the basis of an initiative proposal of the Moscow City Government. The capital was the first city in the country to use this ELR to launch fully unmanned public transport.
In the second stage, the unmanned tram followed the route both with and without passengers. The unmanned driving system took over the control and decision-making functions, while a driver was present to monitor the tram’s operation.
The tram operated on a special schedule. In the cabin, a large screen displayed key data related to the functioning of the tram’s various systems. This allowed staff to evaluate how the tram saw the surrounding space through its machine vision system.
At the end of the second phase, it was decided to launch regular unmanned tram service with passengers (the third phase), which began on September 3, 2025.
Since its launch, the tram has been operating on the route regularly, working standard eight-hour shifts. During this time it has transported more than 30,000 passengers, and since May 2024 it has traveled almost 16,000 kilometers around the city without a single traffic violation.
Russia’s first unmanned tram makes stops, opens and closes doors, obeys traffic signals, lets pedestrians cross, determines how to cross an intersection, switches tracks at points and runs according to schedule. The system works so that the tram will never collide with the vehicle ahead.
An employee of the tram authority is located in the passenger salon or cabin to visually monitor traffic and perform other functions, including checking fares are paid. For passengers, the driverless tram is no different from an ordinary one, being just as comfortable and safe. In case of emergencies, a staff member will open or close doors and help resolve other issues that may arise. The staff member does not interfere with the tram’s operation: the tram’s artificial intelligence systems and software ensure that it runs automatically.
Having a member of staff on an unmanned tram is a current requirement of federal law. The Moscow City Government is working with the Russian Ministry of Transport to amend it to allow an operator without a tram driving license to be present in the cabin.
The software for the tram was created by Moscow Metro employees without the involvement of third-party companies. The driverless technology is owned by the Moscow City Government. This Moscow-developed technology is unique — it works more accurately, better, more reliably and more consistently than foreign equivalents and therefore is able to control a tram operating in the conditions of a large metropolis with the help of artificial intelligence.
The innovative solutions developed for the launch of Russia’s first unmanned tram have already been recognized with prestigious national and international awards. These include the Reforum Awards (category, Innovation of the Year), Company of the Future — 2024 (Digital Transformation), Magistral Awards (Best Project of the Year), CDO/CDTO Awards 2025 (Digital Region), the Digital Leaders Award 2025 (Digital Leader of the Year), Priority: Digital — 2025 (Artificial Intelligence), Ecotech Leader — 2025 (Perspektiva).
Thanks to effective cooperation with the Bank of Russia, the capital’s unmanned tram was the country’s first vehicle to be insured with a smart contract, with settlements in digital rubles.
The digital form of the national currency combines reliability, high speed of payment and security, due to full transparency of all financial transactions. Passengers are also insured while they are traveling by tram. To be covered, the passenger simply needs to pay their fare by any convenient method and tap their payment or transport card against the validator at the entrance to the passenger salon.