Vladimir Putin and Sergei Sobyanin launch D3 of Moscow’s surface-level metro

Moscow has seen the launch of the third Moscow Central Diameter (MCD-3, Leningradsko-Kazansky). The ceremony was attended by President of Russia Vladimir Putin, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, Moscow Region Governor Andrey Vorobyov and Oleg Belozerov, Director General and Chairman BoD, Russian Railways.

“First of all, I would like to congratulate Moscow and Mr. Sobyanin’s team on the implementation of another big project, which, of course, is in great demand among Muscovites. Well, and everyone who comes to the city, works in the city on a daily basis and lives in the nearest suburbs. Definitely, this is seemingly not a very long route, but it is certainly popular with hundreds of thousands of people. I think that the count will eventually go to a million,” said Vladimir Putin.

Sergei Sobyanin called the MCD-3 launch a historic event. The new diameter will connect the northwest and southeast of Moscow and the Moscow Region, he says.

“For that end we, of course, have done a huge job together with Russian Railways and the Moscow Region, with the support of the Government of the Russian Federation and with your direct supervision over this large project. Passenger traffic will increase by 1.7 times, there will be twice as many passenger seats, the time interval will be less 1.5 times, and travel costs will decrease by up to 3.5 times,” Moscow Mayor noted.

According to Andrei Vorobyov, one million people currently live in the Moscow Region along MCD-3, and in the near future there will be twice as many people there thanks to the projects under the renovation program. “Each MCD launch is a big event because passenger experience is totally different. 180 rubles and 65 that a person pays today is a huge difference. And most importantly, the MCD involves using not only modern fleet, but also the entire infrastructure of improvement as parking spaces are changing for a huge number of cities near Moscow,” Moscow Region Governor emphasized.

Oleg Belozerov thanked Vladimir Putin for supporting rail transport and the Central Transport Hub project. “This is a new life for the railways. A glimpse of history: all entrances to Moscow were built either at the end of the 19 th century or at the beginning of the 20 th century. The most recent significant project was in 1908 — this is a small ring railway structure. For 100 years, no one has actively approached the railroads in Moscow,” said Russian Railways CEO. He called the section that passed through downtown the most difficult one along the new diameter. The work in cramped conditions was not quite extensive, but very laborious.

Today, when it is over, MCD-3 trains will run according to the schedule within three hours from the start of traffic — every five and a half minutes, Oleg Belozerov added.

During the ceremony, Sergei Sobyanin reported to Vladimir Putin on plans to boost passenger transportation not only in Moscow, but throughout the entire Central Transport Hub, including construction of the fifth Moscow Central Diameter (Yaroslavsko-Paveletsky MCD-5), development and modernization of passenger railroad transportation between Moscow and the largest nearby regional centers as well as high-speed railway (HSR) lines.

MCD-3, which links Zelenograd and the city of Ramenskoye near Moscow, is a new through route running across the entire capital. Previously, this was not the case, and Muscovites had to change from Kazansky to Leningradsky rail terminal, or to metro in order to travel from the southeast to the northwest.

The new diameter offers the following advantages:

— an increase in passenger seats by more than twice from 0.9 to 1.9 million per day, while there will be more space in trains even during peak hours;

— a reduction of the time interval by 1.5 times (up to 5.5 minutes at rush hour) with no daytime breaks;

— up to 3.5 times cheaper trips. For example, with introduction of the MCD fare and a free metro transfer, a trip from Hippodrome (Ramenskoye) to the Petrovsko-Razumovskaya metro station will cost RUB 65 rubles vs. RUB 230;

- reconstruction of the Kryukovo station in Zelenograd to be modern in-city Zelenograd — Kryukovo commuter terminal. August 18, Zelenograd is starting to receive Sapsan trains running between Moscow and St. Petersburg, in addition to St. Petersburg — Moscow HSR trains. “Zelenograd, in fact, opens the high-speed railroad to St. Petersburg. A railway terminal has been built that will service both MCD-3 and the future HSR,” said Moscow Mayor.

The number of MCD-3 passengers is estimated at approx. 577,000 people per day by 2030, which is 1.7 times more than in the case of Kazansky and Leningradsky lines today. Almost 3.5 million citizens can currently reach surface metro within walking distance, while the MCD-3 launch has improved transport services for more than 20 districts of Moscow, including Veshnyaki, Nizhegorodsky, Lefortovo, Khovrino and Ostankino, and residents of Zelenograd, Khimki, Ramenskoye, Lyubertsy and Zhukovsky will also be able to quickly get to the capital’s downtown.

In addition, MCD-3 connects the largest enterprises in the Moscow Region, such as the Zelenograd industrial cluster, the Lyubertsy aircraft cluster, etc.

As a result of its launch, passenger traffic will be redistributed, so sections of the Lyublinsko-Dmitrovskaya, Tagansko-Krasnopresnenskaya and Kaluzhsko-Rizhskaya metro lines will be relieved 15 per cent. The number of cars on the city’s outbound roads, including Leningradskoye, Novoryazanskoye, Novoyegoryevskoye, Yegoryevskoye and Kosinskoye Highways, plus Volgogradsky and Oktyabrsky Prospekts will also drop by 6,900 to decrease harmful emissions down to 36,000 tons per year.

The total length of the new MCD-3 Leningradsko-Kazansky surface metro line is 85 kilometers. This including 38 stations to date, with three more, such as Malino, Rizhskaya and Mitkovo, to open on a later stage for Muscovites to be able to change to 21 stations, including on the Big Circle Line (BCL), Moscow Central Circle (MCC), and other diameters.

There are also new direct routes. For example, one can get directly from Zelenograd to the Elektrozavodskaya station or from Likhobory to the Aviamotornaya station. The journey from Petrovsko-Razumovskaya to Elektrozavodskaya is 20 min faster and traveling from Ostankino to Elektrozavodskaya is shorter by 16 min.

Russian Railways and the Moscow Government have done a lot of work to connect the Kazanskoye and Leningradskoye lines. Infrastructure of the MCD-3 central segment was actually created from scratch, previously it was not possible due to its complex character.

In particular, they have built the Mitkovskaya connecting branch, including a 400 m tunnel (excluding headwalls) along with several other large artificial structures and infrastructure facilities, such as the modern Zelenograd — Kryukovo in-city commuter terminal, which meets Moscow transport standards, the Rusakovskiy overpass, the Nikolaevsky overpass through the Yaroslavsky line tracks at the Nikolaevka station, Malino’s interchange, plus depots for 32 trains with 12,4 km tracks in Ramenskoye and Zelenograd.

MCD-3 in-city commuter terminals and stations

MCD-3 consists of 38 stations, two of them, Zelenograd — Kryukovo and Khovrino, are full-blown in-city commuter terminals.

The stations for the Kazan destination have been overhauled and improved, with changed platform pavings, stairways, fences, ticket offices, etc. The stations have also got more than 8,000 navigation elements (e. g., station names and signs) in addition to new standards for audio information for passengers.

Three more stations, such as Malino, Rizhskaya and Mitkovo, are still under construction. In 2026, the in-city commuter terminal standard will be extended to 21 MCD-3 stations, so the third diameter will have 23 terminals.

Cutting-edge trains

122 trains will carry passengers of the Leningradsky and Kazansky rail lines. Over 70 per cent of the rolling stock being the new Ivolga, Lastochka and EP2D trains, while MCD-3 is to have only new cars.

In 2024, the remaining 30 per cent of obsolete trains will be replaced with modern models, so new trains will run both along MCD-3 and long-distance suburban routes.

Fares and tickets

MCD-3 passengers can avail themselves of the common surface metro fare system, fares paid with Troika Travel Cards or other usual methods.

Like in the case of MCD-1 and MCD-2, it is divided into three fare zones:

— Central, including stations from Khovrino to Ukhtomskaya, as well as Leningradsky and Kazansky Railway Terminals, one-way Troika card paid fare is RUB 50;

- Prigorod with stations from Zelenograd to Levoberezhnaya and from Hippodrome to Lyubertsy, one-way fare is RUB 65; and

- Long-distance stations from Klin to Alabushevo and from the 88 th kilometer to Sovkhoz, one-way fare is RUB 65 plus RUB 30 rubles per zone outside Prigorod.

When traveling is paid with the Troika Travel Card, the passenger is eligible for a free 90 min transfer to the metro, MCC or between diameters, which means that for passengers of the Central zone the fare will be the same as for the metro.

For passengers of the Prigorod zone, which includes Zelenograd, Khimki and Ramenskoye, it will be even cheaper as before they used to pay up to RUB180 per one-way rail trip plus RUB 50 metro fare, whereas after the MCD-3 launch, they will spend RUB 65, including for a trip by metro or MCC. The maximum saving will be up to 3.5 times per trip.

Savings of RUB 67,000 per year for Zelenograd residents and up to RUB 23,000 for Muscovites in the Central zone are expected.

Changed ground routes in the Moscow Region

When preparing to the MCD-3 launch, the municipality moved many bus stops closer to the stations, changed passenger routes to them, improved pedestrian crossings and arranged extra parking lots.

After the launch, they will step by step change ground transport routes to intensify those running towards MCD-3 stations and relieve or cancel those that duplicate the third diameter movement.

The new routes are developed by specialized scientific institutes in Moscow. As soon as they are introduced, traveling will become faster and more comfortable.

In addition, Moscow Mayor made a decision to install modern stopping pavilions at MCD stations both in Moscow and in the Moscow Region.

Zelenograd — Kryukovo commuter terminal

MCD-3 Zelenograd — Kryukovo commuter terminal is the core transfer hub in Zelenograd. Starting from August 18, it will receive Sapsan trains running between Moscow and St. Petersburg in addition to MCD-3 trains and conventional commuters.

It has been reconstructed since 2021. As a result, Zelenograd has got a modern three-level in-city commuter terminal, including a passenger terminal with ticket offices, turnstiles and rest rooms, three island platforms with full-length canopies protecting passengers against rain, snow or sun and a wide 1,500 m² transit underground passage with a gentle descent and ascent, instead of the old narrow tunnel.

The platforms have exits on both sides of the railway — to Lenin Street, Solnechnaya Alley, Novokryukovskaya Street and Panfilovsky Prospekt.

The barrier-free environment, including escalators and elevators, makes it easier for PRM, seniors and passengers with strollers, children or bulky luggage to move around the terminal.

Upon the reconstruction, there will be conveniently located ground transport stops for people to transfer to bus routes.

Bus terminals will be arranged there on the existing flyover for the first time in Moscow. In addition, on one side of the railway, there will be a ‘carousel’ transfer point with all buses to arrive directly at the entrance, so passengers do not need to cross the roadway and public transport will be able to turn around under the concourse. There will also be a terminus for ground transport.

Stops at the square in front of the terminal are moved closer to the exit of the new passenger terminal and are also equipped with additional refuges (boarding areas) and pedestrian crossings.

The bus route changes make it possible to cut the times for transferring from train to bus by half, from six to three minutes.

The adjacent area was landscaped. It has got fresh pavement on the footpaths and the roadway, new lighting fixtures, hardscape and green plants.

It is expected that as a result of the MCD-3 launch, passenger flow at the Zelenograd — Kryukovo in-city commuter terminal will increase by 1.5 times up to 50,000 pax per day by 2025.

Action plans for passenger transportation in Moscow and at the Central Transport Hub

In the nearest future, the authorities are going to introduce the fourth Moscow Central Diameter (Kaluzhsko-Nizhegorodsky MCD-4),

Further plans for the development of passenger traffic in Moscow and at the Central Transport Hub encompass three major projects, in particular, the launch of 89 km MCD-5 Yaroslavsko-Paveletsky diameter including 39 stations to connect the Moscow Region cities of Pushkino and Shchelkovo in the north and Domodedovo in the south.

The central section of the fifth diameter is to be built underground and passengers will also be able to change to a Moscow metro station. MCD-5 is expected to be used by up to 603,000 passengers per day.

“At one time we discussed and thought about implementing it in parallel with MCD-3 and MCD-4, but all pre-design decisions showed that it was impossible to launch it using the existing ground infrastructure. They will need to drill 12 kilometers under the city center and connect the Yaroslavsky and Paveletsky lines accordingly,” said Sergei Sobyanin. “This will largely relieve Moscow’s central rail terminals and will enable traveling from north to south and from south to north in Moscow. We will also build five more stations in downtown”.

In addition, the authorities will improve passenger transportation between Moscow and the largest nearby regional centers. The project covers 11 regions with a population of 31 million people. Upon implementation, the time intervals between trains running between regional centers and Moscow will 20–30 minutes versus 45–180, and the fleet to be upgraded too.

The diameters will continue into passenger hubs at respective terminal stations for those who travel to Moscow and Moscow area from other regions, Sergei Sobyanin says. “For example, passengers from Tula will reach Podolsk and there they will transfer to our diameters with a completely different fare, the possibility of transferring to the metro, and so on. That is, they will, in fact, become part of the in-city transport system,” Moscow Mayor explained.

Accordingly, another 10 million people who live in neighboring regions and their regional centers will also have good transport accessibility.

There are also plans to create a HSR network. These are five projects with a total length of more than 3,700 kilometers to cover areas that are home to more than 80 per cent of Russia’s population.

HSR lines will give a powerful impetus to the development of the entire country, contributing to economic and technological progress, and will have a positive impact on mobility and human capital.

“We are talking about creating not only the Moscow-St. Petersburg high-speed rail line, but also, by and large, two more HSR lines to the south and to Yekaterinburg, which will in fact connect 80 per cent of the country’s population. Today, rail transportation, both freight and passenger, is mainly carried out on the same lines. As a result, this slows down both economic development and passenger movements. The project is a new word, a new stage in the development of the transport system not only of the Moscow hub, but also countrywide,” Sergei Sobyanin said.

With HSR-1 St. Petersburg — Veliky Novgorod — Tver — Moscow in place, travel times between the country’s two largest cities will be reduced by 1.8 times from four hours five minutes to two hours and 15 minutes, traveling between Tver and Moscow will be 39 minutes versus from one hour six minutes, and between Veliky Novgorod and St. Petersburg it will be 29 minutes versus three hours 10 minutes.

According to Vladimir Putin, the construction of the new passenger line will free up the existing routes for cargo to be transported faster, which will produce a great impact on the Russian economy.

“But this, of course, should be only the first stage of work, then, we certainly need to move to Nizhny Novgorod, we need to move to Voronezh and from Nizhny Novgorod to Kazan and from Kazan to the Ural region. This will greatly reduce the time for people to move from one large agglomeration to another and will also boost connectivity, improve the country’s connectivity, give a boost for such fields that seem to be far from transport, such as education, science because when people can move easily, say, within half an hour or an hour from one large agglomeration to another, then this is, in fact, time; that is, distance, will be measured not in kilometers, but in minutes and hours of movement,” President of Russia emphasized.

Vladimir Putin noted that saving travel times would have a positive impact on the development of high-tech sectors, affecting metallurgy, IT, etc. Vladimir Putin also suggested discussing this work in the Minsk direction with President of Belarus.

Manege Station exposition

August 19-September 10, 2023, the Manege Central Exhibition Hall will present an exhibition called The Manege Station, dedicated to achievements of Moscow transport since 2010, which is organized as part of the Moscow Urban Forum.

Visitors will see the largest transport projects of the decade, including the BCL, MCC, MCDs, and learn how they have improved traffic and passenger experience in the Moscow agglomeration.

The multimedia exhibition will be of interest to both adults and children as young visitors will enjoy an area for games, quests and competitions, participants to win Moscow transport gifts and souvenirs.

Admission is free of charge.