Announcements in English are provided at all Moscow railway stations

Announcements have been made in English at all the nine railway terminals in Moscow. The arrival and departure times of international and inter-city trains have been translated into English for tourists. Other voice messages include security rules and services available at the stations.

According to the press service of the Russian Railways Directorate of Railway Stations, voice messages in English will make it easier for foreign tourists to get around at Moscow railway stations. Besides this, Moscow will receive many international fans ahead and during the Confederations Cup which is scheduled for June 17-July 2.

“Football fans will use international and inter-regional routes to move between the cities hosting the matches. During the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, inter-city routes will be the most popular,” reported the press service.

The tournament will include four Russian cities – Moscow (the venue will be Spartak Stadium), St Petersburg, Sochi and Kazan.

All the announcements at Moscow railway stations are made in the same manner. Just like the Russian voice messages, they are made by a woman. The information concerning the current situation is not announced live but previously recorded words and phrases are compiled by an automated system into a sentence. The words are selected based on the route and the arrival platform and track.

The first railway stations to “speak” English were Kazansky, Leningradsky and Kursky. At present, the unified standard for making announcements is operational at all the nine railway terminals (the above mentioned ones and Yaroslavsky, Kievsky, Belorussky, Paveletsky, Rizhsky and Savyolovsky). The two-language voice messaging will continue after the Confederations Cup.

‘English-speaking’ metro and suburban trains

Unified standard for voice messaging has been worked out for the Moscow Metro. Station names on all the twelve lines have been announced in English from late April. Lastochka trains on the Moscow Central Circle (MСС) have also been provided with English announcements.

Two language messaging has also been made available on commuter trains ahead of the Confederations Cup. According to the press service of the Central Suburban Passenger Company, announcements in English and Russian have been made on nearly 30 trains, including express trains on Kazan, Kiev, Gorky, Yaroslavl and Kursk lines and some non-express trains on the Riga Line that includes Tushino railway station, the nearest to Spartak Stadium.

All Russian voice messages have been translated into English, including the names of the stations, security warnings, reminders to hang onto travel tickets during trips, smoking bans and details of travel passes. Tourists will also learn which commuter stations provide a change to the MCC and at which stations they should be careful during descent to low platforms.

Announcements will be made in two languages on commuter trains only during the Confederations Cup. However, there are plans to bring them back ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Cashiers and engine operators have been given lists of the most popular English phrases. They will help them communicate with foreign visitors during the Moscow stage of the Confederations Cup. The information there includes how to reach Tushinskaya and Spartak metro stations, how much time it will take and how to arrange for a free ticket on commuter trains for fans and accredited FIFA delegates. Details about free travel for Confederations Cup fans can be found on the Moscow Transportation online reference section.