12 lines, 188 stations

and 5 stars!

The Moscow Metro opened in 1935 with only one 11-kilometre (6.8 mi) line and 13 stations and was the first underground railway system in the Soviet Union. The metro has since grown to a whopping 188 stations and 313.1 km in route length and has become the world's 4th most heavily used transit system. The system is mostly underground and absolutely gorgeous!

The metro stations built before the mid-1950s, were conceived and constructed as luxurious “palaces for the people;” they were great architecture for a great state. There are also allegations that there was no option but to decorate the metro with marble, stucco work and expensive aircraft steel since, in the estimation of the metro builders, the country was in no position to supply enough tiles to cover the many thousands of square miles on such a tight schedule. Art historians, however, insist that the richly-decorated underground was a deliberate ideological move, another way to eulogize the young Soviet country. 

Whatever the case may be it's a beautiful place. Heck, I wouldn't mind commuting back-n-forth everyday if it meant walking through a "palace". On top of that the train actually runs! Can you believe that?! I can hear all my NYers saying "no". The train runs. It runs and smoothly and quickly and often. You're never waiting more than 1 minute for the next train. There are so many positives about the Moscow Metro especially when  being compared to the NY Subway.

To name a few:
- Trains run every minute.
*Patience is a virtue, but when waiting 20 minutes for a NY subway you don't want to hear about virtues.

-  The Circle Line (Line 5) orbits around Central Moscow, linking to every other line.
*BOOM! Like godspeed you're at your destination.

- A single ride costs 28 rubles.
*That's $0.50 NOT $2.50! Pretty soon we'll have to take out  loans just to ride the NY Subway system.

- Their 'never be in the state of intoxication in the premises of Moscow metro' rule.
*Who wants to ride the train with a bunch of drunks OR walk past a pile of throw up? Not me.

- Their 'stand on the right side, pass on the left side holding the hand-rail' rule.

*Some people just don't get it...

- There is an extra fee to carry bulky luggage on the train.

*The NY Subway would make a killing on women's handbags alone. What do they carry in those things?!

- The stations are beautiful! Basically, the metro doubles as a museum.

*What's not to love about that?

- The stations are clean!

*No rats, pee-covered seats, garbage all over, mold/dirt/mildew/grossness on the walls. I didn't even feel like I needed to Purel my entire body after riding the Moscow Metro!

-Each of their steps include ramp areas for easy wheeling of luggage, carts, strollers, what have you.

*This seems like a no brainer. Really NY, why do you enjoy watching people lug their wheeled objects up many flights of stairs? Meanie.

- One stop shopping.

*I mean what's more convenient than being able to buy candy, snacks, souvenirs, baked goods and cigarettes in the metro? Nothing.

 

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If I could give you any advice for a visit to Moscow City it would be to ride the metro everywhere. Taxis are  expensive, especially for foreigners since the drivers tend to take advantage of us. The traffic is crazy bad. Save your $$ and time and just hop on that beautiful beast, The Moscow Metro.