Why Moscow Has the Best Public Transport In the World

Moscow is one of my favorite cities in the world. When I visit, I love to see the sights

go to museums, attend the theater and the ballet, but if I'm being honest

my favorite thing to do when I'm in Moscow is to wander the city on foot and to ride the Moscow

metro. That's right, my favorite thing to do in one of Russia's greatest cities is to commute

I love to commute around Moscow so much that I've become unusually passionate about this

underground train system. So passionate that it's not uncommon that I'll be waiting for the elevated

train here in Chicago with some of my friends and say something like, you know, the longest I've ever

waited for a train in Moscow is like a minute and a half. Or, you know what would make the L better

If the train lines were more like Moscow's. Or, did you know that some of Moscow's metro stations

have real gold leaf? To put it all simply... So, what is it about the Moscow Metro that I'm so passionate about

And more importantly, is it actually the greatest public transportation system in the world

The plans for the Moscow Metro were first created in 1871, but after a period of intense

political upheaval, breaking ground was delayed by World War I, the October Revolution, and

the Russian Civil War, construction officially began in 1931. The metro was designed by the same architects who designed the tube in London but when they finished their work they were arrested Because the NKVD or the Soviet secret police were concerned about what they could do with all this information they now had about the layout of the city They were even given a show trial and eventually deported which effectively ended the working

relationship between the United Kingdom and the USSR. So it's suspicion that built the metro and made it great, in more ways than one

It boasts some of the deepest stations and therefore longest escalators in the world

with the deepest station, Parc Papiedli, sitting 274 feet below the city

Okay, but what does that have to do with suspicion? Well, some of the newer stations were built that far underground during the Cold War

so they could also act as bomb shelters. But Joseph Stalin actually had a whole series of secret tunnels and bunkers built

when the metro was first constructed. In fact, so much of the city can be accessed through the metro that it could be dangerous

The only time the metro has ever been completely closed was October 16th, 1941, when the Soviet

army was prepared to destroy the tunnels in case the Nazis invaded Moscow

Thankfully, that never happened. Okay, okay, but a fascinating history alone does not a great public transportation system make

So, is it actually functional? Okay, so this is the part where we're going to get into the numbers, and even as a Moscow

metro enthusiast, these are pretty baffling to me. Around 9 million people ride the Moscow metro every single day

That's about 75% of the population of the city. Compare that to the 5.7 million people who ride the New York City subway every day

just 28 of the population of the greater New York metro area And it no wonder so many people ride it It incredibly affordable A ride on the metro costs 57 rubles or about 76 American

cents. Significantly more affordable than any public transportation in this country. Plus

the trains are speedy. The average wait time is just three minutes, but I can tell you from

personal experience, I've missed a train in Moscow and then turned around to see another

already approaching the station in under 30 seconds. There are 276 stations and the metro

is 253.6 miles long, which makes it the sixth longest in all of Europe. But what really takes

the cake, for me at least, is how convenient the map is. From the circle line, which runs in both

directions, connecting every major line just outside the city center, to how quickly and easily

you can transfer between stations and lines without ever having to go outside, which when

you live in a city with a climate like Moscow's is incredibly important

Wonderful. It's a great day for tourists. This is a system designed to help you get across the city fast, and it really works

But the biggest difference between the metro and other equally robust systems like the New York

City subway or the London tube is what it feels like and looks like to be inside the stations

Riding the metro is its own tourist attraction because of how intricately and uniquely each of

the stations were designed. It's like being in a museum dedicated to Russia's art and history with

the added bonus that you can then just hop on a train and take it anywhere across the city

And this museum has everything This place has everything At Novoslobodskaya station you can see real stained glass statues of soldiers and the Soviet people at Ploszets Revoluzzi

mosaics illuminated in the ceiling at Mayakovskaya Station, chandeliers and real gold leafing at Kamsamolskaya Station

and intricate frescoes and even more gold leafing at Kievskaya Station. And these are just examples

There are entire tours and guidebooks just dedicated to Moscow's metro stations

because they are a monument to Russian artistry. So it's not just that a simple ride from Tsetralne to Arbatskaya gets you from one site to the next

Riding the metro is its own reason to visit Moscow. Every time you take a ride, you get to see a glimpse into the fascinating history that influenced the building of the metro

You get a crash course in Russian art history. and you get to see the way people in Moscow really live, going about their daily lives

To me, this is what makes it the greatest public transportation system in the world

Yes, it's going to get you where you need to go, but it's also going to introduce you to Russia

one stop at a time. To learn more about how to get around the city you're planning on visiting

or to just become a more confident traveler, head over to brighttrip.com for travel and

skill-based courses to help get you on your way. Until next time, I'll just be here, sitting and

dreaming of getting on one of those unbelievably long escalators to zip around underneath a city

that I love. Bye