The Moscow Central Ring, the equivalent of Germany’s S-Bahn and the London Overground, opened in the Russian capital on Sept. 10.
MCR (or MTsK in Russian) improves transport service for all residents of Moscow and Moscow Region, cuts an average journey by 20 minutes, accelerates the development of the city's industrial areas, shows Moscow's main attractions from an unusual angle.
The Moscow Central Ring will consist of 31 transit hubs, each of which will be linked up to public transport stops and 17 to stations on the Moscow metro. Eleven of these stops will have covered galleries for changing to Metro lines: Engineers call this the “dry feet” principle. 26 stations are already operating, with 5 more to be opened by the end of October 2016.
The MTsK used Lastochka carriages made by the Siemens corporation especially for Russian Railways. They were used during the Sochi Olympics and are currently employed on commuter services from Moscow’s Leningradsky and several other stations. The MTsK use 130 pairs of the cars daily.
The Lastochka carriages are bigger than those used on the Moscow metro: They are wider and have fewer seats, but they also have toilets, climate control, screen monitors, and additional space for prams and bicycles, as well as Wi-Fi and power points for gadget chargers. Each train will have five of the carriages and will be able to accommodate 1,250 passengers.
Read more: Fast and furious: Moscow Central Ring changing the map of Moscow transport
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