Moscow Subway

Soviets make the best subways! We had the joy of riding the subway during rush hour. We huddled into a herd of people, and waddled along like penguins as we were funneled into the turnstile and down the escalator. The entire train platform was teeming with people. The train arrives and an equal mass of people disembarks the train. The platform empties as everyone fills the train. The train leaves, and for a moment the platform is empty. 40 seconds later, another train arrives, and in that time the platform has filled with waiting passengers. It was amazing to see  how efficiently the entire system moves.

The subway also offers very inexpensive entertainment. Many of the stations are ornately decorated with mosaics, busts, statues, or other artistic expressions.

Using the metro does take some acclimation. Electronic cards are used at the turnstiles. The cards are purchased at kacca (ticket booths), and we purchased a 10 trip card for 125 rubles (about $5). Cards can be used by any number of people, and each trip is good for as long as you remain in the subway system, no matter the distance traveled.

Navigating the metro can be challenging. All station names are written in Cyrillic within the stations. There are maps in train cars which have translations. Another difficulty is that station names cannot be seen when you are riding in a train car. This makes it necessary to count stops to your destination, or listen closely to the announcement over the speaker; note that Russian pronunciation may not sound the way you think the translation would be pronounced!