Over 78 million passengers were carried by the Moscow Central Circle and the Moscow Central Diameters during the summer2021. MCD transported 42,3 million and the MCC 35,7 million passengers.
The MCC and the MCD are young transport arteries of the capital region attracting more passengers daily. The MCD stations open every month. The rail transport development ratein Moscow is higher than in European cities and is considered to be one of the highest in the world. Even during the summer months on holidays and vacation, rail transport is popular among Muscovites, residents of Moscow region and guests of the city.
«Moscow is the largest megacity and the fastest growing city in eastern Europe. The transport network expansion, constructionof the new stations near the residence and working areas, that is all the passengers request. The mobility and the comfort are in demand as they are the main trend of the global transport systems. After the pandemic restrictions, passenger numbers onthe MCD increased by 14% and on the MCC by 4%, compared to summer 2019. This means that the rail transport development, including the launching of the following diameters, will remain a priority for the coming years», – noted Maksim Liksutov, Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Transport.
According to Maksim Liksutov, Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Transport: «The issues of the public transport development are under the special control of the mayor of Moscow, that is why we work daily on the transportation capacity increasement and creating additional passenger seats. After setting such goal we are now testing a double-decker train on the MCC and opening additional lobbies at the stations. The Moscow agglomerationarea is also doing a huge job for launching prospective diameters that will further expand the borders of the capitaltransport and make trips more comfortable and cheaper for millions of passengers».
More recently, on the MCC was launched a double-decker train– Stadler Kiss ESh2 (learn more), which holds 70% more passengers than Lastochka. Its launch is one way to shorten train intervals to make trips more comfortable and time-saving.
Also, Maksim Liksutov, Deputy Mayor of Moscow forTransport noted that there is an active development of the railway infrastructure on the MCD, construction of the new stations and modernization of the existing ones, including the prospective diameters. The Bakovka station D1 and Vnukovostation of the future D4 have been reconstructed since the beginning of the year, also a new Schukinskaya station D2 hasbeen opened and it is planned to finish work at the Aprelevkastation prospective D4 in September.
The MCC was launched in 2016 its length is 54 km, there are 31 station and 18 of them have interchanges to metro. Passenger traffic at the MCD and the MCC not only recovered from the pandemic but has also increased since 2019. In the first half of 2021, the MCC had 71 million passengers. The MCD consists of 60 stations with 21 interchanges. The D1 and D2 werelaunched in 2019. The launch of the future D3 is planned in 2023. It will connect the two Moscow districts – Zelenograd and Ramenskaya. The new diameter will include 43 stations and its length will be 82 km. The D4 is scheduled to be launched in 2023 and D5 in 2025.