Moscow Transport: 2021 results and plans for 2022
The Presidium of the Government of Moscow summed up the development of the transport infrastructure in the city last year and adopted the development plan for 2022.
One of the main results of 2021 was the growth of ridership compared with 2020, in the Moscow Metro it increased by 42%, on the surface transport by 35%, and on suburban railway by 16%. At the same time, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Union of Public Transport (UITP), the Moscow Transport is a leader in terms of the frequency of disinfection, all sanitary measures have been recognized at a high international level.
In addition, last year the Moscow Metro launched the world's largest biometric fare payment system called the Face Pay. In 2021, Moscow opened 12 stations of the Big Circle Line (BCL), 7 stations of already existing and future Moscow Central Diameters (MCD), and the Vostochny Railway Terminal for long-distance trains, which was built from the ground up. Since 2010, the number of the Moscow Metro, the Moscow Central Circle (MCC), and the Moscow Central Diameters (MCD) stations has increased by 87%. Thanks to the development of the ticketing system, the Face Pay launch, upgrade of the payment equipment, the average time in a queue at the ticket office during rush hours has decreased by 92%: from 20 minutes in 2010 to 1.6 minutes in 2021.
«As in 2020, 2021 was a year of COVID-19 pandemic, so our main task, set by the Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, remains the same — to make the movement of Moscow citizens as safe and convenient as possible. We see that passenger confidence in urban transport has grown in 2021, so we will make every effort to make it more attractive and comfortable this year as well. We will develop the infrastructure, create new services and, of course, comply with all the highest standards of disinfection and cleaning», — said Maksim Liksutov, the Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Transport.
According to the plans for the development of the city transport infrastructure in 2022 adopted by the Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, this year the construction of the Moscow Metro Big Circle Line (BCL) is planned to be completed. The line may be fully opened in 2023.
Besides, in 2022 it is planned to finish the construction of three new MCD stations and reconstruction of seven existing stations. There are plans to reduce the interval of trains to the Vnukovo Airport from 60 to 30 minutes.
It is expected that 336 metro cars, about 400 suburban electric trains, and 50-100 trams will be delivered to Moscow. By the end of the year, in Krasnaya Pakhra it is planned to complete the construction of the largest electric bus depot in Europe. This year the city expects to receive 450-500 additional electric buses. It is planned to finish the restoration of the South River Terminal and launch regular river transport routes on the Moscow River.
In addition, the Face Pay will be introduced on the MCC, for holders of social cards and — in a pilot mode — on the Moscow Central Diameters, as well as launch bank card payments at all metro turnstiles. Moreover, a MaaS service was announced.