Moscow Metro (still named after V.I.Lenin) is considered to be one of the best in the world. Its stations impress with their architectural solutions, the trains are fast, the cars are comfortable, and the traffic organization is accurate.
The first test train was set in operation on October 15, 1934, and on May 15, 1935, the first thirteen stations were opened for public use. This day is now celebrated as the birthday of the Moscow Metro.
In 1932 construction of Moscow's metro began as a piece of art with elegant and huge stations. Today the Moscow metro seems to be the busiest in the world, carrying an average of 8-9 million passengers on a normal weekday, i.e. some 3,000,000,000 (!) a year.
The Moscow Metro is 269.5 km long and has 165 stations (including transition stations).
Although there are line numbers on some maps lines are identified by names referring to the areas they serve. There's also a 20 km long ring line connecting all other lines. The system is almost entirely underground although some lines cross the Moskva river and line 1 also the Yauza river on a bridge.
The stations of the Moscow Metro are open since 5:30 a.m. The last train leaves its final route-point at 1:00 a.m., late at night, that's the time, when passengers are not allowed to make transitions from one line to another.
Many Muscovites go to work and back home by Metro, that's why you should be aware of the rush hours in the Moscow Metro on working days. Try to avoid using Metro during peak hours in the morning, between 7.30 a.m. and 10.30 a.m., and in the evening, from 4.00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
However, many stations are always overcrowded. In most cases, these are the stations located close to railway and bus terminals, biggest department stores and market places.
The Metro stations were designed and embellished by prominent Russian architects, artists and sculptors. Their great talent and decorative skills created a peculiar underground network of great artistic value. The gamut of original materials, which were used to ornament the stations, is so wide that the Moscow Metro may be called a unique Museum of Geology or even a peculiar Museum of Arts.
Nowadays, it is impossible to imagine Moscow without the Metro. It has become an inalienable part of the city, and it is the most convenient and the fastest city transit.

Moscow metro	Novoslobodskaya Station	Park Pobedy
Arbatskaya Station	Arbatskaya Station	Kievskaya Station
Kievskaya Koltsevaya Station	Komsomolskaya Station	Komsomolskaya Station
	Moscow Metro Map