Moscow Stations won’t be Relocated Outside the City

Moscow is to get railway networks — the type of intra-urban transport which is not typical of the capital. So, transit routes will be constructed for commuter trains in the coming years. In addition, the new radial metro lines are being pre-designed, as Maxim Vasiliev, the Chief of Out-of-town Transport Department of Moskomarchitektura, told Interfax.

— Mr. Vasiliev, it was recently announced that the construction of transit railway routes started. How will this transport system be organized?

— Indeed, now we are working on the possibility to organize radial transit railway routes through the city. For example, you can take a direct train line through Moscow to get to Podolsk from Lobnya, or Balashikha from Zelenograd. In order to launch such routes we will need to build new ways in some places, but also we can use the existing ones. In this case, transit electric trains will not get to the Moscow Central Circle.

— What is the scope of construction work for this project?

— Of course, it’s a large-scale construction. Technically, the most difficult section is from Kursky railway terminal to Kalanchevsky hub, that is, to the so-called square of «three railway stations», where we plan to build two additional routes. A major reconstruction of the railway overpass going through the square is to be launched. In fact, this will create new routes to connect the north and the east of the region.

— Has it been agreed how many there will be such routes?

— This is yet to be calculated; now there is no exact number. From the beginning of next year, we will begin to calculate the possibilities to organize traffic in a particular area. I think that by the end of 2018 a simulation model representing the structural arrangement of new routes will have been made. All factors will be considered — demand for directions, potential passenger traffic, development potential of the adjacent territories, technical capability to launch additional trains, and much more.

— When will the new routes be ready?

— Not as fast as desired. By the end of the next year, we will understand where they are needed, and what needs to be done. Then design and construction will take a few more years. I think that trains could go on new routes only after 2020. Though, works have already started in some areas. For example, now the link between Kursky railway terminal and Kalanchevsky hub is already being designed. Construction in this direction can be started in 2019.

— This year we talked a lot about the reconstruction of Kiyevsky railway line. What else is needed to be done there?

— Kiyevsky railway terminal is dead-locked; you cannot travel further into the central part of the city. And Belorussky railway terminal is a through station which is connected to other railway junctions in the city. Therefore, we plan to build a connecting line between these stations; it can be used by some trains from Kiyevsky direction to go to Belorussky station. The trains will turn before they reach the MCC and go to the other station. In addition to this, we are planning to develop a link between Belorussky and Rizhsky stations. Today there are lines connecting these stations, but they do not have enough capacity to launch passenger traffic, so new ones will be built. Leningradsky, Kursky, Belorussky, Savelovsky and Rizhsky railway stations can become transit, when new diametrical routes for electric trains are organized.

— Will the trains on these routes run on time or as metro trains?

— We want to launch the clock train movement, so that passengers will not be tied to any schedule. But we have not come to the final solution yet, because a lot will depend on the rolling stock and if it will be possible to connect these routes with the suburban trains’ schedule.

— The stations are already overcrowded. The idea to relocate these railway hubs outside the city center has been repeatedly debated. Will it be implemented?

— It was never about relocating the stations outside the city or in the peripheral areas. However, we are really studying the possibility of organizing so-called «zone stations» on the railway. Some of the trains, including long-distance trains, will stop at these stations, and passengers will be able to take the metro, commuter trains or go by land transport. Thus, we will partially bring relief to the over-stretched capacities of the stations.

— In what directions will such zone stations appear?

— In all, except for Yaroslavsky. This direction simply does not have place to build it. For example, in Oktyabrsky direction it will be possible to create such hub near the metro stations Rizhskaya and Rzhevskaya, which will decongest the «square of three stations». Another zone station will be constructed in the transfer hub Petrovsko-Razumovskaya. The existing railway platform will be moved, and interchange facilities for Savelovsky direction will be created. It is also planned to organize a stop for Sapsan high-speed trains there. In addition to this, the similar stations will be built in Gorky direction — Karacharovo, as well as in Paveletsky and Kursky — Tsaritsyno. The situation is more complicated in the west of the city — there is virtually no place for construction of such stations. Although two new stations with convenient transfers to the metro lines will appear in Kiyevsky direction — Minskaya and Aminevskoe Shosse.

— Recently, there has been much discussion on the construction of new radial metro lines extending to the deepest regions. What places will they reach?

— Currently, the possibility of constructing six radial metro lines from the Third Interchange Contour is being working out. The first line starts from Nizhegorodskaya station and goes to the east — to Balashikha. The options of the line running through Perovo or Golyanovo districts are considered. Depending on the type of tracing chosen, the line will come to the southern or northern part of the Moscow suburbs. Another metro radius will be built from the future Ulitsa Novatorov station to Kommunarka, and later it will extend to Troitsk. A new line will come to the «new» Moscow — from Nagatinsky Zaton station through Biryulyovo and Butovo districts to Kommunarka. In the north-west direction, a new line can link the Moscow City business center and Rublevo-Arkhangelskoe. The planned line will run from the existing Delovoy Tsentr station through Shelepikha and Ulitsa Norodnogo Opolcheniya stations to Khoroshevo-Mnevniki, Strogino and then further to Rublevo-Arkhangelskoe districts. We are also working on the possibility to construct two radial lines from Maryina Roshcha metro station — to Molzhaninovo and Mytishchi and Korolev located near Moscow. Molzhaninovo line will go through Degunino and Kurkino. This will be one of the longest sections to be built. Preliminary length of the radius will be about 30 km.

— The extension of Kaluzhsko—Rizhskaya line to Mytishchi has been reported earlier...

— In fact, the project of extension of Kaluzhsko—Rizhskaya line to Chelobitevo is being developed. In the coming years, active residential development is planned in that area, so the metro will be in demand there. In addition, plans are afoot to build a repair and maintenance depot for trains in Chelobitevo. At the same time, we understand that this line cannot be extended further; it will simply be unfitted for the passenger traffic, it will be «swamped». Therefore, it is planned to build a new line from Maryina Roshcha station through Yaroslavsky district, with stops in the area of MGSU, the future transport interchange hub near Severyanin platform in Mytishchi and the terminal station in Korolev. It is not clear yet how many stations there will be. I think about 5-7. The total length of this line will be about 20 km.

— Within what time frame these lines can appear?

— We should point out that these are projected lines. The detailed urban planning documentation for these lines and, accordingly, their construction will be after 2025. The priority now is to complete the work on the Third Interchange Contour. The second ring is likely to be finished in 2022.

— Metro construction entails enormous expenditures. Is it possible to build some metro sections or stations at the expense of private investors?

— Indeed, a number of investors implementing their projects within the industrial zone Yuzhny Port indicated a willingness to participate in the construction of a new metro station. We have studied the technical possibility of building an additional station on Lublinsko-Dmitrovskaya line between Kozhukhovskaya and Pechatniki. The site is suitable for new station construction; now that is up to investors. I want to remind you that there have been a lot of talks about participation of investors in the metro construction, however, now we have only one example of a station built with private funds — Myakinino.