Moscow Ring Railway

Geographical diagram of The Moscow Little Ring Railway in 1908

The Moscow Little Ring Railway in the western part, close to Moscow City.

The Moscow Ring Railway (MKZD) (Russian: Московская Кольцевая Железная Дорога, МКЖД), also previously known as the Moscow Little Ring Railway (Russian: Малое кольцо Московской Железной Дороги), is a 54-kilometre (34 mi) long orbital railway that encircles central Moscow, Russia. Built between 1902 and 1908 for mixed use, the railway is currently only used for cargo traffic, and has twelve operating freight stations as of 2012. The line is operated by Russian Railways' Moscow subsidiary. Many of the original passenger stations, all built in the typical Russian industrial architecture of the beginning of the 20th century, will be rehabilitated for passenger use and complemented with new stations.

History

In 1800, the Kamer-Kollezhsky Val became the outer border of Moscow. In 1879, some areas, including Sokolniki, were appended (annexed) to the city, however, at the time Moscow was encircled by a number of settlements, which formed the agglomeration and had poor transport connections to each other. A number of proposals to build a ring railroad around the center were made in the 1860s and the 1870s. One such project was rejected in 1877 by the Moscow City Duma which cited inefficiency. However, the transportation problems became more obvious, and in 1898 after Tsar Nicholas II sent a message declaring that it was desirable to build a railroad, a project competition was opened. The project by Pyotr Rashevsky, who proposed to build a ring of the total length of 54.4 kilometres (33.8 mi), won the competition.

The construction started in 1902, and the railway was completed in 1907. The first train run in July 1907. In 1908, the railroad was declared to be completed, and it became part of the Nikolayevskaya Railway, of which the main line run between Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Passenger service was organized. There were four trains per day. The trains first stopped in Nikolayevsky Railway Station, got to the ring at the Presnya Station, and then separated into two, one train running clockwise, and the other one running counterclockwise.

The Direction of the Nikolayevskaya Railway was located in Saint Petersburg, and thus it was inconvenient for decision making. In 1916, the ring railway was transferred to the Moscow-Kursk Railway. In 1934, it became a separate railroad, and in 1956 it was included to the Moscow Railway.

Between 1917 and 1960, the Moscow Little Ring Railway served as the border of the city of Moscow. In 1960, the Moscow Ring Road was almost completed, and the city was extended up to the Ring Road.

2010s passenger service reopen

Construction of Andronovka platform, June 2015

Works intended for 2013-2016 would convert the line for joint passenger and freight use, but in 2012, at a meeting with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in Odintsovo, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin acknowledged that trains on the ring railway would not run until 2020. The required works include:

• Electrification of the whole line with 3 kV DC overhead wires and the construction of substations
• Construction of new passenger stations and rehabilitation of old stations
• Construction of an additional third track on the northern half of the ring
• Construction of depot for EMU trains at Podmoskovnaya stations
• Construction of an additional second track and station upgrades on the northern section of the Moscow Big Ring Railway (a large orbital line outside the city), for the re-routing freight traffic away from central Moscow
• Major track works and the replacement of bridges and overpasses
• New rolling stocks specifically designed for commuter service
• Construction of integrated interchange hubs with existing Moscow Metro stations.

These upgrade plans were signed by Russian Railways and the Moscow Government in 2008 to 2011 with consent of Vladimir Putin (Prime Minister by the time). Construction commenced in 2012, with passenger services expected to begin in the third quarter of 2016.

The electrification will allow mainline diesel locomotives to be banned from running in Moscow.

Stations

Vorobyovy Gory Station building.

The following is the list of the original 1908 stations and some other later stations on the line (clockwise from north):

1. Vladykino (opened 1908);
2. Rostokino (opened 1908);
3. Belokamennaya (opened 1908);
4. Cherkizovo (opened 1908);
5. Lefortovo (opened 1908);
6. Andronovka (opened 1908);
7. Ugreshskaya (opened 1908);
8. Kozhukhovo (opened 1908);
9. Kanatchikovo (opened 1908);
10. Vorobyovy Gory (not in use);
11. Potylikha (halt, not in use);
12. Kutuzovo (not in use);
13. Presnya;
14. Voyennoye Pole (halt, defunct);
15. Serebryany Bor (opened 1908);
16. Bratsevo (not in use);
17. Likhobory (opened 1908).

Diagram of Moscow Metro future plans and Moscow Ring Railway passenger service

Some passenger stations will be located in other places than the original 1908 station buildings. In 2015, the Moscow Metro map began showing the following passenger stations.

1. Koptevo
2. Nikolaevskaya
3. Gostinichnaya
4. Vladykino (transfer station for Vladykino (Moscow Metro))
5. Botanicheskaya (transfer station for Botanichesky Sad (Moscow Metro))
6. Yaroslavskaya (construction has not begun as of summer 2015, exact platform location unknown)
7. Belokamennaya (construction has not begun as of summer 2015, exact platform location unknown)
8. Otkrytaya (out of station transfer with Bulvar Rokossovskogo (Moscow Metro))
9. Cherkizovo (transfer station for Cherkizovskaya (Moscow Metro))
10. Izmaylovsky Park (out of station transfer for Partizanskaya (Moscow Metro)) (
11. Sokolinaya gora
12. Lefortovo (out of station transfer for Shosse Entuziastov (Moscow Metro))
13. Andronovka
14. Ryazanskaya
15. Novokhohlovskaya (construction has not begun as of summer 2015, exact platform location unknown)
16. Volgogradskaya
17. Dubrovka (out of station transfer for Dubrovka (Moscow Metro))
18. Avtozavodskaya (out of station transfer for Avtozavodskaya (Moscow Metro))
19. ZIL
20. Varshavskaya
21. Sevastopolskaya (construction has not begun as of summer 2015, exact platform location unknown)
22. Prospekt Gagarina (transfer station for Leninsky Prospekt (Moscow Metro))
23. Lujniki (out of station transfer for Sportivnaya (Moscow Metro))
24. Kutuzovo (transfer station for Kuntsevskaya (Moscow Metro))
25. City (transfer station for Mezhdunarodnaya (Moscow Metro))
26. Shelepikha (construction has not begun as of summer 2015, exact platform location unknown)
27. Khoroshevo (out of station transfer to Polezhayevskaya
28. Novopechanaya
29. Khodynka
30. Volokolamskaya
31. Brattsevo (out of station transfer to Voykovskaya