Often people are interested in what time the city transport starts moving in the morning. Such a question is asked by those who return from nightlife, come by train or walk around Moscow. This article will touch upon many points: the beginning of the work of the metro in Moscow, the intervals of movement of rolling stock, when there is a rush hour and much more.
What time does the metro open?
The entrance halls of the metro stations open at 5.30. But you can find tablets that say that at 5.35 or later. They definitely won’t open before, even with a large passenger flow. It is worth noting immediately that for passengers, work begins in other cities in different ways. About the Moscow metro, we figured it out. The operating time is fixed for all lines and stations. But in St. Petersburg, each line has its own schedule. Need to know in advance.
No matter how strange it sounds, but in the area of three stations ( Komsomolskaya metro station) in the early morning the largest passenger flow. Many people come by train to Moscow at night and wait for the metro to open. As a rule, everyone carries huge bags, suitcases, carts. So it takes Muscovites and guests of the capital in the early morning of the Moscow metro. The photo below illustrates the life and atmosphere of an underground city.
Intervals of movement at different times of the day
What is the general interval of movement? Roughly speaking, this phrase means the waiting time for the next train after leaving the previous one. For curious passengers, we’ll open a little secret: a large electronic clock hangs above the entrance to the tunnel, and an interval clock to the right of it. They begin the countdown when the first rolling stock car already enters the tunnel. Reset when the next train is in the same place. All this was done so that the drivers could orient themselves by what time the train that was ahead of him left. Interval hours can only tell passengers how much time there is no train.
Each metro line in Moscow has its own train schedule, and hence the interval. But there are general rules. The longest intervals (up to 7 minutes) can be during the opening and closing hours of the metro, i.e. from 5.35 to 6.30 and from 23.00 to 01.00.
The shortest intervals during rush hour (from 1 to 2 minutes): from 8.00 to 10.00 and from 16.00 to 19.00. Time is approximate. At lunchtime, the interval is approximately 3 minutes.
Rush hour
It is difficult for rural residents to imagine what is happening in the subway at the so-called rush hour. For most working people, students, students in schools and colleges, activities begin at 9.00. There are enterprises that start work from 10.00. People travel from different parts of Moscow and even from distant suburbs. Everyone is trying to arrive in advance. It turns out that passengers who are now in the subway should be at the workplace after about half an hour or an hour.
The beginning of the work of the metro in Moscow for metro workers on weekdays is associated with a huge waterfall. Although they get used to everything, vigilance, security and control remain their main tasks.
If you do not need to move around the subway at the appointed time, it is better to wait. On a weekday after 11 o’clock the number of passengers is significantly reduced. It is advisable not to delay traveling until 16.30, when there are much more people.
When is it better to ride the subway
Brief recommendations have been given above on this topic. Now let’s take a closer look at what days and hours it is better to go down to the subway.
Weekdays . Quiet time (not counting stations where there are stations) for a metro passenger (Moscow) is the time it starts to work. However, as in other megacities. It is advisable to reach the destination before 7 o’clock in the morning, if there is no desire to find yourself in a crush. It is worth mentioning that at congested stations even at 6 a.m. you can only board a train from the fifth or sixth attempt. For example, Vykhino, Tsaritsyno and other stations located on the outskirts of the city or near suburban traffic. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. the metro is calmer, fewer people. A guest of the capital will be easier to navigate.
Weekends and holidays. During the day, the passenger flow is moderate or minimal, especially in the summer, when most citizens leave the capital and go to the country, excursion, fishing. Only the increase in the number of passengers in the morning on Saturday (or the first holiday) and certainly on Sunday evening is possible.
What time does the subway close
It does not matter which lines of the Moscow metro or station are closed for passengers equally at 01:00. If you need to go, for example, from Mitino to Vykhino, then you need to go down to the subway no later than 23.30. It is worth recalling that the intervals after 23.00 are very large (about 8 minutes).
It is not recommended to delay at night with a trip to the subway. The train stops moving a little later than 01.00, but this is not a reason for moving, since the train can get into the night line before reaching your station. Then you have to go to the surface and catch a car, call a taxi or go on foot.
The metro map (Moscow) will help you navigate. The time may not be indicated between stations, but you can estimate about 4 minutes, including transitions. For example, you need to get from Chertanovskaya station to Prazhskaya (Zamoskvoretskaya line). You need to drive two hauls. Even if the ride time is not 8 minutes, but we take into account the train stop time and possible stops in the tunnel, as well as the reserve.
Holiday Mode
Note the fact that the metro (Moscow), however, like ground transportation, works on holidays an hour longer. If the metro closes at 01.00 usually, then on New Year's Eve, Epiphany or Easter - at 02.00. Only the opening time on the same night remains unchanged.
Why the metro does not work around the clock on such days? Why did the metro start work in Moscow only from 5.30? Because there must still be a technical break for urgent work. More on this below.
What happens on the subway after closing
When the last passengers leave the lobby of the subway, workers close the doors, turn off the escalators and leave the lighting (somewhere full, and somewhere emergency). But so that it is not dark for those who work.
Why close the metro? Is there a need for this? Of course. Track fitters check the condition of rails, sleepers, arrows, automation systems and much more. Imagine that trains ride around the tunnel around the clock, and some element of the track needs to be replaced soon. For such work, several hours are allocated for night employees. In the afternoon, getting down and walking through the tunnel is life threatening. The beginning of the work of the metro in Moscow exists not only for passengers, but also for night workers. While Moscow is sleeping, metro workers are working.
Many passengers in the morning notice that they changed advertising on escalators, whitewashed ceilings in the passage, or new benches appeared. It was night workers who were engaged in this and other duties.
Rules and requests for passengers
The rules for the Moscow metro can be heard on the escalator, see next to the scheme in cars. Unfortunately, not all passengers are ready to comply with the rules. But some of them need to be taken more than seriously. Which ones?
You need to understand that the driver is not just a train driver, he is also a person, the same as you. In the Moscow metro, photo and video shooting are not prohibited, but it is strongly recommended not to photograph the head carriage with a flash. The driver’s eyesight may temporarily deteriorate. You probably know the circles in front of the eyes after a bright light. And the driver should clearly see everything, the more he enters a dark tunnel. There he must follow everything. And if you blind him?
And the second point is important. Do you know why during rush hour trains often stop in tunnels? Because the passengers in front of the trains are delaying, trying to get into the already closed car doors. The driver asks passengers not to keep the door and move away from the edge of the platform. Alas, the requests are ignored, hence the serious malfunction of the train schedule. Then they will ask the driver. Be careful.