New section of Moscow Metro’s Big Circle Line opens to the public

Credit: Moscow Metro

On 7 December 2021, the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, and the Mayor of Moscow, Sergey Sobyanin, opened a new section of the Moscow Metro Big Circle Line (BCL) in the South and West of the city. The section includes the following stations: Terekhovo, Kuntsevskaya, Davydkovo, Aminyevskaya, Michurinsky Prospekt, Prospekt Vernadskogo, Novatorskaya, Vorontsovskaya, Zyuzino and Kakhovskaya.

The opening is a huge event for the city; for the first time since 1935, 10 stations were opened in Moscow at once. The new section will be more than 21km long: it is the longest section in the history of the Moscow Metro launched for passengers at the same time.

The 10 new BCL stations will improve the accessibility of transport for 1.4 million residents of 11 districts of the city. Almost 450,000 people will now benefit from BCL stations near their houses. Thanks to the new metro section, passengers will save 35 to 45 minutes of travel time each day. Sections of the radial lines inside the BCL will become more available by up to 22 per cent; interchange stations with the BCL will become more available by up to 27 to 60 per cent; and the roads along the BCL will be unloaded by up to 17 per cent.

“Today is a historic day for the city. The President of Russia and the Mayor of Moscow have opened the longest section of the Moscow Metro in its entire history being launched at once. Today, the Aminevskaya station of the future Moscow Central Diameter 4, connected by an underground passage with the ring, was also opened,” said Maksim Liksutov, the Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Transport.

The Big Circle Line is the largest project implemented with the direct involvement of the Mayor of Moscow. The full launch of the BCL is planned in late 2022/ early 2023, the loop line will have 31 stations. The full launch of the BCL will simplify the movement of 3.3 million Moscow citizens living in 34 districts. The BCL will be the longest metro loop line in the world. Its length is 70km, which is 3.5 times longer than the existing Line 5 (the Circle Line) and a quarter longer than the Beijing loop line (Line 10).