Nothing prepared me for that Moscow Metro

The first time I stepped onto a Russian train at the Marina Roscha station, the words that kept ringing in my head and still bring a smile to my face were: “Astarozhna, dveri zakryvayutsya. Sleduyushchaya stantsiya.”

Meaning, “Attention, the doors are closing. The next station.”

These words have remained with me even after leaving Russia’s capital, Moscow, largely because they were part of my everyday life, for a month. Even now that I am back home on the streets of Kampala, I thought that the most impactful memory of Russia would be the lessons I picked about journalism during the InteRussia Program at Sputnik News Agency; my friend, that Metro experience really lingers!

I had heard many anecdotal stories about the beauty and intricate mosaic art found in the Russian Metro, which Soviet leaders including Joseph Stalin, envisioned as ‘the people’s palace’.

Our hosts, the Gorchakov Fund, considered the Metro one of the cheapest and most efficient ways of moving around Moscow. However, I never imagined that visiting the different Metro stations would eventually become an experience in itself.

Stations such as Belorusskaya, Komsomolskaya, Mayakovskaya and Pykhtino, among others, turned my daily journeys into an unexpected tour of Moscow’s underground world.

Each station seemed to tell its own story through its architecture, mosaics, sculptures and grand interiors, making me understand why it is considered the common man’s palace. The first time I used the Russian Metro, Tania, who works with the Gorchakov Fund press service, picked us up from the Raikin Plaza Hotel and gave us Troika cards.

She explained how the cards would make it easier for us to move around Moscow and emphasized the importance of keeping them safe. Tania also emphasized the importance of downloading Yandex Maps, which would help us navigate the city and identify the different Metro stops we needed to use.

Komsomolskaya station on the Koltsevaya Ring line of the Moscow Metro

One thing I quickly realized on my first day was the speed at which most Muscovites move when they are in the Metro. I had never imagined that brisk walking would be a necessity, but the Moscow Metro, especially during the early morning hours, required us to move a little faster.

You could miss your train. But also, everyone is in a hurry, there is no place for jaywalking. Our guides taught us the importance of knowing which station to use and, most importantly, how to read the map.

The maps, displayed on walls and pillars throughout the stations, helped us understand which direction to take, how many stations we would pass before changing trains, when we had reached our destination, and, most importantly, how to read the signs that show the exit to our destination.

It became an interesting exercise; we were always alert, with our ears tuned to the announcements of the next stop and our eyes fixed on the digital screens displaying the route.

**GETTING LOST IN THE METRO **

Just as a child eventually learns to ride a bicycle without trainer wheels, there comes a time when they have to find their balance and ride on their own. That was the reality that dawned on our group barely three days into our monthlong stay.

We had to learn to navigate the Metro on our own. By then, we could comfortably find our way back to the hotel because we had memorized the route to Marina Roscha, the station closest to the Raikin Plaza Hotel where we were staying.

The name of the station had almost become synonymous with home; whenever we heard the announcement for Marina Roscha, we knew we were almost there, just a few hundred meters from the hotel.

However, the thought of navigating the Metro without our hosts was intimidating. During our first few days, we had relied heavily on the guidance of our hosts, but now, as an InteRussia journalism cohort from sub-Saharan Africa, we had to take on the challenge ourselves.

As the saying goes, two heads are better than one. We combined our knowledge, compared routes, watched the station signs, and worked together to make sure we reached our destinations.

Of course, things did not always go according to plan. On one occasion, some of our colleagues were left behind when they failed to get off the train with the rest of us, leaving them confused and temporarily lost.

This forced us to split into two groups. One group continued towards Park Kultury, while the other waited for our colleagues at Sretensky Bulvar station. From there, they eventually took a connecting train to Park Kultury, before walking a few hundred meters to Sputnik News Agency, where we normally held our training sessions.

Although getting lost and being separated was stressful at the time, it became one of the most memorable parts of our experience. We were learning by doing.

**RUSSIA METRO CULTURE **

When you enter the Moscow Metro, one of the first things that strikes you is the quiet. People sit calmly, some listening to music, others reading newspapers or books, while some simply appear lost in their own thoughts.

It is such a huge contrast from our taxi and bus parks, which could easily give you a headache. Still, we adapted quite well to this atmosphere.

There were moments when our conversations naturally became a little louder – hey, we are Africans – filled with laughter and banter, but we would soon find ourselves slipping back into the quiet mood that seemed to define the trains and stations.

Pykhtino Metro station on the solntsevskaya

line

Beyond the silence, another thing that struck me was the helpfulness and courtesy of many Russian passengers. People were willing to give up their seats to elderly passengers, mothers travelling with children and those who appeared to need a seat more than they did.

I also noticed the courteousness of some men who would stand and give their seats to women. What stood out even more was the willingness of ordinary Russians to help us whenever we needed it.

There were occasions when we struggled to navigate the Metro or found ourselves unsure of where to go. Whenever we approached someone and, using Google Translate, explained where we wanted to get to, they were willing to assist.

Some would tell us to check Yandex Maps, while others would take the extra step of explaining the route, showing us which train to take Komsomolskaya station on the Koltsevaya Ring line of the Moscow Metro or even walking with us to the correct name immediately evokes memories of the 1917 Russian Revolution.

With the beauty hidden beneath Moscow’s streets beginning to fascinate me, I took the initiative with my colleague from Rwanda’s Kigali Today, Christophe Kivunge, to explore some of the Metro stations that Russians had described to us as among the city’s most beautiful and unique.

**MUSEUM BENEATH A CITY **

One of the stations that left us stunned was Mayakovskaya, opened in 1938 and designed by architect Alexey Dushkin. Located on the Zamoskvoretskaya Line, the station feels less like a railway stop and more like an underground palace.

Its long, perfectly balanced hall is supported by slender columns faced with stainless steel and pink rhodonite, while white and grey marble brighten the walls and arches. The smooth curves, geometric flooring and soft lighting give Mayakovskaya an elegant, almost futuristic appearance.

Its design combines Stalinist monumental architecture with elements of Art Deco, creating a space that feels both powerful and graceful. As I walked through it, I began to understand why Moscow’s Metro is often described as a museum beneath the city.

From Mayakovskaya, our underground exploration took us to Komsomolskaya, another station that seemed to transport us into a different world. Here, grandeur takes center stage.

The vast hall is lined with pale marble columns, while golden decorations, elaborate chandeliers and colourful mosaics cover the ceiling. The mosaics, designed by Pavel Korin, depict important figures and moments from Russian history, including military leaders, princes and Soviet soldiers.

Standing beneath them, I felt as though the station was telling Russia’s history through art. The combination of marble, gold, light and historical imagery gives Komsomolskaya the character of a grand ceremonial hall rather than an ordinary transport station.

But our Metro adventure was not only about discovering historical beauty. For me, as someone fascinated by aviation, Pykhtino offered a completely different experience. Opened in 2023, the station has a sleek and futuristic design inspired by Russia’s aviation heritage.

Its metallic surfaces, smooth lines and turbine-shaped ceiling lights create the impression of an aircraft hangar or spacecraft terminal. Along the walls, images of Russian aircraft trace the development of aviation, while a model of the Tu-144, the Soviet supersonic passenger aircraft, appears suspended above the escalator as though preparing for take-off.

Pykhtino felt like an underground monument to the dream of flight. Where Mayakovskaya represented elegance and Komsomolskaya captured history and grandeur, Pykhtino celebrated technology and innovation.

Those three stations helped me realize why Russia is famed for its beautiful Metro, although I could not help but wonder why my own Uganda cannot get a railway network connecting major cities and districts!

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