A. The idea of an efficient transportation system in Moscow dates back to the time of Russian Empire. However, it was not developed into a construction plan due to World War I and the Civil War. The government of the Soviet Union got back to the idea in the 1920s, and in 1935 the Moscow Metro accepted its first passengers. The opening ceremony took place on May 15th, at 7am. The city celebrated the event with parades, concerts and performances.

B. The population of Moscow is around 12 million people. There are also a lot of people who come to the capital on business, excursions or to change plane or train, as Moscow is the main transportation centre. If there was no underground transport, it would be impossible to avoid a traffic standstill in the city. In fact, the Metro is very punctual. There are no traffic jams underground and, when taking the Metro, the passengers save time and nerves.

C. Lots of the city passengers prefer the Metro to cars and buses in spite of some discomfort caused by too many people. The problem is that the stations, the passages between them, and the railway cars get really overcrowded in rush hours. Sometimes there are lines to enter the Metro, though, fortunately, the waiting time is quite short.

D. When you travel on the Moscow Metro, long magnificent staircases get you downstairs and upstairs. They run fast and you need to be really careful to step on and off them in time. To avoid accidents, never cross the waiting line at the station until the coming train stops completely. Remember that you should never lean on the doors of the railway cars when the car is in motion – it can be really dangerous.

E. Apart from being an efficient means of transport, the Moscow Metro is a very ambitious architectural and art project. The stations look radiant and brilliant due to marble, bronze, steel, milk glass and other luxurious interior materials. The best architects, such as L. Polyakov, K. Ruzhkov, A. Medvedev and others, worked on it. The chief lighting engineer was Abram Damsky, who cleverly used the light to highlight the beauty of the stations.

F. The first line of the Moscow Metro was 11 km long and included 13 stations. Now there more than 230 stations, most of which are underground, but there are also surface-level and elevated stations. The project that is currently in progress suggests that about 150 km of new lines are to be opened within ten years, between 2012 and 2022.