10 stations of Moscow Metro's Big Circle Line (BCL) will open by the end of the year. This new chapter will be the longest to be operational at the same time; Its length is about 20 km.
BCL will be the longest circle subway line in the world. Its length is 70 kilometers; this is 5 times longer than the current Line 3,5 (Circle Line) and a quarter longer than the Beijing loop line (Line 10) – by far the world leader.
The 10 new BCL stations will increase transport accessibility for residents of 1,4 districts of the city, where 11 million people live, said Maksim Liksutov, Deputy Mayor of Transport. There will be BCL stations near the homes of approximately 420 thousand people. Muscovites will have the opportunity to use alternative routes and will save about 40% of their time by traveling every day, new stations have been built taking into account the needs of all passengers. These stations are equipped with 34 lifts and 1 wheelchair platform lift. Voice navigation will also be installed at the stations. He said sound signs will help elderly passengers and the visually impaired find the subway entrance more easily, and devices will be placed above the entrances of subway lobbies and underground passages.
The stairs in the lobbies of the 10 new BCL stations will be equipped with a heating system – preventing ice build-up on the stairs in winter, which will prevent passengers, including children, from slipping.
Free high-speed Wi-Fi by the Moscow Metro mobile operator will work in the new part of BCL. Based on the MT_FREE network, passengers can use a service to assess the occupancy of vehicles in the “Moscow Metro” application. With this service, it is very easy to choose the freest car at the station, which is especially important during the coronavirus pandemic.
BCL's wagons will have only the most modern trains "Moscow-2020". Such trains have an enlarged doorway, a wider car access, as well as USB connectors at each seat, information screens and touch screens, an automatic air disinfection system.
Big Circle Line is the largest project implemented with the direct participation of the Mayor of Moscow. The full launch of BCL will take place in late 2022 – early 2023. BCL will have 31 stations; passengers will be able to switch to 11 metro lines, MCC and MCD.
Maxim Liksutov, we are slowly launching the Big Circle Line. It will be the longest underground circle metro line in the world – its length will be 70 km. After the full launch, it will be possible to switch to the 20 existing metro stations. This will make BCL the leader in the number of connections among all underground lines. For comparison: Line 5 (Circle Line) connects to only 15 stations. Passengers will not have to go through the center or Line 5 (Circle Line) to reach their destination, he added.
The full launch of BCL will have a tangible impact – existing metro lines will become up to 30% freer. In a few years, around 750 people will use BCL on weekdays, making it one of the most popular lines.
Passengers are expected to make up to 100 fewer trips by ground transport during rush hours alone. More and more citizens will use the new convenient BCL routes and land transport will become more free. Thanks to the opening of new BCL stations, road trips to the nearest metro will be shortened. Moscow will also launch and optimize more than 90 routes: thus 450 thousand passengers will save up to 10 minutes on the road.
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