Moscow launches modern suburban railway station in Kokoshkino

Moscow, Russia (Urban Transport News): On 27 October, the reconstruction of the above-ground metro station of the future Moscow Central Diameter(MCD)-4 – Kokoshkino – was opened. It was replaced by the new suburban railway station which matches the Moscow Transport standards.

A suburban railway station Kokoshkino is located in the south-west, 33 km from the city centre in an eponymous small suburban town. Its reconstruction took only two years without traffic stop.

During the reconstruction, the old Kokoshkino station was replaced by the modern suburban railway station. SOS stands, benches and ticket machines are installed on the two shore platforms. The full-length canopies protect passengers from all-weather conditions. The modern passenger terminal with two cash registers, dynamic navigation system, turnstiles and restrooms is located on the underground level. It has exits on both sides of the railway tracks. To get to the trains passengers can use escalators and elevators. For cold season heating, the suburban station is equipped with air heat curtains and infrared heaters.

 "Together with Russian Railways, we are working on the MCD-4 launch, which is the most difficult diameter in terms of implementation. The Mayor of Moscow has instructed to launch it in 2023. Kokoshkino station will become a part of the MCD-4. The above-ground metro contributes to the surrounding area development. By 2025, the number of inhabitants is expected to increase by 30.000 people thanks to the housing construction. By the MCD-4 they will be able to reach the city center quickly and conveniently, make an interchange to the metro, other diameters or to surface transport," said Maksim Liksutov, Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Transport.

Thanks to the new station, the travel comfort of about 20.000 people will be improved – Kokoshkino village and nearby settlements residents. In the upcoming years, the average daily passenger flow of the station will increase from the current 1.4 thousand to 3.2 thousand passengers. It will continue to grow as new residential and labour complexes are planned for construction in this city area.

The MCD is an above-ground metro that is considered an analog of the Crossrail in London and the RER in Paris. It allows passengers to travel from the suburbs to the city centre and back. Passengers can interchange to the metro, the MCC and the surface transport. The MCD consists of 60 stations with 21 interchanges. The launch of the MCD-4 is planned in 2023. The total length of the future diameter will be 86 km with 39 stops. This diameter will improve the transport service of the 23 Moscow districts with a population of more than 2.5 million people.

The 4^th diameter will connect 7 central capital railway stations: Kursk, Yaroslavl, Kazan, Leningrad, Savelovsky, Riga and Belorussky. From the 18 MCD-4 stations it will be possible to make an interchange to the metro. The interval in peak hours has been reduced from 9 to 6 minutes.

The MCD-4 train fleet is scheduled to be renovated by 2025 and trains operating to the far Moscow suburb by 2027. The daily passenger flow of the 4^th diameter can be 455.000 people. This is 84% higher than the current figure. The MCD-4 trains will have 1.449 million passenger seats per day.