Moscow surface transit network redesign
Moscow
In 2016, the Moscow Department of Transport launched an ambitious project to reorganise the bus and tram network around Red Square and the Kremlin, in the city's most central area.
MIC-HUB collaborated with Jarrett Walker + Associates as a technical partner, as well as Urbica and Moscow DoT consultants, to develop a new model for the surface public transport network. This model was designed to ensure functional integration with the Moscow underground. The aim was to provide faster, more direct connections for short journeys within the city centre and reduce the impact of station access times.
Despite the presence of an extensive underground network, surface transport in Moscow presented several critical issues:
• deep and widely spaced underground stations with access times exceeding five minutes;
• major urban arteries designed for car traffic with pedestrian underpasses, one-way streets, and limited turns that interrupted the continuity of bus routes;
• one-way traffic on the Kremlin Ring, which forced bus routes to terminate in the centre instead of crossing it, reducing the network's effectiveness.
The result was a fragmented, complex, and difficult-to-understand network with reduced accessibility for short daily journeys.
Location
Moscow
Client
Moscow Department of Transportation
Main expertise
Regional & Urban Transport Planning; Transport and Traffic Modelling; Public Transport Operations
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
- A new, implemented network that simplifies the public transport connections
- Definition of fewer routes running more frequently in simpler, straighter, two-way patterns
Project gallery
Our contribution
MIC-HUB supported Jarrett Walker + Associates and the project team in analysing the network, existing demand and issues.
Through intensive workshops with the Moscow Department of Transport, the project team developed a new model based on:
• simpler and more direct routes, including bidirectional routes through the city centre;
• high-frequency services, with resources concentrated on strategic axes;
• multimodal integration with the metro and tram network;
• an important aspect of the project was the creation of dedicated public transport lanes to support urban redevelopment.
MIC-HUB collaborated on developing the new optimised network, which aims to align public transport, pedestrianisation and urban space.
The new public transport network, called Magistral, has become more intuitive, frequent and reliable, thereby strengthening its role as a sustainable alternative to private cars.
