Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
New stations, convenient navigation and modern trains – in May 2025 for the Moscow Metro turned 90 years old. All these years, underground transport has been developing and becoming more comfortable. The working conditions have also changed significantly for the drivers who have been transporting Muscovites and visitors to the city every day for almost a century. Today, more than 5.5 thousand men and women operate the trains in the capital’s metro.
We tell you how the first train drivers worked and how train control has changed over the years.
The first metro in history
May 15, 1935 Moscow metro officially opened for passengers. However, the very first train traveled underground earlier – in October 1934. It was driven by the engineer of the Dynamo plant Mikhail Shpolyansky. He was not a driver, but only tested his creation. The first representatives of this profession were three Muscovites: Ivan Ivanov, A. Trofimov and N. Timofeev (names have not been preserved).
“The Yaroslavl Railway invited drivers to work in the metro. They knew everything about the tracks and trains, they just needed to learn how to work underground. Training and certification were conducted on the territory of the Severnoye electric depot. By the time the first stage of the metro was launched, 40 train crews of three people were trained – a driver, a train conductor and a conductor,” says Anastasia Sharonova, chief specialist of the social initiatives department of the center for professional development of youth of the Moscow transport corporate university.
The first passengers of the capital’s metro were transported by heavy sand-yellow type A trains. The driver controlled the electric train using a controller similar to a steering wheel. The train master helped him monitor the operation of all systems. Together with the conductor, he was also responsible for boarding and disembarking passengers. The first electric trains did not have radio communication or sound signals announcing the closing of the doors. The conductor went out onto the platform and indicated with a special flag that boarding was complete. Then the train master commanded: “Ready!”, after which the driver closed the doors and the train departed.
In the first years of its operation, metro employees could be recognized by their dark blue uniforms. Men wore trousers, double-breasted jackets with wide lapels and caps, women wore skirts, berets and jackets. Each metro service had its own color. It was used for piping on collars, hats and sleeves. The uniforms of track service employees were distinguished by green piping, while those of the traffic service were crimson. Engine drivers belonged to the traction service, and their piping was blue.
In 1943, martial law was introduced in the People’s Commissariat of Railways of the USSR and the uniform of the metro employees changed. The drivers’ shoulders were given shoulder straps and their caps were given a silver stripe (braid).
“The shoulder straps of the junior staff looked like two hexagons superimposed on each other, which made them look like a hammer or a balalaika. That’s what the people called this detail. In 1954, a decree was issued prohibiting representatives of civilian departments from wearing military symbols. The shoulder straps were removed, but the braid was left. Wearing it is a tribute to tradition. Such a stripe was on the uniform of railway workers even in pre-revolutionary times,” notes Oleg Shukhat, leading specialist of the social initiatives department of the unified center for the development of youth projects and social initiatives of the corporate university of Moscow transport.
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Speed, maneuverability and modern technologies
Over the years, not only the uniform of the drivers changed, but also the rolling stock. After type A, the metro launched cars of the B, V and G series. The trains became lighter and therefore more maneuverable.
In 1978, the 81-717/714 (“Numbered”) train entered service underground. This is the most popular and recognizable series in the history of the capital’s metro. The train was equipped with automatic speed control devices and emergency passenger-driver communication.
In 1998, the Yauza (car type 81-720/81-721) appeared. It became even more convenient for drivers thanks to a new traction drive control system, allowing smooth acceleration and deceleration. In 2003, the Rusichi began operating in the metro. Their main difference is the articulated body.
“In 2017, the new generation of “Moscow” trains began running in the metro. And the work of the drivers has changed significantly. For example, in previous models, to make sure that all systems were functioning properly, you had to get out of the cabin, but in the new ones, everything is displayed on the display. Control has also become more convenient. The controller is a joystick, and for precision, a station passage warning system has been installed,” says Yuri Uzorin, an electric train driver at the Sokol depot.
He has been driving trains on the Zamoskvoretskaya metro line for 31 years. During his career, Yuri Uzorin has driven different models of trains, and now he carries passengers, including on the Moscow-2024.
“I dreamed of becoming a train driver since childhood. I loved watching trains go by, imagining that one day I would sit in the cabin. I graduated from school, technical school, and in 1993 I came to the metro. I studied and first became an assistant driver, and then a driver. Since then, a lot has changed: new lines and stations have opened, but one thing has remained the same – caring for passengers. The main thing for a metro driver is their safety. Therefore, our work is always clear and well-coordinated,” the mos.ru interlocutor emphasizes.
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With the advent of new train models, a more thorough approach was taken to the training of train drivers. In the first years of the metro’s operation, there were no special training technologies. Future train drivers trained to operate trains at the depot and went out on routes together with experienced colleagues.
“Systematic training of train drivers appeared back in 1936. And in 1944, a metro technical school opened in the city. Train drivers could be trained, retrained, and improve their qualifications there. Later, the school was reorganized into a training and production center, and in 2021, a
Corporate University of Moscow Transport“They have been training drivers for the capital’s metro there for almost five years now,” says Anastasia Sharonova.
Manage the teams today teachon modern simulators – simulators of a real electric train cabin with buttons, switches and monitors. The student can choose a metro line and travel along the route. The simulator takes into account the track profile, the location of traffic lights, turnouts, signal signs and much more. The training lasts up to 4.5 months, it is completely free, students receive a scholarship.
Women at the controls
Since its opening, the metro trains have been driven by men, and the first female driver entered service in 1936. During the war, there were female locomotive crews. The work was accompanied by heavy loads, so in the 1980s, girls stopped being trained in the profession. However, trains were improved, became easier to operate and safer, and in 2020, an order from the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Russian Federation came into force, allowing female drivers to work.
Today, 130 women — drivers and their assistants — operate trains on the Filevskaya and Nekrasovskaya lines. Among them is Medina Trakic, who works at the Fili depot. She was one of the first women to undergo training in 2021.
“I started thinking about working as a train driver back in high school. But at that time, girls weren’t hired for that position. I decided to study to become a surveyor. By the end of my studies, I learned that women were being invited to work as train drivers again. I realized that my dream could come true! I passed the selection, retrained, and went to work on the line. That’s how I became one of the first female train drivers in the modern history of the metro,” says Medina Trakic.
She manages the trains and does not believe in stereotypes. According to her, who is behind the controller – a man or a woman – is not the main thing in the work.
“Stress resistance, responsibility and punctuality are important for a driver. The train must always arrive on time. You also need good health and a desire to learn something new. I love my job for the opportunity to constantly learn, improve my skills. The capital’s metro is constantly developing, becoming more beautiful, more convenient and pleasing Muscovites. Let it continue this way. 90 years is just the beginning,” emphasizes Medina Trakic.
You can find out more about the training and work of Moscow metro drivers at websiteand by phone numbers: 7 800 220-22-02, 7 495 622-22-22, as well as in personnel selection centers at the Delovoy Tsentr and Cherkizovskaya metro stations and at the Moscow Transport Corporate University.
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