A Line 14 train pulls into Belokamennaya station. Image by Фото Москвы Moscow-Live.ru licensed under Creative Commons.

Russia has been in the news a lot recently for negative reasons, but let's take a look at something positive: the Moscow Metro just opened a second rail ring around the city. Known as Line 14 or the Moscow Central Circle, it's a good example of what the Purple Line will (kind of) do for our region.

Like the Metrorail system here and and many others around the world, the Moscow Metro has a radial design, meaning its lines converge in the city center like spokes in a wheel. But unlike here, Moscow's system has a set of tracks that runs in a circle around the system, actually forming that wheel. It's called Line 5, and it began operating in 1950.

Map of the Moscow Metro. The older circular route - Line 5 - is in brown, and the new Line 14 is outlined in orange. Image by Moscow Metropolitan.

Moscow opened Line 14 at the end of 2016, and it follows the route of what used to be the Moscow Central Circle Railway around the outer areas of the city.

The “subway” line actually uses technology more like a commuter rail system (such as MARC), including overhead electrification and a maximum speed of 100 mph. Nonetheless, trains run every six minutes during rush hour – much like Metro. Line 14 primarily serves as a way to move between other modes of transit, and once all of its stations are complete (not every single one is open yet), it will have 17 transfer points to other metro lines and 10 transfer points to other passenger rail networks.

PID at Line 14 station Image by VITALYD licensed under Creative Commons.

Circular transit routes allow passengers to get from one periphery of a city to another without having to go through the downtown area. Line 14 has already demonstrated its effectiveness, reducing travel times by an average of 20 minutes for many riders using the line.

Here, although it only forms part of a circle, Maryland's Purple Line will do the same: currently, to get from Shady Grove to Glenmont, Greenbelt, or New Carrollton, passengers must go all the way to downtown DC, which is out of the way in terms of actual geography. The Purple Line will help to shorten trips between outlying areas in Maryland in the same way Moscow, Beijing, and London have with their circular routes.

WMATA had even considered building a Beltway Metro line in the past, but eventually ruled out the idea, namely because it would not generate enough new transit users to justify the cost. Although a full circular line around Washington is not likely in the near future, the Purple Line may accomplish many of the same goals.

Russia has a history of well-developed mass transit, with seven different metro systems throughout the country and several others under development. Line 14 is the newest addition, but there are more plans for expansion. Although Moscow is not the first city to construct two circular lines it may be the first to add a third circular line, which is tentatively scheduled to open during 2021-2022.

What other circular routes do you know of?

Stephen Hudson resides in Southwest DC — the fourth quadrant he has lived in. He works for a government relations firm and has previous experience with transportation policy at a trade association. His professional interests include transportation and infrastructure, foreign languages, and comparative international politics. The views expressed are his own.