On May 23, the Moscow Metro was made happy with a new leader (the twelfth in a row) - the former deputy head of the Kuibyshev Railway, Viktor Kozlovsky.
And off we go...
You can laugh, explaining this with a manic innovative itch. No, I do not argue that itching is present. New boss- A new mega-creative for his closest subordinates. With the concomitant coming mess, when people at rush hour will be tormented by misunderstandings about the intricate entry / exit system.
That's how it is, but for some reason it seems to me another cute saw cutter. Tiny, prebanal. As one commenter writes, " A great opportunity to warm your hands on a trifle. A trifle, but nice!". He is echoed by another commentator: " Until today, everything suited us all, and there were no thoughts about the signs, or rather, everything was fine! There were smart people who decided to just cut some money on useless innovation". "The next owners will fill their pockets on this "necessary" order', a third remarked sadly.
The new chief Viktor Nikolaevich Kozlovsky (right) and the unsurpassed transport worker Maxim Stanislavovich Liksutov
The main reformer and innovator of the Moscow metro, man No. 2 in the Moscow metro, Roman Maratovich Latypov
A. KAPKOV: Dear friends, I welcome everyone! Traditional… well, somewhat unconventional, of course. We go out on Thursdays, but yesterday we had preventive maintenance, so today, Friday, I am glad to welcome you to the City of Roads program. My name is Alexander Kapkov. Today our guest is Roman Latypov. Roman, good afternoon.
R. LATYPOV: Good afternoon, hello.
A. KAPKOV: First Deputy Head of the Moscow Metro for Strategic Development and Client Relations - such a title, such a position. And what lies behind it? Literally in a nutshell - what do you do, what is the main task of working with clients, strategic development?
R.LATYPOV: I am involved in all development projects. That is, the position consists of two things. First, these are all development projects. These are, accordingly, all new projects, such as the MCC, and these are all projects related to passengers, with what the passenger sees, with what the passenger feels, with those employees who communicate with passengers. That is, for example, all the cashiers of the subway obey me. Also, my block includes park-and-ride parking, a project for non-ticket income, to increase it, and so on.
A. KAPKOV: Listen, but the main thing - what I understand for myself among other things - it is always important for a passenger to be heard. And this is just included in your task - to respond to all requests?
R. LATYPOV: Absolutely, of course.
A.KAPKOV: How do you do it? It's not like it's some kind of magic. I mean, how can a passenger turn to the subway (well, now he has learned your name, not only to the subway), let's say, to you, Roman, with some request, with a wish, with a remark, with criticism, with gratitude ?
R. LATYPOV: See how to apply. There are several channels at once.
The first channel - in general, our citizens know it - is the portal of the Moscow Government, through which you can apply, leave a request. And, accordingly, all these requests will definitely come to the subway. I personally read most of the requests that come in. Then we distribute them internally between our services, between our infrastructure services, between our supporting services, between our client services that report to me. And then, after that, we, accordingly, take some measures in order to respond, in order to eliminate those comments, to implement the proposals that citizens give us, especially if they are justified. And this is the first channel of this kind, one of the most popular.
Further, of course, you can simply write a letter addressed to the head of the subway. Then we, respectively, just see it. And besides this, we conduct regular surveys, we just try to feel what passengers tell us, we ourselves constantly use the subway. I also came to you by subway. In general, due to this, too, some feedback we get.
Here, in fact, it is indicative just in the context of the MCC. If we have proposals more or less evenly distributed among metro stations, appeals are distributed, then we had quite a lot of interesting proposals for the MCC due to the fact that the project is huge and we really didn’t see some things at launch, something didn’t have time. And we are actually very grateful that the passengers tell us something. Often I myself call one of the passengers who wrote appeals. Especially, by the way, journalists are also active - apparently, professional interest too. Recently, with one of your colleagues, we drove and walked from the Shelepikha metro station to the radial station, Smolensky, respectively, Testovskaya, looked at the navigation, and after that, everything was hung up within a week. That is, we try to listen.
A. KAPKOV: Well, we are also passengers.
R.LATYPOV: Of course.
A. KAPKOV: We are journalists, and then, of course, residents and passengers, and we do everything, including... Listen, it's quite interesting that you said that you yourself move in the subway. Criticize yourself. Here you are in Lately you move in the subway and you can say that here you, maybe (I don’t know if it’s right to say so), don’t like something, here something needs to be done a little, here something needs to be tweaked.
R. LATYPOV: You know, in fact, about all the problems, about most of them, as I hope, we know and are already doing something in order to eliminate some things.
A. KAPKOV: Well, for example?
R. LATYPOV: The first part is directly what is included in my area of responsibility - this is navigation. We now see, for example... I just left the Novokuznetskaya station when I was on my way to you. Frankly, the navigation is old. It was developed a very long time ago, several decades ago. And overall she...
A.KAPKOV: Do you mean these black and white lights?..
R. LATYPOV: I mean signs, these black-and-white illuminated panels, these way signs that are hanging, signs that are already hanging at the exit of the station, which show where they are ...
A. KAPKOV: The streets.
R. LATYPOV: What kind of streets, yes, what points of attraction. Obviously, this navigation is not very convenient, probably not very informative. We are now ... At many stations you can already see this - at those stations where repairs are being completed, and at all stations that are opening, for example, after the reconstruction of escalators, and at all new stations that are now being commissioned and will be introduced, it has already been applied new system navigation. That is, very convenient cartography hangs at the output, there is a completely different quality of fonts, a completely different readability, it is perceived in a completely different way. Everything is duplicated on the same English language, including for preparation for the World Cup and for foreigners, for guests of the capital, who, accordingly, use the subway. And we actually run this program, we make several dozen stations every year. We will continue this next year. This is the first thing you can criticize yourself for.
Further, the second story is, of course, infrastructure, this is rolling stock. Indeed, the new cars, of course, are much more comfortable than the old ones. In older carriages, of course, it is noisier. In old cars, of course, there is less light. And the big program that the Government of Moscow and the metro is currently implementing to replace the rolling stock is precisely aimed at eliminating this shortcoming.
We are very active now trying to work with our staff that we have. We understand, among other things, that there are often some requests from passengers that we could not answer before. We have now set up 17 information desks in the subway specifically for this purpose. These are such round counters, such a free information desk, where our employees stand who speak English, who have a map of the city, a map of the subway, who can give some information. At the same time, we understand that other personnel, including cashiers, must also have this knowledge. And now we are also working on it. This is if we talk about the areas that we need to improve.
A.KAPKOV: That's enough. How much does it resonate with passenger requests? Is this what they first of all pay attention to, these three directions? Or do they have some other wishes, they look at the subway in a different way - not like the boss, one of the chiefs of the subway?
R. LATYPOV: You know, in general, this generally corresponds to the bulk of the proposals and requests from passengers that we have. Of course, there are a lot of requests, including those related to infrastructural issues. For example, passengers offer to open new station at the intersection of some lines or build a subway somewhere else. Unfortunately, this is not an event that we can implement even within one year. In general, it is a little more difficult, let's say, feasible.
And there are also proposals for approaches to metro stations, according to their accessibility. We also try to control their implementation as much as possible. But, unfortunately, as a rule, what is already on the ground, all these approaches are not in our area of responsibility. But we are trying to work with the relevant bodies that are responsible for this in order to implement these proposals as well. But in general, I would say that 90% of the calls are on these three topics that I have named.
A. KAPKOV: You spoke about work with personnel. I had such a question spontaneously: why does the duty officer at the escalator not give information?
R. LATYPOV: You know, a very simple story. The fact is that if passengers stop at the exit from the escalator and ask questions, then those people who go down the escalator, in general, will not be able to get off it. This is the first reason.
And the second reason. The duty officer at the escalator is not just a person who looks at the camera or sits and does not understand what he is doing, but this is a person who must stop this escalator at any moment if something happens, because the escalator will not stop itself. And for this function, in order not to distract him, that is why he does not give references.
A. KAPKOV: That's it, dear friends. For some reason it seems to me that this is a question that also worries you, and this is written on the booth itself. Not because he is evil or she, the aunt who is sitting there, but all this, of course, first of all for the passenger flow, so that it does not stand still, and secondly, of course, for your safety.
Okay, let's move on. Three things that you are currently working towards, towards which you see that much more can be done. By analogy, not necessarily three, but a few things that you can already be proud of and say: “We have implemented it. This is wonderful. And not because we think so, but because passengers tell us about it”?
R. LATYPOV: First. I just started with navigation, let me tell you about navigation. First of all, we had a lot of requests, to be honest, there were really more than 80 offers from passengers every day about navigation on the MCC. MCC - it was new line…
A. KAPKOV: Exactly at the MCC?
R. LATYPOV: Exactly at the MCC. I'll just explain why. The line is new. Some transfers take place in open space, that is, in urban areas, and not always in a straight line. And not everywhere was enough, as we found out at the start, navigation. Based on passengers' requests, we placed more than 5,000 navigation elements additionally during the month: a) in the subway; b) on the MCC infrastructure itself - on platforms, at transport interchange nodes and on the adjacent territory. We have now ... If we had 80 requests from passengers every day for navigation, now there are two or three requests, and then, as a rule, passengers are asked to indicate some points, just additional navigation - a hospital or something else .
A. KAPKOV: Where is the MFC.
R. LATYPOV: Where is the MFC, yes. That is, such systemic ... We solved this problem, which was originally there. And in general, in fact, passengers also write and note that we have improved this.
A. KAPKOV: We found everyone.
A.KAPKOV: In general, of course, the MCC is just a really grandiose and successful project, which can only be judged by the responses of passengers. Everyone cheered! I have not heard a single person who would say that it is terrible, that it is inconvenient, that it is somehow humiliating. Everyone said it was “wow!” Everyone applauded. Of course, we join these thanks. Everyone tried. And I think that this year (and maybe for many decades to come) it will really become the most significant event in the life of the subway.
R.LATYPOV: Thank you very much. Indeed, the MCC was one of such key projects. We have been working very actively on it all year - and last year, and this year - to make it all happen. Moreover, I only had a map of several thousand events that needed to be implemented before the launch hung on the wall. A lot of things were done to integrate the ticketing system, to finalize it, so that the ticket would recognize free transfers. We have done a lot to change the legislation. Thanks to the Ministry of Transport. Also for the first time in Russia, the system of railway communication and metro is actually combined. That is, a lot of activities have been done in order to do this. But in principle, in fact, there is still a lot to be done, so we try not to relax.
A. KAPKOV: I remember very well that some stations and some interchanges are still expected to be put into operation before 2018, but in general, one gets the impression that the MCC is such a completed project, we are unlikely to see new MCC lines. New stations? Maybe. Give me some explanation on this. What can we expect from the development of the MCC - not only until 2018, but also in the future?
R. LATYPOV: You know, I would not say that it is completed. I would just say that this is just the first stage of the project. Now, when we look at the loading of the MCC, we see that indeed some of the hauls are already loaded, that is, there really is not only nowhere to sit down, but it is even often difficult to get into the cars, on some hauls. There are only two or three of them, but they are there nonetheless. The rest, however, are quite free. And we actually see several directions for the further development of the MCC.
The first is, of course, further integration with metro stations. There will be at least a few more integrations, primarily at new metro stations, which do not yet exist, but which will be opened in the near future, in the coming years. This is Okruzhnaya metro station, Shelepikha station, Nizhegorodskaya station, where there will be a very large transport interchange hub, where there will be a whole new line. In general, there will be a very large node.
The second part is integration with the radial directions of the railway. We now have six radial destinations that are integrated with the MCC. At the same time, in general, there are no integrations in a warm circuit in order to switch from the radial direction to the MCC just as conveniently as I do between metro stations.
A. KAPKOV: Well, it seems to me that it is more connected with RZD, because RZD has not so many warm stations in Moscow. Do they even exist, sorry?
R. LATYPOV: Well, there are railway stations. And the transitions can be really closed. At least the transition can be under a canopy. And in fact, the MCC is not only a system, let's say, a railway, it's something ... Most of the passengers now perceive the MCC as a second metro line. And therefore, integration with the railway is just as important as, for example, integration through the station with the metro. That is, when a passenger arrives, say, at the Leningradsky railway station, he can go to the Komsomolskaya metro station quite comfortably. And the same is important at the MCC.
In general, there will be nine directions out of ten that exist. All of them will be directly integrated with the MCC. For the most part there will be closed transfers. To do this, our colleagues, including from Russian Railways, under the program that the Government of Moscow is implementing jointly with Russian Railways, will move the platforms.
Just as an example - for example, the Yaroslavl direction, one of the busiest in Moscow, in the Moscow region. Accordingly, the Severyanin platform, which is now connected to the Rostokino MCC station, needs to walk about 500 meters along the tracks in order to transfer. And at the same time, during the reconstruction, during the work that is actually already underway, the Rostokino platform will be shifted - and this path will be reduced to 60 meters. And in fact there will be a normal terminal where you can go. That is, it actually integrates the Yaroslavl direction into the MCC system. And passengers will not have to go to the Yaroslavl railway station. Firstly, the Komsomolskaya metro station will be unloaded, the Yaroslavl direction itself will be unloaded, and passengers will receive a new option for convenient transfer to save time.
A. KAPKOV: Good. We see a clear connection with radial directions railways, but we do not yet see any connection with motorists. Where and how should it be? Is it set now? What work is being done in this direction? Parking and parks in what places, on which outbound highways, where will it be implemented?
R. LATYPOV: You know, in fact, we thought about park-and-ride parking, and even partially something has already been implemented. There are already four parking lots at the MCC.
A. KAPKOV: Remind me.
R. LATYPOV: This is the Lokomotiv station, this is the Izmailovskaya station, this is the Luzhniki station. Parking there does not work in the interception mode, that is, our traditional metro now, when a passenger leans a ticket and drives in, and then leans it again in the evening - and due to this it costs free. For now, these are just paved areas where you can park your car for free. At the same time, we are also working with the Moscow Government in order to choose the optimal administration mode, that is, it is either a metro mode or a road network mode, as it is on the UDS. In general, we are now looking at this.
And there will be 17 intercepting parking lots. First of all, to put it mildly, these are the stations of the north of the MCC. Why north? The fact is that in the north the MCC is closer to the Moscow Ring Road, and it is the intercepting parking, the interception of passenger traffic, that makes sense there. Because if we talk about the southern part, then this is, say, Leninsky Prospekt, and this is the level of the Third Ring. If a person drove there by car, in general ...
A. KAPKOV: That makes no sense to him.
R. LATYPOV: It makes no sense to change seats, yes. Probably, someone will change seats, but the meaning is greatly reduced. Another thing is the north. That is, this is the Botanical Garden, for example, where there is also parking now. It is much closer to the Moscow Ring Road, and it makes sense to intercept it there.
A. KAPKOV: Speaking about meanings, I have a question. If we're talking about most of these park-and-rides in the north, then I think the north will end at three directions... well, four: Yaroslavka, Dmitrovka, Leningradka with Volokolamka - four. Well, we can still throw in the fifth one here - Altufevskoe Highway, which, in the MCC area, in principle, has already approached Dmitrovka, so I don’t know if it makes sense.
R. LATYPOV: Look, when I say “north”, it is actually not only the north, but it is the northern part. This is also the northwest, this is also the northeast. That is, this is also the highway of Enthusiasts, this is also Leningradka. That is, in fact, this is the main part. At the same time, in the south, I have already named, for example, Luzhniki, this is Vernadsky Avenue, I called the same Leninsky Prospekt. There are also parking lots, there are parking spaces, including those next to the MCC, but there are simply fewer of them, because there is no such need.
A. KAPKOV: Question: are there any problems with the territory? We are well aware that in order to make parking, it is necessary to make a large enough area where they can leave their car in a convenient place for a motorist, that is, where the outbound direction intersects with the MCC. Is there a problem in this sense? Or is there enough space, will we just turn it into these parking lots?
R. LATYPOV: You know, there are fewer problems in general than with metro stations. Here we have, we also manage 31 intercepting parking lots at metro stations. At the same time, we continue to introduce them in several pieces, on the outskirts of the stations, so that passengers change.
And I can simply say that in general it is much more difficult than doing it at the MCC. Why? Because there was no transport infrastructure at the MCC before, and in general the territory itself is less developed, that is, there are more free sites, more undeveloped sites. If you look at some metro station, especially on the outskirts, then every piece is built up. And there, in fact, we are doing a lot of work to find free sites to pave them, to provide convenient driveways, entrances, exits, install barriers, and, accordingly, equipment for this free parking. There are much fewer problems on the MCC - the territories are less developed and less built up, because there has never been transport, and in general the territory has developed much less.
A. KAPKOV: There is still enough time for the MCC, as I see it, including space for your work. As for the metro, here, of course, you know, this system is already more conservative, it has taken place, it has existed for a long time. There are still no toilets there. There are no garbage cans at the stations, although we roughly know why all this is being done - again, for safety. It is impossible to charge the phone there, and now, it seems to me, the main problem, which exists after the introduction of the Internet in the subway. From what I, for example, listed, can you tell me: “That's it, we'll do it tomorrow, because not only you are talking about this, but everything is constant, every day and more than once”?
R. LATYPOV: You know, about “charging the phone”. Just now, when I was driving to you, my phone went dead. I ended up going to the wrong address because I couldn't see where it was on my phone. So it's really relevant history. We are actually dealing with the metro, these issues in the metro, these tasks are even stronger than in the MCC. Everything you said, we are really starting to implement all these passenger and client services. At all new stations that are opening, starting with the Kotelniki station, which we opened, we use these passenger services: we put chargers for phones there, we put benches there, we somehow try to ennoble them. We put flowers - artificial, unfortunately, but still flowers. This helps to somehow settle in the station. At the request of our passengers, we hang large mirrors, including near the cash registers, so that you can look at yourself when leaving or entering the subway.
A. KAPKOV: Interesting.
R.LATYPOV: That is, we are implementing these services. And in fact, next year we plan to equip almost all stations in the center with these services to some extent (of course, depending on the possibilities).
A. KAPKOV: Listen, I can't help but return to the toilets - not because I have some kind of obsession, but I just see that for some reason passengers often talk about it. Honestly, I manage somehow. Well, I haven't had that problem lately, I'm coping. And in the subway for more than an hour, in principle, do not spend. How serious and actual problem? Are you getting confirmation of this? Are you ready to solve this problem, if it exists, or not, if it does not exist?
R. LATYPOV: You know, there are indeed requests for toilets. But there are a few things worth noting here. Firstly, we have a new infrastructure, which, for example, has now been introduced ... I will return to the MCC once again. There are toilets at MCC stations. While they are not all open, but we are now working to ensure that they are all open. And the trains even have toilets, if it concerns the MCC.
A. KAPKOV: There are no communications.
R. LATYPOV: Communications, of course, are not summed up. At the same time, since the stations are very deep (and in fact the station is not only what the passenger sees, the passenger sees less than half of the infrastructure that the station actually has), it is very difficult technically to bring these communications down. In general, the problem and the issue of equipping stations with toilets is very technically extremely complex. In fact, we did a pilot at one of the stations.
A. KAPKOV: Prospekt Mira.
R. LATYPOV: Yes, indeed it was Prospekt Mira. See how it works. The service, we saw, was in demand, the passengers used the toilet. And in general, we can say that the pilot was successful, that is, he showed his relevance. At the same time, during the pilot, a lot of technical details came out, including maintenance of the toilet with a very large passenger flow, which makes maintenance during the day almost impossible, that is, we only have a night window. And many other technical issues arose. And now we actually continue this pilot, while inside ourselves, while we don’t open anything new for passengers. So far, we are trying to eliminate all these nuances that we have found out.
A. KAPKOV: It's time to say: be patient, dear friends! Look, we're running out of time, as always. I am grateful to you for the answers that have been given here. Our time is over. Thank you very much. Our guest was Roman Latypov, First Deputy Head of the Moscow Metro for Strategic Development and Client Relations.
R. LATYPOV: Thank you very much. Goodbye.
A. KAPKOV: Thank you. My name is Alexander Kapkov. Happy for now!
Roman Latypov graduated from the Academy National economy. He defended his second diploma with honors in English University Bedfordshire with a degree in business administration. Completed MIT advanced training course on payment technology. In the Moscow Metro, he holds the position of First Deputy for Strategic Development and Client Relations.
It seems that in 2016 the metro began to look and speak more modern - cashiers began to accept cards, announcements appeared in English, the metro took part in the Mannequin Challenge flash mob. What changed?
It's not like we've changed in a year - we're changing every day. What you noticed - the logo, the new payment system, the form and services - these things are connected together and are part of a single transport policy. We look at what other metros have and try to be better.
The Moscow metro is the first in terms of reliability among the old metros, that is, those that were opened in the first half of the 20th century. In addition, we are the first in the world in terms of intervals between trains. And now we have begun to pay more attention to passenger services - we are developing various forms of payments, automating some things to make the passenger more comfortable.
Flashmob #MannequinChallenge. Now the Moscow Metro competes for people's attention in the same way as cultural institutions, media and music festivals
Why did all the changes take place precisely in 2016 - and announcements in English, and updated navigation, and accepting cards. For people who remember how they paid for the entrance with a piglet, all these are small revolutions, but in general the feeling that they woke up in another city.
Over the past year, we really managed to do a lot: we opened five stations, which helped to redistribute the flow in the southwestern and northern parts. The launch of the MCC also had a tremendous effect on the infrastructure - the load on the Circle Line fell by 15%, other lines were unloaded. Started accepting credit cards. For the sake of this, we reviewed the entire work schedule of cashiers. There were branded trains, navigation based on global solutions in London and New York, charging stations, benches where they are in demand. A program to improve the quality of service provided by cashiers and Passenger Mobility Centers is planned for 2017. I hope you still notice the changes: the cashiers have changed both the form and the style of behavior.
Alexander Terekhov brand show as part of Moscow Fashion Week at Dostoevskaya station. October 2016
© Viktor Boyko/Alexander Terekhov
1 of 6Performance of the Ballet Moscow theater on the platform of the Polyanka station as part of the Night of the Arts campaign. November 2016
© Sergey Savostyanov/TASS
2 of 6© Tretyakov Gallery
4 of 6© Tretyakov Gallery
5 out of 6© Tretyakov Gallery
6 out of 6The metro suddenly became one of the cultural venues - Ballet Moscow dances here on the Night of the Arts, concerts are held at the stations, fashion shows, you, together with the State Tretyakov Gallery, launched the train. What is their meaning?
The fashion show and all the promotions that we hold with the Tretyakov Gallery perform two functions: firstly, they acquaint passengers with the infrastructure of the metro - they show those parts of the stations that were not noticed before. At the "Park of Culture", for example, the dome, escalator, bas-reliefs are now accentuated - the historical value is emphasized by the new content. In addition, such events increase the number of passengers. We work with everyone and, above all, non-profit state enterprises - museums and theaters.
- Can I do a rap concert?
We are ready to consider anything, but, of course, we coordinate with the city authorities all events regarding information policy and security. The owner of the subway is the city. In addition, we look at the movement of passenger traffic and each time we carefully choose a station for such events. There are nuances with the passage of passenger traffic and loading. The performance of musicians is often associated with a short-term shutdown of ventilation, stopping escalators for the sake of acoustics - all this must be coordinated so as not to create inconvenience.
Do you have a full-time DJ? Here, let's say New Year on the escalators they played "Happy New Year» Abba bands - who came up with this?
Several divisions are responsible for what sounds on the escalators and in the cars. Part - for the information content, part - for the passenger, that is, poetry, music and congratulations. Now we are reworking the concept of voice acting a little, also due to the appearance of the MCC - informing on the Ring was too long, and we have reduced the length of announcements by more than 40%. This year we will work even more with passengers: so that everyone, entering the subway, despite the difficulties - we have an overloaded transition system, for example - still understands that we communicate with him, listen and listen.
- And how are you going to solve the problem of overload?
Metro is part transport system cities. Now it is becoming more and more efficient and already acts as an alternative to the metro. That is, the passenger flow is changing - some people begin to travel by bus. In addition, the MCC was launched, and a large construction program was introduced - this is essentially the appearance of chord connections. They make it possible to seriously unload the circle line and the stations adjacent to it. And thirdly, having analyzed the real distribution of passengers, we have moved apart the "peak hours". The maximum possible number of rolling stock on all lines is now issued not for two hours in the morning and evening, but practically throughout the day. All this together unloads the subway and increases convenience. In 2017, we will intensify our work in this area: we know where we have peaks and what load; moreover, we know where and where each passenger travels every day. Any ordinary ticket tells everything.
It is clear that the metro is a functional thing, but also an architectural monument. Who is watching this? Here, for example, to the reconstructed "Frunzenskaya" were - the Soviet plafonds on the escalator were changed there for new ones.
There are whole stations individual elements, that are cultural heritage, and those that are not. Regarding the first, we coordinate all the work with the authors, if necessary, and with the Moscow Heritage Committee. All historical elements at the stations - urns and lamps - are being restored. For stations that do not have the status of architectural monuments, we are more flexible. Often we do not have the opportunity to preserve historical elements: they are more expensive and more difficult to maintain. Lamps can give less light, and we change them to more modern ones, and then after each repair we follow the feedback from passengers and try to take everything into account.
As far as I know, these were not lamps from the Kyiv station - we checked, all the originals were in place. And on the Avito website, strange things come across. Somehow they sold a pass to the metro administration there, and for as much as 3,000 rubles, despite the fact that I had mine with me. Who came up with this, I have no idea.
- Why are stations still being cleaned with sawdust? It seems that this is some kind of branded Moscow feng shui.
Firstly, it is environmentally friendly: the efficiency of sawdust is higher than that of chemicals. They well absorb dirt, moisture, dust. And even heavy metals: if someone broke a thermometer, then cleaning with sawdust would neutralize it. In addition, sawdust is cheaper and it is a well-established technology. But when I was a student, of course, I often thought about how sawdust gets into the subway every day and why they are here. But now I know.
- Where did the smell of the Moscow metro go?
Indeed, there are smells that can be associated with the railway or the subway - they are usually associated with technical processes and lubricants. Yes, the subway used to have a specific smell - now it is felt less thanks to the new ventilation.
If someday the metro stops smelling completely, then maybe it's time to sell the air of the metro as a souvenir?
This has not been asked of us yet. When we first opened a souvenir shop, we asked to sell rails, thick cables. One passenger even sent us a drawing of the rail, where places for glasses were cut out.
- Do you dream about the subway at night?
Yes, the day before yesterday I had a dream about how the head of the metro and I, for some reason, unloaded steps for escalators.
