Abandoned buildings and a new ring line

Moscow for years has been trying to improve its traffic problem , which is awful, with little to no success! They've tried a few different things like built countless new metro stations and also started charging for parking in the center, but for what it's worth it all has failed to solve some of the world's worst traffic. The newest weapon Moscow has rolled out to get people off the roads and onto trains and buses is the new metro system called МЦК or for those who do not read Russian, the Moscow Central Ring line. It just opened in September. Unlike the first ring line, which opened in the 1930s and uses regular metro subway wagons, the new Moscow Central Ring line has actual nice brand new state of the art rail cars by RZD/РЖД (Russian Railway company) with comfortable seats to accommodate passengers. They even have cars that are specially made for the handicapped and to bring your bicycle on, two things that are pretty uncommon in Russia.

The new line dwarfs the old line weighing in with over 35 stations as compared to 12 for the old one. So, being the lover of public transportation and especially trains I figured I’d spend some time out of my day taking a ride on it. Overall, I was very impressed with the system. The seats were comfortable, the ride was smooth and there were plenty of announcements in both English and Russian to let you know what the next station was and what the interchange was.

However, the connections to the regular Moscow Metro are awful!! Many stations are not connected with the overall metro requiring you to walk sometimes upwards of 15 minutes to get to the next station in the elements and through the regular grimy streets. It basically feels as if you are transferring to a whole another metro system even though it is completely owned and operated by the same company that runs the regular Metro system and all cards and passes are valid on it. Mind you there are some stations where there are overpasses and a clear connection, but it’s the ones that are not connected which make it a bit of a flawed system. Nonetheless despite all of its flaws I enjoyed my ride on МЦК Moscow Central Ring line.

That evening I had yet another exciting adventure planned, an abandoned buildings tour in Moscow. Unlike in the United States where going into an abandoned building would not only never be advertised as an official tour, but would probably get you into a lot of legal trouble, in Russia there seems to be no problem, even if it is a bit dangerous. The plan was to meet my guide at The Sparrow Hills metro station and from there we would explore an abandoned escalator shaft followed by an ascent to the top of a building for a view of all of Moscow. I arrived at the metro station in good time only to get a message from Maxim, my guide, to say that he was running late due to traffic. So I waited and waited some more till he called me and told me where to meet him. Sometimes it can be so maddening as I have studied Russian for 26 years but many times people say things over the phone and I don’t understand them. This was one of those cases, but eventually I was able to pinpoint that he was outside the station waiting for me. I walked out of the station and by a guy just standing there. I got eye contact with him like to say, “Are you the one I’m looking for” and he didn’t do anything. I thought that was odd, so I went back and approached him and asked him if was Maxim. Sure enough it was he. 

Sparrow Hills Metro station which sits on a bridge

  

Our first stop would be the abandoned escalator shaft on Sparrow Hills. The Sparrow Hills or as it once used to be known as Lenin Hills station is located at the bottom of the hills. In order to get up it you have to hike up about a kilometer to the top. This can be kind of hard if you’re not in good shape or are not up for the weather elements that Russia can throw at you. But back in the Soviet days you did not have to worry about this, as there was a second option, an enclosed escalator to the top. But in the 1980s the dirt started to shift and the escalator started to show cracks and signs of settling. Due to this the shaft was closed and has been abandoned ever since.

Tonight we would explore this now abandoned shaft. I had seen the shaft many times before while walking around Sparrow Hills and had heard about it but did not know much about its history, just that it was no longer in use. Because the sun sets soooo early in Moscow, about 3:30 pm, we’d be doing this all in the dark, adding an extra layer of suspense.

We arrived at the shaft and it was pitch black around us, plus very icy!! I could feel my feet getting a bit shaky but luckily I was quickly able to stabilize myself. He handed me a flashlight and showed me where I’d have to step up to in order to get in. It was a bit of a reach to step up onto the ledge that led into the abandoned shaft but I was up to the challenge.

Once we got in all I can say was it was very creepy. I guess what else would you expect when talking about an abandoned building, but this was not a good feeling. There was trash EVERYWHERE and I mean everywhere, heaps upon heaps of it making it hard to really walk around. I asked him when we got in if it was dangerous. Usually when asked this question Russians in their very cavalier manner will answer with a smile and say “no, not at all, it is no problem, very safe”…..even if it is highly dangerous. So, when I asked him if it was dangerous he actually replied by saying “a bit”. I knew if he thought it was a bit dangerous that it probably was not very safe and therefore not a good idea! We took a look at the old engine room, which was also just saturated in trash and I guess a home to bumbs and homeless people. We got back to the main area where the escalator used to be and now there are just ruins and he asked if I wanted to climb up to the top. I said at this point I was uncomfortable and that I’d rather just skip it.

Our next stop would be an abandoned building 15 minutes away across town. But of course due to traffic it took us 45 minutes to get there. Once there I noticed the building was surrounded by what seemed to be concrete panels and was about 14-15 floors high. He must have had some type of arrangement with the security company who was guarding the building because we were let right in and they seemed to know him quite well. I suspect that it was very much an under the table sort of thing, where we did not have official permission to go up there but nonetheless money does talk, especially in Russia!

Although it was pitch black in the building I had a better feeling about this one than I did the abandoned escalator shaft. Luckily he handed me a flashlight so I was able to see pretty easily. He told me that the building was started in the late 1980s during Soviet times and when the USSR collapsed in the early 1990s that the building’s funding fell through and it was never completed. We explored all the different floors of the building, which contained heaps of debris and dirt. The stairs to the top were all on the outside, so every time we’d be hiking the stairs he’d tell me to turn off the flashlight so people did not see us. On our way up he commented that I was brave for taking this tour in the winter and that he hadn’t had any customers since summer. That would be me, someone who always does things a little bit differently!

Eventually when we got up to the top of the building I noticed the roof was a giant ice-skating rink with ice everywhere. Having slipped several times last winter on my trip to Iceland I did not want to repeat this unfortunate incident and proceeded very carefully. We got to a point where we could see the entire city and the view was incredible! The only problem was I could feel my feet slipping underneath me, but luckily nothing did happen. He offered to take me further to a higher point on the roof but after carefully considering everything and seeing how icy it was I said no.

Even though the roof was icy and treacherous in places it was all worth it for the view. You could see all of Moscow! Just below the building you could see the metro station, which made for

Metro station below

interesting viewing to watch all the rush hour commuters moving like a wave below toward the metro station. And, if you squinted very carefully you could even make out Red Square somewhere in the distance. Sitting right next to our abandoned building was an old TV tower, which has in recent decades been put of service by the larger than life huge Ostankino TV tower which could be made out to the north of us. Several years ago the tower was going to be destroyed but there was a huge outcry to preserve this as a Soviet monument. Luckily, the government listened and it still sits there today, a reminder of the bygone days of Soviet television. Although Russia can be a little rough on the edges with burnt out buildings, strange rules and kind of odd Soviet like architecture I think this is what keeps me coming back for more! That of course and the girls!!

The old TV tower