81-805.VIP railcar

81-805.VIP is an upgrade to the 81-717 railcar series designed for Metrovagon, a Kolomna machine-building plant, under the order from Moscow Metropolitan.

There are two sections divided by the entrance and the ticket control lobby. Driver’s cabin in the head end of the car is adjoined by the bar serving refreshments and coffee with stools, double seats and tables along the sides.

Cafeteria salon (14 seats)

Sitting area with a newsstand are in the back.

Sitting area (25 seats)

The seats have handrails connecting headrests and backrests. In conformity with new security requirements, the railcar no longer features so-called chests that needed to be constantly checked for explosives by police. Instead, there are convenient overhead light luggage racks.

The support structure of the seats was designed as the Metrovagon logo

The new cars are equipped with supply and exhaust ventilation, air conditioning, and a climate control system. Reinforced noise insulation means that passengers will be able to speak to each other normally, not having to yell to be heard, which is often the case when riding in an ordinary railcar. And following new state standard, the doorway, previously measuring 4.5 ft (1.38 m), is designed to be of a larger size of 6.6 ft (2 m).

Below you can read excerpts from the speech by chief of the Moscow metro Dmitry Gayev, which was delivered at a March press conference in the Main Department of the Moscow metro:

As early as in the second half of 2007 the Moscow government will cut back on subventions to Moscow metro by a third. Federal financing is going to be slashed by half. But these days we also fail to live up to the figures earmarked in the metro development program. We’ve been eying new, innovative approaches to boosting profitability for a long while. And we have found two unique solutions that have no parallel in the world’s practice.

[...]

One of these is the so-called cargo metro. We are creating special freight terminals where cargo cars will be loaded and hooked at the end of the train. If we are talking about an 8-car train, this car doesn’t arrive at a station but remains in the tunnel. In the other part of the route the car will be unhooked and unloaded. This will give us a solid financing source over the next four to six years, and allow the city to minimize ground transit cargo transportation. The project is being approved by the Public Council.

The second project is being launched in May next year. It has no parallels in foreign rapid transit systems. We are talking about deluxe railroad cars. The first 45 cars will run on the Filevskaya line. The Rusich trains fell short of what we had expected, so we decided to continue to use the traditional 717 cars that are being renovated in Kolomna. The cars are incidentally being designed by well-known Russian designers, although foreign specialists submitted some interesting ideas, too.

[…]

We always said that we can provide the security of passenger transportation but can’t deliver comfort. In the 21st century the metro keeps up with the changes. On the railroad there’s been a long-standing practice of differentiating passenger train cars into classes. So next year we’re set to crank out business class cars for commuters.

The Filevskaya line wasn’t picked by accident. It currently has three terminal stations: Aleksanrovsky Sad not far from the Kremlin, Business Center in the Moscow City, and Krylatskoye at the beginning of the Rublevskoye highway. We appeal to well-heeled business people and want to show them that subway is a comfortable and quick way to reach the city center. On top of that, the city has already allocated lots for multi-storey parking garages nearby the Osenny Boulevard, not far from the Krylatsoye metro station, where people can leave their cars and continue their trip to the city in a comfy railroad car.

[…]

We have worked out quite a number of organizational and other issues and can promise a totally different quality of commuting to Muscovites. A ride in a business-class car will cost you only one hundred rubles that you’ll pay in addition to the standard fare. A ride in a cab from the Rublevskoye highway to downtown wills set you back at least two hundred rubles, and don’t forget the average speed of ground transport in Moscow—15 km/h. We are offering a service that’s half as cheap and four times as fast.