Photo credit: Ogiwaratakao, Flickr
The Moscow Metro opened in 1935. It has 222 stations—44 of them designated “historic,” and 12 lines. “Escalator Grandmothers” sit in kiosks at the bottom of the stairs, keeping passengers safe, scowling at unruly riders and shutting off the escalators in an emergency. On average, more people use the Moscow metro daily than the London Underground and New York Subway combined. In December, 2013, it broke its record for the number of riders in one day: 9.28 million.
