Moscow train stations

Moscow is the hub of Russia's extensive rail network. It is home to 9 railway stations. All of them are close to the metro in the central part of the city.

Moscow is linked to most cities in Russia by train. You can even travel abroad to Mongolia, China, Belarus, Ukraine, Finland, France, Germany, and many other foreign countries.

It is hard to name Moscow's main train station, as each station serves different destinations. Thus you would use the Yaroslavsky train station to travel along the Transsiberian, Leningradsky train station to reach St Petersburg, Belorussky train station to SVO airport, or Kursky train station go to Vladimir or Nizhny Novgorod.

As you can see three train stations (Leningradsky, Yaroslavsky, and Kazansky) are located in the same area on Komsomolsjaya square. Trraveling by train is a great way to see the country and we highly recommend you trying it during your Moscow tour.

How to find your train?

1. Learn the name of your railway station

At first, you need to identify your train station. You can find its name written on your e-ticket.
 
However, on this ticket, the name written is Moskva Oktybrskaya. What station does it refer to? Moskva Oktybrsjaya refers to the Leningradsky train station. Other railways stations are easier to guess.
 
Moskva Oktybrskaya - Leningradsky train station (Address: 5 Komsomolskaya Sq.)
Moskva Yar - Yaroslavlsky Train Station (Address: 5 Komsomolskaya Sq.)
Moskva Kaz- Kazansky Train Station (Address: 2 Komsomolskaya Sq.)
Moskva Kur - Kursky Train Station (Address: 29 Zemlyanoi Val St.)
Moskva Pav - Belorussky Train Statio (Address: 7 Tverskaya Zastava Sq.)
Moskva Kiv - Kievsky Train Station (Address: 2 Kievskogo Vokzala Sq.)
Moskva Bel - Paveletsky Train Station (Address: 1 Paveletskaya Sq.)
Moskva Rizh - Rizhsky Train Station (Address: 79/3 Rizhskaya Sq.)
Moskva Sav -Savyolovsky Train Station  (Address: 2 Savyolovskogo Vokzala Sq )
 
 Be careful when you plan your trip to St Petersburg. While most trains depart from the Leningradsky train station, some of Sapsan trains also leave from Kursky station.  It is always essential to check these details on your ticket!
 

2. Long-distance or suburban train?

What train do you need? If your destination is more than 200 km away from Moscow, you'll need a long-distance train.
 

If you travel somewhere closer, you'll most likely use a Suburban train (in Russian "electrichka"). However, there might be some exceptions. Thus you can reach Sergiev Posad (60 km from Moscow) both by a suburban train or by Lastochka long-distance train going to Nizhny Novgorod.

 If you go to a Moscow airport, you'll need to find an airexpress train.
 

3. Consult the train timetable.

Find a timetable with details of your train. The information on long-distance trains is always in both Russian and English. The info on suburban trains might be only in Russian as these trains are usually used only by the locals.

As there might be several screens with train schedules you'll need the one with departure info. Some train stations have two separate timetables - one with details on transit trains and another one with trains departing from Moscow.

The timetable shows the destination of your train, time of the departure (on the left), and track number. The track info is usually announced around 45 min before the departure.

Follow the signs.
 

The train station for Trans-Siberian

What train station do you need if you go along the Trans-Siberian railroad? Most likely, you'll need the Yaroslavsky railway station. The railway station is at 2 Komsomolskaya square. Trains leaving from Yaroslavsky railway station go to such destinations as Ekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Vladivostok. Here you can board international trains to Mongolia and China.

However, if you wish to include Kazan in your Trans-Siberian journey, you would need to depart from Kazansky train station, which is on the opposite side of Komsomolskaya square.


 

Train station to St Petersburg

Most trains for St Petersburg depart from the Leningradsky train station. It is the oldest train station in Moscow. It is on Komsomolskaya square near the metro station Komsomolskaya.

You can reach St. Petersburg by an overnight train (the most comfortable brand train include «Red Arrow," Nevsky Express," Grand Express," «Double-deck train." The journey usually takes around 8 hours.

A faster option is a bullet train. The most commonly used is the Sapsan train. It takes only 3.45- 4 hours to reach St Petersburg. You may also go by the "Strizh" train. Unlike Sapsan, it also offers sleeping compartments, but it covers the distance in 4,5 hours.

Pay attention to the train station, as some of the bullet trains to St Petersburg depart not from Leningradsky but Kursky train station.

Train station to Vladimir and Nizhny Novgorod

Traveling to the towns of Golden Ring by train is usually more comfortable compared to driving. The journey from Moscow to Vladimir only takes around 2 hours compared to 4-5 hours by car.
The most common bullet trains are "Lastochka" and "Strizh." They both depart from the Kursky train station. Lastochka only has sitting carriages while Strizh has both seats and sleeping compartments depending on what category you will choose.

Some trains to Vladimir depart from the Yaroslavsky train station. These are the long-distance Trans-Siberian trains that also stop at Vladimir. These trains only have sleeping compartments. The journey will be a bit longer, roughly 2 hours 40 min.

Train station to SVO airport, DME airport, and VKO airport.

You can reach SVO airport, DME airport, and VKO airport by aeroxpress train.

Aeroexpress for SVO airport departs from the Belorussky Railway Terminal every 30 minutes.
Aeroexpress for DME airport departs from the Paveletsky Railway Terminal every 30 minutes.
Aeroexpress for VKO airport departs from the Kievsky Railway Terminal every 30 minutes.
Here you can find more information about the aeroexpress trains to/from airports.