Originally Posted by
eastindywalrus
Emphasis mine. Important point here, for anyone who hasn't done a metro transfer to one of the main railway stations to catch an Aeroexpress or long distance train. There are quite a few spots in the Moscow metro where there are short flights of stairs to transfer from one line to another... stairs - not escalators. (Some spots have escalators, but not all.) Do keep this in mind if you have a suitcase that you're lugging around, especially if it's during rush hour. A taxi might not be a much better option given traffic (and how expensive it'll end up being). Certainly does make a two-ticket transfer at the airport much more appealing.
But almost every staircase has ramps for suitcases anyway since so many Russians carry so much. I know for a fact from my weekly commute that upon exiting Komsomolskaya ring/brown line (the station one would need it arriving by train from St P) has a SHORT staircase WITHOUT a luggage ramp on the platform which then takes one to the escalator. Rush hour really is a bit of an issue, but still, luggage is expected on the ring line and people do move (kind of)
Also, eastindywalrus, if the OP chose the train then metro, there is no transfer needed between Komsomolskaya and Belorusskaya, it's a 4 stop, 8 minute ride between the two.
Taxis are not *that* expensive in Moscow either, I use them regularly and find that they are cheaper than most European capitals, particularly if one uses a hail app similar to Uber. But traffic on the ring roads are an utter nightmare to the point that the metro is a better option!