Moscow Metro
 

First time visitor to Russia next month, and no understanding of the Cyrillic alphabet to speak of....

Is there a "Moscow metro for dummies" guide as to how to use their metro system? Specifically, I'd like to obtain an "all you can ride" pass for my visit (4 days).

Is the signage in any other language other than Russian?

Are there "help" resources anywhere in the stations?

The airport train from SVO is apparently requiring a separate ticket purchase - it is advisable to do that prior to arriving? Are tickets readily available at SVO?

Thanks

I am also going nect month. I was able to find english russian metro maps on internet. The russia metro website lso has English language section. I will buy the airport train tickets online before i leave the US. Hope this helps.

http://troika.mos.ru/en/ may be of some help. As far as I know the usual ticket offices at the metro station do not carry the 4-day unlimited pass; if it's available, you'll have to get it somewhere else (tourist offices?).
Generally not. The subway maps do have an English transliteration, but most signs don't
Yes, but I'm not sure they speak any lanuage other than Russian
No need to buy in advance (you used to get a discount online, but it's about $1).

There are ticket machines that will sell you multiple ride tickets and - IIRC - have some English instructions on them. The ticket windows only require 2 words of Russian - a number and the world billyet (phonetically written!) which is ticket.

I would strongly recommend learning the alphabet. It is much less difficult that you might think and in a couple of hours you will have the hang of it. Knowing Cyrillic makes Russia much, much stressful.

A key other pointers

* signage is limited. When interchanging look closely for the line you want. Many of the signs on platforms and in passageways will show the line and all the stations served in that direction. Use this to double check you are in the right place
* the trains have announcements. You will hear something like sleuschdnya stantsya <insert name> which means next station followed by the name
* count stops as the platforms have very few small signs visible inside the train
* I have a vague recollection that the very newest cars do have illuminated maps tracking progress and have English transliteration
* very few people will speak English, and Russia being Russia people are not hugely helpful

Finally, stop and enjoy some of the stations. The architecture is spectacular.

Newer trains on the "touristic" lines (e.g the red one) have a small screen next to the doors which shows the name of the next station in both Cyrillic and Roman alphabets. Also the floor signage uses both scripts.

At Chekhovskaya I used the automated machines and they had an English option.

The Yandex Metro app was life-saver, and you can set it so as to display the station names in Roman characters.

Still, I also recommend learning the Cyrillic script before taking the tube in Moscow.

Was able to navigate the Moscow Metro reasonably easily out to the Museum of Cosmonautics by counting the stops and having a printed Metro map (provided by the hotel with Roman and Cyrillic wording).

Purchasing tickets was pretty easy using the touchscreen machines which had a few language options including English.

If you have the time ... take the circle line and go out each station and look them. they are beautifull decorated from the cold war as shelters. and there are 2 station within the circle (forgot the names) which are worth too.
you need just 1 ticket if you enter and can stay as long in the metro as you want..... it's worth a half day sightseeing, best do it after rushhour in evening, or for examlpe on a Sunday.

I would be fine taking the metro. Just came back from a trip to Russia. Make sure you print a metro map with both Russian and English. I did not see such maps in the stations but saw them inside the train.

The cost of a metro ticket is a flat RUB 50 per ride. Just go to the counter and with signs show one and give the agent cash. I tried to use the machines at the station on the green line near Red Sq (Teatralnaya) , but it kept spitting it out. A friendly lady who could not speak English pointed me to the ticket counter. I took the train to Belorussky and then the airport train (which is just outside the metro station).

I believe even at stations with multiple lines, each line has it's own platform. Just memorize how spelling of the next station in the direction you want to go to looks in Russian and follow signs. Be prepared for Russian only signs.

Another good map:

http://russianmetro.ru/index_eng.php

Almost right :) Each line has its own track, but in a few cases a platform hosts two lines. They are: Kitay-Gorod, Tretjakovskaya, Kashirskaya, Park Pobedy, and Kuntsevskaya.
The Filevskaya (light-blue) line splits into two after Kievskaya station, however it is still considered a single line while in most countries it would've been called something like F1 and F2 lines