A new themed train has been launched on the Circle Line of the Moscow Metro. The train is devoted to the important football event that will take place in Russia in six months – the FIFA Confederations Cup 2017.
It is a joint project of the Moscow Metro and the Russia 2018 Organising Committee. Each carriage is designed differently, featuring cities that will host the FIFA Confederations Cup and its symbols.
“The Moscow Metro will be on top of the events as good transport infrastructure is crucial for an event like this,” said Moscow Metro Chief Dmitry Pegov. “This is why we have already started preparing for it and working together with the organisers.”
Apart from the themed train, the Moscow Metro is taking other measures in the run-up to the Confederations and World cups. For example, navigation elements are being transliterated into Roman letters, and train announcements are being made in English. By 2018, the Moscow metro map will be translated into the most widely used languages of the world.
The railway infrastructure is also preparing to welcome football fans and deal with a heavier passenger flow. The main repair and maintenance works are taking place during extended maintenance periods. In 2016, there were 20 of these.
The FIFA Confederations Cup will be held in Russia for the first time on 17 June-2 July 2017. The tournament traditionally takes place in the country hosting the World Cup a year in advance to test the infrastructure. The competition can be described as a battle of continents: it involves the world’s best football teams. The upcoming event will gather eight teams: the winner of the previous World Cup, the winners of six continental championships and the country hosting the 2018 World Cup.
“Public transport in 11 cities, the Moscow Metro and the underground in other cities hosting championship games will be running free of charge for all championship ticket-holders,” said Terentiy Meshcheryakov, director general of the Transport Management 2018 autonomous non-profit organisation. “They will have the opportunity to use public transport and make free railway trips between Championship cities.”
Source: mos.ru