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The Secret Life of the Moscow Metro

Every day at 2 a.m., 10,000 employees of the Moscow Metro, including drivers, repairmen, cleaners, and technical controllers, start work. Sergei Vedyashkin / Moskva News Agency
The metro’s cleaners have a difficult task: cleaning up after 6 million Muscovites and visitors when the dirt and the dust from the shoes alone amounts to almost 20 tons per day. Andrei Lyubimov / Moskva News Agency
Everything in the train carriages, including seats, handrails and doors, is carefully washed by hand, using a rag. Andrei Nikerichev / Moskva News Agency
Once every ten days, metro workers disinfect the train carriages. Andrei Nikerichev / Moskva News Agency
Cleaning the subway does not simply consist of washing floors. Staff also whitewash walls and clean chandeliers in subway stations. Sergei Kiselyov / Moskva News Agency
While some trains are being washed, others are sent for technical inspections and if necessary, repairs. Alexander Avilov / Moskva News Agency
The rails are examined for possible cracks using ultrasound. Sergei Vedyashkin / Moskva News Agency
At the end of the night, the Moscow metro is ready for passengers again. Kirill Zykov / Moskva News Agency

Famous for its elegant marble walls, high ceilings and chandeliers, the Moscow Metro is among the cleanest and the most efficient in the world.

Every day, millions of Muscovites and visitors of the capital use the Moscow Metro. But only a few know what happens there during the night.

When the doors close at 1 a.m., metro staff clean the stations, repair the trains and carry out safety checks.

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