History of the Moscow – Kazan Railway route

The Moscow to Kazan Railway was initially founded in 1860 as a link between Moscow and Saratov, an important port city on the Volga. However, the company bankrolling the railway went bankrupt despite having the future Tsar Alexander III and his brothers as shareholders. By 1862 the line had only reached the nearby city of Kolomna, and later Ryazan. Nearly 30 years later, the company was transformed into the Moscow - Kazan railway, and the line finally extended to Kazan in 1894. These new railway lines helped bring vital supplies to Moscow, in particular bread from the south and timber from the east.

During the Civil War half of the trains in Moscow were out of order. This caused serious chaos for passengers and freight, so fifteen workers on the Moscow - Kazan railway met on Saturday night of 12th April 1919 to repair three locomotives. This was the very first communist subbotnik (voluntary work carried out on Saturday - subbota in Russian), and these workers inspired hundreds of their colleagues to carry out the first mass clean-up of the railway a month later. They impressed Vladimir Lenin himself and inspired him to write an essay promoting the subbotnik. The first All-Russian subbotnik was held on May Day 1920 to repair the country wracked by revolution and war.

What can you see while traveling on the Moscow to Kazan train?

Depending on which Moscow - Kazan train you take, you will stop at different stations along the way. There are two main stops of interest: Murom and Kazan.

Murom: this small city is one of the oldest settlements in Russia. It was first mentioned in the mid-9th century, as the easternmost settlement of the East Slavs and part of the land of the Finnic Muromians (the city takes its name from this ethnic group). Although nothing survives from these ancient times, Murom still retains many medieval monuments – the Annunciation Monastery, the Transfiguration Monastery, Holy Trinity Convent, and the Temple of Kosmas and Damian (the oldest building in the city, built in 1565.)

Kazan: founded in the year 1005 as the capital of Tatarstan, Kazan is the center of Tatar culture in Russia and one of the country’s most fascinating and unique cities. The main attraction is the UNESCO-recognised Kazan Kremlin, which epitomises the city’s symbiosis of Tatar and Russian culture: within its walls are the sky-blue and white Kul-Sharif Mosque and Annunciation Cathedral. Other landmarks are the Museum of 1000 Years of Kazan, the colourful Temple of All Religions, the Old Tatar Settlement, and the vibrant, pedestrianised Bauman street.