Moscow’s escalators embody spirit of the city

For all that you may dream of Moscow before you land there, escalators are unlikely to be of your concern. Yet, every traveller who has been to Moscow is inevitably led to her own encounter with these slowly progressing elongated staircases in motion placed in the numerous subway stations all across the city’s metro network. And the more you regularize your commute in Moscow’s metro, one of the busiest in Europe and the longest in the world if not for China, the more you start experiencing them as monuments, embodying the spirit and story of a city and its people. A first timer in Moscow is likely to be surprised by the unusual length of these escalators in some of the subway stations in the city. The most well-known among these is the 126 metre escalator ride at the Park Pobedy station, located 84 metres underground. As time is a function of distance in these journeys, some of us may find this freeride up or down the flight of escalator stairs incredibly long. Those that are thoughtful among us may seek in these extra seconds a meditation that propels our day forward with optimism, or a rumination that reflects on another day gone by. And for those that are romantic among us, an added minute here or there on this mobile staircase is all that it takes to fall in love or find meaning and purpose.