Leningradsky Rail Terminal

Leningradsky Rail Terminal on Komsomolskaya Square is Moscow’s oldest railway terminal and a federally protected cultural heritage site. It emerged as the terminus of the country’s first major state-built trunk line, connecting Moscow with St Petersburg, and from the outset was conceived as the architectural twin of an identical station on the banks of the Neva. Today the building remains the city’s active gateway to the northwest, retaining its mid-19th-century appearance.

In February 1842 Nicholas I signed a decree for the construction of a double-track line between the two capitals, and a single design by architect Konstantin Ton was approved for both terminal stations — a rare decision at the time to design twin buildings symmetrically in two different cities. Construction of the Moscow terminal began in 1844 under the direction of Pyotr Kleinmichel, but due to disagreements with Ton over the brickwork of the walls, in 1847 the project was handed over to architect Rudolf Zhelyazevich. The work was completed by 1851: the first train arrived on 3 August, and regular service began in November. After the death of Nicholas I in 1855, the line and both terminals were renamed Nikolaevsky.

The two-storey building received a restrained façade with a rhythm of engaged columns and paired windows above, while the central volume was crowned with a clock tower that echoed the silhouette of the City Duma building in St Petersburg. Architectural historians note in the station’s appearance a blend of Renaissance devices with Old Russian motifs. The vestibule was finished with oak parquet flooring and marble-clad Swedish stoves, and the imperial halls were fitted with massive oak doors; the building measured 25 by 12 sazhens.

On 11 March 1918 Vladimir Lenin, who had relocated together with the Soviet government from Petrograd, arrived at the station, and soon afterward it was renamed — first Oktyabrskaya, and from 1924 Leningradskaya, in his honor. In 1927 the country’s first VIP deputies’ lounge opened here, and on 10 June 1931 the first “Red Arrow” train, with new sleeping cars, departed from the platform. In 2009 news briefly appeared in the media about the station’s name being reverted to Nikolaevsky, which sparked public debate; Russian Railways’ press service called it a technical error.

The building has been rebuilt more than once: in 1934 the ticket hall was expanded, in 1949 a restoration was carried out to a design by Alexei Dushkin, and in the 1970s the station was enlarged and linked by underground passages to the Komsomolskaya metro station. The 2008–2013 reconstruction restored the façade’s historical coloring and recreated the Kasli cast-iron staircase and the imperial halls; a monument to Ton was also erected in front of the station at that time. A renovation carried out in 2024–2026 covered the interiors, the façade and the platform canopy.

Today the terminal combines the status of an architectural monument with the role of a major transport hub on the square, from which trains depart for St Petersburg and the north of the country. Its connection to its twin station in St Petersburg and its carefully considered restorations make it a recognizable historic building of Moscow, and a 2022 immersive audio performance introduces passengers to the station’s history in its waiting halls.