Russian President Vladimir Putin today presided virtually over the opening of a 21km, 10-station section of the Big Circle Line of the Moscow Metro in the southwest of the city.

Not since 1935 have 10 new Metro stations opened at once in Moscow, the Moscow Metro said in a statement to GCR, adding that the launch was “a huge event for the city”.

When the whole Big Circle Line loop is complete, it will have 31 stations and a length of 70km, which Moscow Metro said would make it the longest single metro line in the world, a quarter longer than Beijing’s Line 10.

Scheduled for completion by early 2023, the Big Circle Line is the biggest project implemented with the direct involvement of the Mayor of Moscow, and will simplify the movement of 3.3 million residents.