Aeroexpress, the company that operates commuter train services from Moscow airports to the city, will launch an express bus route to Sheremetyevo Airport on October 15th from the Khovrino metro station along the M-11 toll road. The line will operate only 13.5 hours a day and will only serve Sheremetyevo Terminal 1 (B) in order to minimize competition with Aeroexpress trains, reports Travel.ru's own correspondent.
The exact schedule has not been published; it is only known that route #1195 operates from 7:30 AM to 9:00 PM, with a frequency of every 15 minutes. Travel time is stated as 20 minutes (however, it is worth keeping in mind that in recent weeks there have been significant traffic jams on the approach to Sheremetyevo-1 (B) Terminal). A one-way ticket costs 150 rubles. There appear to be no other fare options. Judging by the photos provided by Aeroexpress, the route will use 7-8 regular city buses without luggage compartments and with limited seating. The stop at Khovrino is located near exit #2 of the station.
The reduced schedule means the express bus will be unavailable to approximately a third of the terminal's passengers. Of the approximately two hundred daily departures from the terminal, approximately 70 depart during times not covered by the new route. A similar proportion of arrivals occurs. The reasons for the route's limited operating hours are unknown—logically, it should operate whenever the metro is running.
There are many other oddities surrounding this route. Aeroexpress was the only participant in the Moscow City Hall tender for this route. However, the results of the tender opening report state that the tender notice was published on the Moscow Department of Transport website on July 17, and that Aeroexpress submitted its application at 2:00 PM that same day. Preparing documents for such a tender in half a day without prior knowledge appears extremely difficult, if not impossible. The tender notice was not found on the website, and it is unknown whether other market participants were aware of it.
Any independent bus operator, given the choice, would prioritize serving the southern terminals closest to the metro (Sheremetyevo-2 (F), E, 3 (D)), which have a higher combined passenger flow. However, from Aeroexpress's perspective, it makes sense to serve the outer terminal, Sheremetyevo-1 (B), the only one without an Aeroexpress station within walking distance, in order to reduce competition with its own trains. Therefore, it can be assumed that route 1195 was originally planned with Aeroexpress in mind. It's worth noting that Maxim Liksutov, the current head of the Moscow Department of Transport, was formerly the CEO and co-owner of Aeroexpress.
The decision to operate bus 1195 exclusively to Sheremetyevo Terminal 1 (B) could further increase the load on the already overcrowded underground inter-terminal shuttle. For some passengers, the combination of bus and shuttle will be the most attractive option for travel to the airport's southern terminals, despite the significant detour.
From a passenger perspective, the ideal solution would be to launch two routes from Khovrino—to the northern and southern terminals, respectively. Or, at worst, just one line to the southern terminals, which have the highest passenger traffic. However, Moscow authorities have chosen the third and worst option, which prioritizes Aeroexpress over passengers. Essentially, the chosen solution simply torpedoes the possibility of launching a normal and convenient express route to Sheremetyevo, including in the future, and merely guarantees the profitability of the Sheremetyevo route for Aeroexpress trains.
Source: travel.ru