Aeroexpress, the company that operates commuter train services from Moscow airports to the city, is likely to operate an express bus route to Sheremetyevo Airport from the Khovrino metro station along the M-11 toll road. The line will be quite unique, however—it was planned by the capital's Department of Transportation to avoid competition with Aeroexpress commuter trains as much as possible, reports Travel.ru's own correspondent.
Aeroexpress was the only participant in the Moscow City Hall's tender for this route, according to the Telegram channel "Novy Deptrans." The results of the tender opening report state that the tender notice was published on the Moscow Department of Transport's 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. No tender notice was found on the website, and it is unknown whether other market participants were aware of it.
This entire process appears even more perplexing when one takes a closer look at the future express route, which will be designated 1195. It will serve only the new Sheremetyevo-1 (B) domestic terminal—the only terminal without an Aeroexpress station within walking distance. Furthermore, it is the furthest terminal from the Khovrino metro station, handling less than half of the airport's passenger traffic.
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 distant terminal, Sheremetyevo-1 (B), to reduce competition with its own trains. Therefore, it can be assumed that route 1195 was initially planned with Aeroexpress' interests 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.
According to the tender terms, route 1195 is to be served by seven high-capacity buses. This is sufficient to ensure approximately a 15-minute headway, but the actual schedule is not yet known. The route is 21 kilometers long each way, with no stops planned. Travel time is estimated at 20-25 minutes, depending on traffic conditions at the airport and metro.
The fare is also still unknown. Given the circumstances surrounding this route's launch, it's safe to assume the fare will be very high—perhaps several hundred rubles. As a reminder, a standard one-way Aeroexpress ticket currently costs 500 rubles.
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 volumes. However, Moscow authorities have chosen the third and worst option, which favors Aeroexpress over passengers.
Source: travel.ru