Construction of Kazansky railway station began in the 1870s. Four tracks were built initially. The station building, completed in 1864 to a design by Lead Architect of the Moscow – Ryazan Railway Society M. Y. Levestam, was rectangular in shape, with its main façade facing Kalanchyovskaya, now Komsomolskaya Square. The only part of the building to have survived to this day is the former roundhouse.

In 1910, the old station building was partially renovated. During the renovation work, it became clear that the station had to be completely redesigned and rebuilt. Alexey Shchusev was eventually awarded the contract to design the new station building in 1911 following a competitive tender. The official foundation stone was laid in the summer of 1914, although work was well under way by that time. The first stage of construction and decor was completed in 1926, while the second stage was finished in 1940.

The station building closes the Moscow Railway tracks on three sides, and faces Novorizhanskaya Street, Ryazansky Proezd, and Komsomolskaya Square. Shchusev saw the building as a gate to the east; the entrance is decorated with an 87-metre replica of Söyembikä Tower in the city of Kazan.

Kazan was the final stop on this line at the time. The interior was given a traditional Russian feel – the large halls, the powerful arches, and the characteristic shape of the window openings. Shchusev brought in the best artists and designers to design the station, including Alexandre Benois, Boris Kustodiev, Mstislav Dobuzhinsky, K. Roerich, Eugene Lansere, and others.

In 1940, the station was partially renovated. The main façade received a marble coating, and paintings, magnificent sculptures, valuable finishing materials, artistic lighting fixtures in the spirit of the Peter the Great era were placed in the main rooms. The station building was constructed using material that architects of the day especially liked – a combination of red and white stone, giving it a special artistic flavour. The new marble cladding was made from the Ufaley stone that originates from the Ural Mountains.

However, the station building could not handle the increased passenger flow and was in dire need of major repairs and restoration, while other buildings required partial reconstruction. The Mosgiprotrans Institute developed a project to complete the construction of Kazansky Railway Station, with work beginning in 1985. A tower was added to the old building in the form of a risalit that protrudes 12 metres beyond the existing building, as originally designed by Alexey Shchusev. The tower’s spire came to dominate the station in the same way that the main Söyembikä Tower does. A new 3700-square-metre building appeared on Novorizhanskaya Street, and a massive concourse lounge hangs over the station tracks. The construction and reconstruction doubled the station’s capacity.

Today, Kazansky railway station offers high-quality services to up to 140,000 long-distance passengers per day, making it one of the busiest stations in Europe.