Paveletsky railway station opens in Moscow
The Moscow City Government, the Ministry of Railways and the Ryazan-Ural Railway Company paid special attention to choosing the site for the future station. A dedicated committee discussed a few options, such as locations near Drovyanaya Square and Konnaya Square, or somewhere else in Zamoskvorechye (a historic quarter south of the Kremlin), or even at Spasskaya Square, which would require a railway bridge across the Moskva River to be built. Eventually, the committee opted for Kozhevniki borough in the south-east of the then Moscow.
The resolution was adopted to locate the passenger station on Zatsepa Street, and the freight station along Danilovskaya Street. "The spot chosen for the station by the Ryazan-Ural Railway Company meets our interests more than any other location", the manufacturers and industrialists wrote in their appeal to the city council on September 2, 1897.
After acquiring the land for the station, the Ryazan-Urals railway undertook to build an overpass over the Serpukhov highway, to take part in the reconstruction of the Smaller Krasnokholmsky bridge across the Vodootvodny canal, and also to build in front of the terminus entrance a square "at least 150 meters long down Zatsepa street at least 43 meters wide from the terminus building to Zatsepa street."
On January 19, 1900, train service commenced on the Pavelets – Moscow line. The new terminus in Moscow was not ready by then, so the first trains from Pavelets arrived at the Kursky station. However, the city soon acquired the Saratovsky Railway Station, as it was referred to in the documents (after the city of Saratov, the largest hub in the network of the Ryazan-Ural Railway Company). The name "Paveletsky" was established after the Great Patriotic War.
Architect A. Krasovsky designed an elegant and convenient two-story building 84 meters long, 23 meters wide, with a third floor above the middle part and lofts above the sides. It was built of bricks on a rubble foundation. The façade was faced with custom-made bricks, and the basement – with hewn stone. The lobby in the middle of the station separated the halls for the 1st and 2nd class passengers from the 3rd class premises. The second floor accommodated offices, the station master’s apartment, as well as the keeper’s and cafeteria attendant’s flats. Along its back facade, the building had technical premises, service rooms, lounges and exits to the platforms.
The newly-built station revitalized the neighborhood. The square nearby was soon built up with stone houses, shops, taverns, hotels. A horse-driven tram, later an electric tram line was built to the station. Zatsepsky market to the right of the station was reputed to be the cheapest in Moscow.
In the early 1980s, the reconstruction of the Paveletsky railway terminus got underway, with its area increased sixfold, and its capacity quadrupled.
On November 3, 1987, the renovated station welcomed its first passengers. Architects A. Gurkov, S. Kuznetsov and A. Vorontsov managed to preserve the architectural appearance and style of the original design. Note that the old building was made part of the modern complex rather than destroyed. Although the new station seems to only have one story when seen from outside, it actually has three levels of passenger premises and a technical floor behind the facade. Two halls with their authentic decor have been preserved from the original design, with the domed spaces organically encapsulated in the interiors, adding to the opulence.
The upgraded Paveletsky railway station can accommodate and render high-quality services to about 10 thousand people. On August 3, 2002, the high-speed express Moscow Paveletskaya – Domodedovo airport was inaugurated.