In this context, the narrator means that the phrase "two-thirds empty car" implies no one was standing in the car, and of the standard 42 seats, about 10-15 were occupied.
Passengers who use the Moscow Metro after 9 PM know that about half of the passengers who boarded at Teatralnaya leave the car at the transfer stations Tretyakovskaya and Paveletskaya. By the time it reaches Avtozavodskaya, only about a third of the original number remains.
The design of the 81-717/714 series cars
The passenger seats in the 81 series cars are arranged lengthwise, with their backs to the walls of the car on either side of the central aisle. In the base configuration there are no partitions between seats. The seating between the doors holds 6 people, and the end sections of the car — 3. In total, the head cars (81-717) have 42 seats, and the intermediate cars (81-714) — 44.
The narrator was riding in a head car — which is exactly why 42 seats are mentioned.
The history of the "numbered" cars
The 81-717/714 series cars received the unofficial name "numbered" after a unified classification system for rolling stock by numeric index was introduced in 1976. Before that, all passenger rolling stock had only letter designations (types A, B, V, G, D, E, and their modifications).
Paradoxically, these cars were originally created as a temporary solution — for testing electrical equipment intended for the prospective "I"-type cars, which never went into serial production. As the saying goes, "there is nothing more permanent than a temporary solution" — this phrase, attributed to Albert Jay Nock, could not better describe the fate of the "numbered" cars.
Scale of production
The 81-717/714 became the most mass-produced series of metro cars in the world — more than 7,500 units across all modifications were built from 1976 to 2021. The geography of these cars' use is unique:
- All metro systems of the post-Soviet space (except the Almaty Metro, which uses Hyundai Rotem trains)
- Cities of the former socialist bloc: Prague, Budapest, Warsaw, Sofia
- The largest number are in service on the Saint Petersburg Metro
Design features
The 81-717/714 cars were designed with Soviet passenger transport standards in mind. The lengthwise seating arrangement maximized capacity while preserving comfort. Wide doors (4 per car) ensured fast boarding and alighting at stations with heavy passenger traffic.
The interior color scheme — the characteristic blue seats and gray-blue walls — became a signature feature of the Soviet and post-Soviet metro. Materials were chosen for durability and ease of maintenance, not for comfort.
Modifications and development
Over the years of production, more than 24 modifications of the "numbered" cars appeared. The main differences concerned:
- Control systems (from relay-contactor to microprocessor-based)
- Traction motors and braking systems
- Interior finishing
- Adaptation to the climate conditions of different regions
The last cars of the 81-717.4K/714.4K series were delivered to the Sofia Metro, bringing to a close the 45-year production history of this legendary series.
The Warsaw precedent
An interesting example of a "second life" for Soviet cars is the Warsaw Metro, which received "numbered" cars as technical assistance and subsequently donated most of them free of charge to Kyiv. Similar plans exist for transferring some cars to Kharkiv.
Cultural significance
For several generations of residents of the USSR and post-Soviet countries, the "numbered" cars became an inseparable part of the urban landscape. Their characteristic noise, the clatter of the wheels, the smell, and the interior shaped a distinctive atmosphere of underground transport.
In 1993, when the events of the novel take place, these cars were at the height of their service life — relatively new (most no more than 10-15 years old), reliable, and forming the backbone of the Moscow Metro's rolling stock.