"I took the new train to Sheremetyevo. It's brilliant!" In September, our Facebook page was filled with similar messages from our Moscow friends, who tried taking the new high-speed train from downtown Moscow to the city's busiest international airport, Sheremetyevo, and loved it. Travellers were no doubt counting the days until the train service was open -- it now takes 35 minutes to get to the airport instead of dreadful two or more hours of sitting in a giant traffic jam that is Moscow.

Sheremetyevo International Airport was built in 1980 for the Moscow Olympics. Back in the 80s, it took about 45 minutes to get from the airport to your hotel, but there were so few cars! 20 years and 2 million cars later, Moscow cab drivers advise to leave 3 to 4 hours ahead of your flight during rush hour, lasting between 7 A.M. and 8 P.M.

The high-speed rail ride to the airport, which can save you 2 hours and costs 250 roubles ($8, £4), taking you directly into the international terminal. An instant success, the train even made some executives give up their drivers and limos when going to and from the airport. Now they take the train.

Another achievement of the high-speed train is putting the army of gypsy cabs (which scout the hotels with offers to take you to the airport for the price of a 10-day trip to the International Space Station) out of work. Unfortunately, cost of the cab ride to Belorusskaya train station, from where trains depart for Sheremetyevo every 30 minutes, just went up 50%, but it is still a bargain compared to the barbarous pre-train days.

Sheremetyevo, the country's busiest airport, is due to become even busier when an additional terminal, operated by Aeroflot, will open in 2010. Anticipating the expansion, Starbucks just opened a location there, providing travelers an opportunity to compare the taste of Starbucks house brew in their home airport and in Sheremetyevo and to bitch about the latter on their blogs.

Update: Here is an interesting accout of the high-speed train ride given by Emily Gould: "So I got on the train, where I continued going #4 until we reached the airport - luckily the Sheremetyvo Express has very clean, modern, lovely bathrooms, which is great, except now I will forever associate that train with being sick." [Jauntsetter.com]

The high-speed train operates daily from 6AM to 12PM. Trains to Sheremetyevo International Airport leave every half-hour from Belorusskaya and Savelovskaya stations. You can check-in on some flights at the train station.

Aeroexpress [In English]