From 2 Hrs. to 30 Minutes: Moscow's Airport Train

MOSCOW -- I almost cried when I arrived at Moscow's Sheremetyevo-2 International Airport the other day. Not because I was so sad – I was thrilled to be going on vacation – but because the previously tortured trip to the airport is now remarkably painless.

The new Aeroexpress train from Savyolovsky Vokzal, a relatively central train station, cuts the trip to Sheremetyevo to half an hour, a miracle in a city notorious for brutal traffic jams and jostling public transport.

But most important is the direct train, available from early morning until late at night, which now means no more nail-biting trips by car never knowing what disastrous traffic jam or accident will keep you from making your plane. On arrival in Moscow, no more maneuvering through a bus, metro marathon to make it into town in reasonable time at reasonable cost. My last such trip took over two hours.

MP: Moscow must be one of the few major cities in the world that has a subway system that does not connect to the international airport. Arrive in London, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Amsterdam by air, and you can easily take a subway or train to the downtown area, and avoid traffic jams and long delays. Arrive in Moscow, and you have to fight traffic by cab or bus to get to the subway station, about 5 miles away or more from the airport, which will then get you downtown Moscow. Looks like that has finally changed.

Now they should make it more convenient to get from the International Airport (international flights only) to the Domestic Airport (domestic flights only), about 5 miles away. Bags are not automatically transferred between the two airports, and there are no convenient shuttle buses or trains between the two airports. When you need to make a connection to get a domestic flight after arriving at Moscow's International Airport, you're basically on your own.

HT: Greg Allar