Zheleznodorozhny, Railway suburb in Moscow Oblast, Russia
Zheleznodorozhny is a suburb in Moscow Oblast, Russia, which became part of the larger city of Balashikha in 2015. The area includes several residential districts linked by two main railway stations called Kuchino and Zheleznodorozhnaya.
The settlement began in 1861 as a railway station called Obiralovka on the newly built line east of Moscow. Over time, nearby villages like Kuchino, Savvino, Temnikovo and Sergeyevka grew together with the station to form a larger suburb.
The name comes from the Russian word for railway and reflects how train connections shaped this settlement's growth. Commuters now use the stations daily to travel to work in Moscow.
The suburb lies roughly 21 kilometers east of central Moscow and is easily reached by regional rail. Visitors will find mostly residential buildings and local shops spread along the main roads between the two railway stations.
Soviet naval officer Vasily Arkhipov, who helped prevent nuclear war during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, lived here until his death in 1998. Leo Tolstoy also chose this location as the setting for the final scene in his novel Anna Karenina.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
