[78193] Technical malfunction and smoke in a Moscow subway car lead to widespread delays

Panic on the Red Line: Malfunction and passenger evacuation in Moscow

In the evening hours of May 31, 2026, panic was recorded among Moscow subway passengers after reports of an "explosion," followed by smoke rising from one of the cars at "Sokolniki" station. According to a report on the Осторожно, новости channel, passengers were forced to abandon the train due to the spreading smoke, with eyewitnesses noting that smoke began to accumulate gradually before the car was evacuated.

The incident led to significant disruptions in train traffic on the red line (Sokolnicheskaya). As reported by the Москвач channel, traffic was temporarily halted on the section between "Komsomolskaya" and "Bulvar Rokossovskogo" stations to allow emergency crews to conduct safety inspections. The Осторожно, Москва channel added that firefighters and police were summoned to the scene, while passengers on nearby trains reported prolonged delays inside the tunnels.

The Moscow Department of Transport (DepTrans) stated that the malfunction stemmed from a local technical failure that was handled by the driver independently. Following this action, channels such as Агентство "Москва" announced that train traffic gradually returned to normal. Officials, including Московские новости, emphasized that there was no danger to the lives of the passengers during the incident.

The main sources of information in this coverage are mostly identified with urban current affairs channels. It should be noted that channels with a more pronounced political bias, such as ЕЖ or Гуляй, Москва, presented the report with a critical tone toward urban maintenance while integrating broader political positions, but the factual data regarding the incident itself remained consistent across all sources.