Many of the line's stations are renowned for their grand interiors and intricate architectural features and have been classified as objects of cultural heritage.

The first stage of the line followed Moscow's busiest transport artery the Leningradsky Prospekt or as it moves into the centre the Tverskaya Street (formally Gorkovskaya hence the original name), and connected the northwestern districts of Aeroport and Begovoy along with the Belorussky Rail Terminal with the city centre in 1938.

The second stage, construction of which was going uninterrupted during the World War II, opened in 1943 and followed the Red Square south under the Moskva River into the dense district of Zamoskvorechye (hence the current name) and then onto the Paveletsky Rail Terminal and more significantly the Stalin Factory (ZiS) in the southeast of Moscow.

In 1969, the line was extended south towards Nagatino industrial district andthe Kolomenskoye park, ultimately reaching Chertanovo Severnoye.

In 1984, a third southeastern extension connected Kashirskaya station with Tsaritsyno park and into the Orekhovo-Borisovo housing massifs, while the previously built branch towards Chertanovo became a separate Kakhovskaya line.

In late 1985 the second stage was completed, reaching a length of 36.9 kilometres with 20 stations and a daily passenger traffic of 1.8 million people.

The world famous Mayakovskaya station following the opening of the second exit in 2005 had its original vestibule closed for replacement of escalators.

It is expected that additional reconstruction will be done on 1960s "centipede" stations including the replacement of old ceramic tiles with aluminium planes.

In addition to the provisions, another station was recently approved to be built on the surface level track between Avtozavodskaya and Kolomenskaya.