With the development of the railway network, the Moscow-Vindava-Rybinsk Railway Company actively built new lines. It originated from the Rybinsk-Bologov Railway Company, founded in 1868.

In 1897, the Company undertook the obligation to build a standard gauge railway approximately 1030 versts long, to significantly shorten the route between Moscow and Vindava, now the port of Ventspils in Latvia. This railway emerged in response to the growth of Russia's foreign trade turnover in the late 19th century and was intended to connect the central part of the country with the ice-free ports of the Baltic Sea.

The Moscow station of the Moscow-Vindava Railway was located at the Krestovskaya Zastava. The station was designed by the famous St. Petersburg architect S. Brzhozovsky (the author of the Vitebsk Station in St. Petersburg) under the guidance of architect Yu.F. Dideriks. The facade of the station was executed in the "Russian" style with elements of pre-Peter the Great Russian architecture. The building consisted of three two-story "terems" connected by single-story passages. There were three entrances to the station: on the left, to the third-class hall; in the center, to the baggage department vestibule and the first and second-class halls; and on the right, to the waiting room. The station and passenger platform were illuminated by electricity generated by its own power station located in the basement of the left wing of the building. A metal canopy was arranged above the platform to protect passengers from bad weather.

The station opened for passengers on September 11, 1901, 2.5 months after the start of train services on the railway. Until that time, trains were received at a small wooden station at the Podmoskovnaya station (now the Krasny Baltiets platform), located 7 kilometers from the under-construction Vindava Station.

Riga Station, one of the quietest in Moscow, serves only two trains a day. Until the 1970s, the metal canopy with massive cast-iron supports gave it a European appearance, while the building's parallel position to the tracks created a "provincial" atmosphere. The station became a backdrop for many domestic films, including "Seventeen Moments of Spring," "Station for Two," "Ballad of a Soldier," and "Admiral."

In the 20th century, the appearance of the station changed little, only the canopy was dismantled. However, the name of the station changed more often than other Moscow stations. Initially named Vindava, in 1930 it became Baltic, 12 years later, Rzhev, and in 1946, Riga.

Reconstruction and Restoration

In 2007, a major renovation was carried out in the building, updating the facades and strengthening the load-bearing structures while preserving historical decorative elements.

Modern Purpose

Today, the station remains just as quiet and "non-Moscow." Since 2005, a railway technology museum has been operating at the station.