Of the international events that caught my attention this weekend, one in particular had me in sweaty raptures: happy 80th birthday, Moscow metro!

A trip to see the Moscow underground system, with its grand marble tunnels and bold Soviet murals, is near the top of my bucketlist, alongside visits to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai and Madrid's Atocha station.

I suppose it's time to fess up. My name is Marianne Taylor and I am a trainspotter. Well, that's not strictly true. I'm actually a stationspotter, which is a different thing.

Let me explain. Since I was a child, I've always believed railway stations to be the most romantic places in every sense of the word. They evoke not only the bittersweet meetings and farewells of lovers - my parents and grandparents did much of their courting under the clock at Glasgow Central - but also the happiness and sadness of life-changing journeys, the mundane rhythm of life that begins and ends there every single day.

Every city worth its salt has at least one grand old station, often harking back to the age of steam, a magical place where old stone, glass and wrought iron still exists easily with the modern wave of humanity that passes through.

My passion extends to underground stations too, and my city break choices are often based on whether the destination in question has a metro system. My particular favourites are Berlin, Marseille, London and New York. And, of course, I have a special affection for Glasgow's own wee Clockwork Orange - especially since Alasdair Gray was let loose on Hillhead station. If I need to think hard about something, I often just buy a ticket and ride round the circle a few times. You should try it.

Stationspotting can be an expensive and time-consuming business, of course. In 2007 I made a special trip to London just to see the refurbished St Pancras station on opening day (in case you're wondering, it was well worth it). On a recent trip to Germany, meanwhile, I discreetly rearranged my party's travel plans just so I could visit the Leipzig Hauptbahnhof, the world's biggest railway station. Selfish, but oh so satisfying.

I once even lost a boyfriend due to my obsession. I was living in London at the time and his initially keen interest gradually waned as we spent weekend after weekend travelling the length of the city's Tube lines to find the most interesting stations. I recall an angry altercation inside the art deco masterpiece that is Southgate station on the Piccadilly line. He just didn't get it. In fact, it was worse than that - he liked airports. It would never have worked.