In an open competition Formin won with his plans and realized the Ministry of Railways (People's Ministry of Communication) between 1928 - 1931. For the new construction the Sapasnoi palace from the 18th century was destroyed.

In the modern skeleton system of glass façades, Formin exchanges the vertical elements with pillars arranged in pairs supporting an attic storey. In this structured system he sought to link Neo-Classicism with avant-garde.