General information about travelling by trains

Some types of cabins in Russian trains

The following classification is used in Russia:

• a seat in a common carriage (si`dyachee mesto v `obshchem va`gone),
• a seat (si'dyachee mesto);
• a "platzcart" - that is common car with berths;
• one couch in a 4-berth compartment (a coupe)
• one couch in a 2-bed compartment - those kind of wagons are called "sleep cars"

A seat is like 4th class, a platzcart is 3rd, a couch in a 4-bed coupe is 2nd and a couch in a 2-bed coupe is the 1st class.

Generally, the Russian trains are safe; however, if you’re going on a long journey or if your train is going to make a lot of stopovers, it’s better to be careful about small valuable items and money.

Every carriage has one or two conductors, who look after it 24 hours a day. Every passenger gets his ticket checked upon entry and must present a passport to get on the train. Every train has a police team on board. On every stop the train gets thoroughly checked to make sure there are no minor damages. Every long-distance train has its own diesel generator-carriage.

It is possible to keep the luggage either in an overhead luggage storage area, or under the bed. It is more secure to keep it under your bed.

There are two toilets at each end of every carriage with a WC and a sink; the toilets are usually not very clean. If you take a more comfortable train, there are more chances it will be cleaner.

It’s better not to drink tap water in the train, because it’s dirty.

The showers are provided on long-distance trains and only 1st class carriages. If your train doesn’t have a shower, you can ask a conductor to allow you to use a shower in another carriage for a small fee.

The bed sheets are provided in the train, and a set (which includes a towel) costs about 50R ($1.5-$2).

The train tickets in Russia are issued for a specific date, on a specific date, for a specific journey, and for a specific person.