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Making your way to the right train
It certainly can be part of the journey to make your way to the station
and get the right train, though fore warned is fore armed. You certainly
don't want to be trying a crash course in conversational Russian at midnight
in central Moscow.
Below are some common questions that we are asked about
rail travel within Russia, it is not an exhaustive or definitive guide but
does cover many of the main points. This information is based on our
experience, local rail rules and the feedback of many of our clients, if you
have the chance when you return, we would welcome any information you would
care to share with us that you may think we or others may find useful.
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What are the train stations in Moscow?
Moscow has eight major train stations and all have a local metro connection
from the circle line. Remember, if you are arriving at or leaving Russia on an
international train then you will go through passport control and customs when
you cross the border, not at the train station. The stations are:
| Station |
Belorussky Station
|
| Serves |
Kalliningrad, Lithuania,
Belarus, Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic and some trains to
Latvia. |
| Address |
7 Tverskaya Zastava
Ploshchad |
| Phone |
(495) 251-6093, (495)
973-8191 |
| Metro |
Belorusskaya |
|
| Station |
Kazansky Station |
| Serves |
Serves Central Asia, Ryzan, Ufa, Samara and
Novorossiisk. |
| Address |
2 Komsomolskaya Ploshchad |
| Phone |
(495) 264-6556 |
| Metro |
Komsomolskaya |
|
| Station |
Kievsky Station |
| Serves |
Western Ukraine and
Southeastern Europe. |
| Address |
Ploshchad Kievskogo Vokzala |
| Phone |
(495) 240-1115, (495)
240-0415 |
| Metro |
Kievskaya |
|
| Station |
Kursky Station |
| Serves |
Southern Russia, Caucasus
nations, Eastern Ukraine, and Crimea. |
| Address |
29 Ulitsa Zemlyanoi Val |
| Phone |
(495) 916-2003, (495)
917-3152 |
| Metro |
- |
|
| Station |
Leningradsky Station |
| Serves |
Estonia, Finland, St.
Petersburg and northwestern Russia. |
| Address |
3 Komsomolskaya Ploshchad
|
| Phone |
(495) 262-9143 |
| Metro |
Komsomolskaya |
|
| Station |
Paveletsky Station |
| Serves |
Voronezh, Tambov, Volgograd
and Astrakhan. |
| Address |
1 Paveletskaya Ploshchad |
| Phone |
(495)
235-0522/6807/1920/4109 |
| Metro |
Paveletskaya |
|
| Station |
Savyolovsky Station |
| Serves |
Kostroma, Cherepovets and
some trains to Vologda. |
| Address |
Ploshchad Savyolovskogo
Vokzala |
| Phone |
(495) 285-9005 |
| Metro |
Savyolovskaya |
|
| Station |
Yaroslavlsky Station |
| Serves |
Siberia, the Russian Far
East, Mongolia and China. |
| Address |
5 Komsomolskaya Ploshchad
|
| Phone |
(495)
921-5914/0817, (495) 262-9271 |
| Metro |
Paveletskaya |
|
What are the train stations in St Petersburg?
There are five major train stations in St. Petersburg and all
of them are easily accessible by the metro. International trains will have
customs and passport control checks at the border, and not at the station,
please ensure that your visa matches your travel dates.
|
|
| Station |
Finlandsky Station
|
| Serves |
Helsinki and other destinations in the north
western area such as Murmansk. |
| Metro |
Ploshchad
Lenina |
|
| Station |
Varshavsky Station
|
| Serves |
Pskov, the Baltic states of
Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, and Eastern Europe. |
| Metro |
Baltiskaya |
|
| Station |
Baltiysky Station
|
| Serves |
Local and suburban services
only generally by elektrichka. |
| Metro |
Baltiskaya |
|
| Station |
Vitebsky Station |
| Serves |
Poland, Belarus including
Minsk, Ukraine including Kiev and Odessa. |
| Metro |
Pushkinskaya |
|
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How do I find my platform when I arrive at the
station?
|
 |
When you arrive at the station you will
find, at main stations, an electronic board in the departure hall, that
will shows the train number, the final destination, departure time and
platform.
Moving through the departure hall you will come to the
main platform area which is often laid out in rows. There is a board at
the end of each platform indicating its number. At most of the stations
in Moscow and St. Petersburg, these are electronic boards that also show
the train number, its destination and departure time.
If you arrive early, you will often find large waiting
areas in the station with rows of seats where you can wait. Do keep an
eye on the time as all announcements are in Russian and people have been
known to nod off during a long wait!
Each carriage has a number on the door or window that
identifies it, at the entrance to the carriage will be a conductor who
will check your passport and ticket before allowing you on.
If you need assistance on the platform with baggage
you will find porters who charge by the "peice" often 50 roubles, but if
it looks like you can pay more they will try for it. |
What is a an e-ticket?
E-tickets are one of the easiest ways to book tickets
for Russian trains and remove the need for the actual tickets to be sent from Russia
to you. Please click here for more information.
How do I read the train ticket?
Below you find information on reading a Russian
rail ticket, though when we provide your ticket we also give you a detailed
itinerary in English to assist you. Please note that we will need your passport
number and name to book the ticket as these are printed on the ticket in a
similar way to airline tickets.
How are the train carriages laid out?
The main types of carriages on Russian trains are configured
as follows.
First-class Sleeping Carriage
First class sleeping carriages, also known as "delux",
comprises nine compartments for two people sharing and one compartment for
one person. Each compartment has two berths to sit and sleep on with a table
in between and the door can be locked. At each end of the carriage is a
bathroom with toilet and wash basin. In first class
compartments a passenger has the right to buy both tickets if they wish to
have the compartment to themselves.
First Class Seating Carriage
First class in a seating car (usually in express trains) has a
table and extended room for legs.
Second Class Sleeping Carriage
In a second class sleeper carriage, also known as "Coupe",
there are four berths in each compartment; two lower and two upper ones. The
door can be locked and by the window, there is a table. At each end of the
carriage is a bathroom with toilet and wash basin. In
second class compartments a passenger has the right to buy a maximum of two
tickets, so two people travelling together could, if they wish, have the
compartment to themselves.
Second Class Seating Carriage
The second class in a seating car does not have tables though
does have soft seats, an advantage on a six hour journey!
Third Class Sleeping Carriage
Third class sleepers, also often known as "Plazcart", are
open compartments with no doors. Each compartment has four berths plus two
berths over the corridor. At each end of the carriage is a bathroom with
toilet and wash basin.
Although third class is not as private as first or second
class it may be considered to be a safer option for women travelling alone
as they do not risk sharing a closed compartment with a stranger, however,
for may the Platzcart feels like it was made to transport troops and puts
the sights, sounds, and smells of Russia right in your face!
What are the different types of trains?
Russian trains generally fall into one of three groups: firmeny, skorry or
elektrichki.
Firmeny trains are long distance trains run by a private company. They
usually have a name and on the whole they are faster, cleaner, more comfortable
(as well as more expensive) than other trains. The Rossia (Russia) which
connects Moscow and Vladivostok and the Krasnaya Strella (Red Arrow) which
connects Moscow and Petersburg are two of the more famous firmeny trains.
All other long distance trains are the not-so-aptly named skorry poyezdy
(fast trains). These are generally not as comfortable and make more stops.
For shorter trips most sizable Russian cities are surrounded by a network of
elektrichki, or suburban trains. An elektrichka has no cabins or bunks
and will usually stop everywhere (there are some faster ones on Moscow's
surburban network), including places where the cows won't get off the tracks.
Is travelling by train safe?
Millions of people travel safely every year on Russian
railways and in many ways it can be claimed they are the safest trains in
the world. 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. Most trains have a police team on
board. At every stop the train gets thoroughly checked to make sure there is
no minor damage.
Information from United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth
Office:
If you are travelling by overnight train and have the use
of a sleeping compartment, store valuables in the container under the
bed/seat. Do not leave the compartment empty. Compartments have a simple
lock on the sliding door. On some trains there may be an additional lock to
be attached to the fitted handle/lock unit, which holds this securely
locked. There may also be a steel switch at head-height on the door panel
which, when pulled down, prevents the closed door from being slid open. Plug
the cavity in the switch to prevent it being flipped back. As in most
countries, cities in Russia have their fair share of petty crime. You should
be alert at all times to the possibility of mugging, pick-pocketing and
theft from vehicles or hotel rooms. Be particularly alert to groups of women
and children who beg, and pickpockets around the main railway concourses.
Take care when drinking with or meeting casual or new acquaintances in bars,
restaurants or night-clubs, as there have been incidents of robbery and
violence involving foreigners, amongst them British nationals. Do not leave
your drinks unattended as they may then be drugged.
Are the trains punctual
and what time can I get on my train before it leaves the station?
Yes, Russian trains are very punctual, it is quite amazing to
see a train that has crossed several contents arriving to the minute. However,
occasionally they can be late and in these circumstances you are eligible for a
refund based on a percentage of the ticket cost for every hour it is late, in
practice it is not worth the hassle of claiming this.
You can board the train 30 minutes before it departs the
station.
What happens if I miss my train
or lose my ticket?
If you are unlucky enough to miss your train, and you arrive
at the station within three hours of its departure, then you are entitled to a
replacement ticket on a later train for the price of a third class ticket.
If you are left behind by your train then you should inform
the station master immediately - remember if you need assistance with this and
you have a mobile phone, you can always call our
Moscow office for help. The
station master should then arrange for your luggage which is still on the train
to be put off at the next station and provide a free ticket for you to this
station.
If you have lost your ticket or it is badly damaged, it is
unlikely that you will be issued with a replacement.
Is there food and drink available on the train
and what is it like?
There is food, soft and hard drink, cigarettes, newspapers and
magazines available from kiosks and small shops (magazini) in or around the
departure hall, as you may expect, the prices are much higher than what you
would expect to pay generally in Russia.
On the train itself, you will often find someone wheeling a
small trolley with bottled water, soft drinks, beer, vodka and snacks such as
crisps, nuts and the like, again at fairly high prices.
On many long distance and Firmeny trains
there is a restaurant car serving freshly cooked meals, salads as well as drinks
and cigarettes etc. They are not open 24 hours, so do check out the opening
times which will be posted somewhere in the carriage. The food on each trains
varies, from very good to ordinary and as with most Russian meals it is
generally healthy, you wont get chips with everything!
You will find at the end of each carriage that there is a
Samovar providing hot water for coffee, tea and hot drinks. You can also buy
such drinks from the carriage attendant for 20 to 50 roubles.
On long journeys it is also possible to buy provisions, such
as bottled water, sausage, cheese, bread etc. from vendors at stations along the
way who either come onto the train or hover on the platform.
What are the bathroom facilities like?
They are basic containing a toilet and a sink for washing. At
the start of a journey are clean, however, even on an overnight train they can
get pretty ripe by the time you pull into the station and on a very long journey
can become absolutely "evil". About an hour before you pull in on an overnight
train there can be large queues for the bathroom, so do get up early if you need
to "go". Also, it is recommend you use bottled water for brushing your teeth and
washing rather than the water from the tap and that you take your own hand
towel.
Can I smoke on the train?
Yes, but not in your cabin or corridor areas, only in a
special area between the carriages with the connecting doors shut. There is an
ashtray there for your butts, do not throw them on the floor or out of the window,
this is considered very bad taste. You may find these areas very cold during
winter as they are not heated. On some trains the restaurant car will also allow
you to smoke, though on some smoking is forbidden and you can only smoke after
paying the waitress a "fine".
What sort of things should I take with me on an
overnight or long distance train?
Well this varies from person to person, though it is recommend
that you take:
- Light clothes, such as T-shirts and Jogging bottoms or
shorts, open slippers or sandals - Russian trains can get hot and this is
far more comfortable, also Russians don't like the idea of people wearing
outdoor clothes and shoes in an area they sleep and eat.
- Toiletries such as toothpaste, liquid soap and
deodorant.
- Always bottled water (for drinking and washing) and soft
drinks, maybe beer if you like
- Bread, sausage, cheese and pickles will go down well
(especially with beer). Often you can share these with your travelling
companions who will often seem to have brought half their kitchen with
them!
- A carrier bag for rubbish - you will find a bin area at
the end of the carriage next to the toilet.
- A good book for the long distance trains is always
welcome.
- Feminine hygiene products - it is very difficult to ask
for this in a foreign language.
Can I travel with children?
Yes you can, and children get cheaper tickets as well. One adult can take one child who is up to
five years old free of charge, though they do not
get their own berth. For children between 5 and 10 years old the tickets have up to 75%
of the adult cost and they get their own berth.
IMPORTANT: When boarding the train the child must show either their own passport,
be listed in their parents passport or have a copy and translation of their birth certificate. If the child is listed
in a parents passport then this must include a photograph of the child to allow them board the train.
Remember, that for children, it can be hot on an overnight
train, so don't forget their pyjamas or sleeping clothes.
Are there facilities for disabled people?
On some selected trains leaving from Moscow and St. Petersburg
there are special carriages for wheelchair users with wide corridors, toilet
facilities and larger cabin space, though in the main, there are no special
provisions available.
What about registering my visa on a long journey?
If you arrive in Russia and then continue to transit to your final
destination, for example arrive in Moscow on a Saturday and taking the
Sunday train from Moscow through to Vladivostok which takes over 3 days,
then you should keep copies of your rail or other travel tickets and
show these to any official who asks.
When you arrive at your final destination, please ensure that you
register
your visa as soon as possible.
I have further questions, can you help me?
Yes, while we try to make the information and services on our site as clear,
complete and honest as possible, if you have further questions please feel free
to contact us and we will be
happy to help, or browse through our forums and ask
others who may have the answers you are looking for.
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