Double-decker trains in Russia: description, route, features and reviews. Seven disadvantages of a double-decker train from Russian Railways have been identified (photo) Train with double-decker cars

The first double-decker cars in Russia were created at the Tver Carriage Works back in 1905.
The history of modern Russian double-decker cars began on June 16, 2009. It was then that Russian Railways OJSC approved the terms of reference for model range two-story passenger cars locomotive traction - compartment, SV and headquarters. The project is being implemented by the Tver Carriage Works.

Serial production of double-decker passenger cars began at TVZ in 2011.

On at the moment double-decker cars run on the following routes:

  1. Moscow - Kazan as part of the branded train No. 23/24 - launch date - June 1, 2015.
  2. Moscow - St. Petersburg as part of the branded train No. 5/6 - launch date - February 1, 2015.
  3. Moscow - St. Petersburg as part of the branded train No. 7/8 - launch date - February 1, 2016.
  4. Moscow - Adler as part of the branded train No. 103/104 - launch date - October 30, 2013.
  5. Moscow - Voronezh as part of the branded train No. 45/46 - launch date - July 31, 2015.
  6. Moscow - Samara as part of passenger train No. 49/50 - launch date - December 3, 2015.
  7. St. Petersburg - Adler as part of the branded train No. 35/36 - launch date - May 28, 2016.
  8. Moscow-Yaroslavl - planned to launch in 2016.

Characteristics of 2-decker cars

Compartment carriage: 64 berths (instead of 36).

SV carriage: 30 seats (instead of 18).

Staff compartment car: 50 seats (instead of 18-24).

Dining car: 44-48 people in the dining room.

The carriages consist of 4-seater or 2-seater insulated compartments located on 2 floors.

Each compartment has: a table, places to lie, stairs for climbing to the top place, mirrors, lamps, shelves for small things. The compartments are glazed with double-glazed windows.

The compartments are equipped with 2 sockets for connecting electric shavers, mobile and other devices with a power of no more than 100 W.

In 2-seater compartments (SV) each seat equipped with an LCD display for viewing video programs.

Access to compartments is based on individual magnetic key cards.

All carriages are equipped with:

  • three dry closets that can be used during stops;
  • air conditioning and heating systems, which ensure a comfortable microclimate;
  • energy-saving LED lamps;
  • comfortable stairs with handrails;
  • compartment for people with disabilities and a wheelchair lift (in the staff car);
  • rigid sealed inter-car passages;
  • video surveillance system, control system, access control and security of a passenger train.

Energy is supplied from an electric locomotive, which ensures the train's environmental friendliness.
The staff car is equipped with satellite communications and navigation equipment (GLONASS).

Advantages of 2-decker cars

  • Reducing the cost of travel in compartment and SV carriages by increasing the number of seats in the carriage.
  • convenient schedule and shortest travel time for a larger number of passengers;
  • environmentally friendly operation (cars are created using new technologies, equipment and materials).
  • The composition has become more comfortable for people with disabilities. They have a number of amenities that are not available on regular trains.
  • Each compartment is equipped with electrical outlets (two per compartment).

Disadvantages of 2-decker cars

  • no luggage rack
  • The ceiling height in the compartment of a double-decker car is lower than in a single-decker, so you won’t even be able to sit on the top bunk.

Double decker train photos







The first double-decker carriage was made by craftsmen from the Tver Carriage Works in 1905. And 108 years later, in November 2013, a double-decker carriage from the same plant set off on a journey across Russia. What routes do double-decker trains travel in Russia now, what is special about them and what services can be obtained in carriages that are still unusual for us?

Double-decker trains in Russia: where and when did they appear?

The idea of ​​a double-decker train dominated the minds of engineers back in the century before last. The result of the development was a double-decker carriage produced at the Tver Carriage Plant in 1905. It was intended for long-distance transport, and the first floor was reserved for animals and livestock.

In the USSR, several attempts were made to launch double-decker trains. At first they tried to purchase cars made in the GDR. They cruised on some suburban routes. Then there were attempts to create their own versions. The Leningrad plant named after Egorov produced a prototype in which the first floor was sleeping, and the second was with seating. Things didn’t go further than suburban and demonstration launches.

Since 2007, Russian Railways has been working on a project for double-decker trains. We were looking for technologies and placing an order. The same Tver Carriage Plant undertook to produce the double-decker cars; in 2013, the first double-decker car was delivered to the customer. And in the same year two-story train moved along the route Moscow - Adler.

Now the lineups are with double-decker carriages operate on 10 routes. Basically, branded fast trains are double-decker.

  • No. 642/641, Rostov-on-Don - Adler;
  • No. 003/004, Kislovodsk - Moscow;
  • No. 23/24, Moscow - Kazan;
  • No. 5/6, Moscow - St. Petersburg;
  • No. 7/8, Moscow - St. Petersburg;
  • No. 103/104 Moscow - Adler;
  • No. 738/737 Moscow - Voronezh;
  • No. 49/50 Moscow - Samara;
  • No. 35/36 St. Petersburg - Adler;
  • No. 740Zh/739Zh Moscow – Voronezh.

According to the Russian Railways rolling stock modernization program, the number of double-decker trains on the routes is planned to gradually increase.


Features of double-decker trains

Unlike the experiments of the last century, full-fledged sleeping compartments in modern carriages are located on both floors. Passengers get to the second via regular stairs. They are not too wide, but “a picture, a basket, a piece of cardboard” is easy to carry through them.

Many pessimists expected that the compartments on the second floor would have low ceilings; their fears were not justified. The ceiling height is standard and comfortable for passengers on both floors.


There are comfortable “accordion” passages between the cars. The doors between them open automatically after pressing a button. Rattling joints between cars with plates moving apart underfoot are a thing of the past.

Passengers note the comfort, safety and good equipment of double-decker carriages. The compartments are locked with an individual magnetic key, which is given to the passenger upon boarding. The carriage has double-glazed windows and energy-saving lamps. Air conditioning and heating systems are installed. The surveillance, control and monitoring system transmits data to the conductor's compartment. Passengers can be confident about their safety. The compartment also has two sockets for connecting razors and mobile devices.

Comfort comes from the little things. Remember the radio in old carriages, which only the conductor could turn off? In the compartment of a double-decker train, you decide when to listen to music and when not to.


Advantages of double-decker carriages

What other advantages can be noted in double-decker carriages, besides the modern design of the compartment and a good level of comfort?

  • The number of passengers carried is higher than usual. The new trains have 64 sleeping places per carriage, while the regular trains accommodate 36 people in a compartment carriage.
  • Fare to double decker train lower than in a regular coupe because there are more passengers. Compared to ambulances branded carriages tickets of the same class are 20–25% cheaper.
  • Environmental friendliness. The cars are equipped with energy-saving lamps and heating systems, dry closets, and special containers for separate waste collection.

When purchasing tickets for the branded double-decker train, a dynamic pricing program is available. The earlier you buy tickets, the cheaper they are. As the travel date approaches, the price may increase depending on the demand and congestion of the railway route.

When ordering tickets for a double-decker train, please note that each floor has a separate seating plan.

Services on double-decker trains

For the price of the ticket you will be provided with:

  • bed sheets;
  • the top seat in the compartment and all seats in the CB will already be made;
  • drinking water;
  • food (one time);
  • sanitary and hygiene supplies;
  • Wi-Fi;
  • in carriages increased comfort– plasma screens for watching movies or news channels.

The signature double-decker trains have a dining car. There is a bar and kitchen on the ground floor, and a restaurant hall on the second floor.


The carriages have compartments equipped with a lift and wide shelves for passengers with limited mobility.

Good news for lovers of home-cooked food and parents of small children - microwaves are installed in passenger carriages. You can make a hot sandwich or heat up food taken from home.

Double-decker trains now connect the south and center of Russia. There are routes from Moscow to Kazan, Samara, Voronezh. It is planned that in the future, on most long-distance routes, double-decker cars will completely replace reserved seat cars.

I have only seen modern double-decker trains in European countries. In Finland, on Allegro, we passed a similar train with the VR logo - Finnish Railways. And in Germany and Belgium they managed to use them for their intended purpose. But these were seated trains that ran between cities in the same country during the daytime. And the new Russian Railways cars are designed to occupy the niche of low-cost overnight trains. There is a problem with a shortage of tickets on weekends of the week, and double-decker cars will take over this passenger flow.

Currently, new cars are in the Moskovsky railway station depot:
2.

From the first photo you can judge the height of the new cars and compare them with the old, single-story ones. Sergey, a great expert railway transport, kindly agreed to help me clearly demonstrate the height of the carriage in the photograph. Impressive, right?
3.

This is what a couple of cars looks like from the outside. How the passage between the cars is organized inside can be seen below:
4.

Those who enter the carriage for the first time will see approximately this picture. I would like to note the pleasant colors in which everything around is painted:
5.

These double-decker cars are produced in Russia at the Tver Carriage Plant. I didn’t know about the existence of this, everyone knows only the Mytishchi plant, which makes cars for metro trains :)
6.

General view of the passage on the first floor. I’ll note the digital display on the ceiling, which shows the time, temperature and car number:
7.

There are stairs on both sides of the corridor that take you to the second floor:
8.

The view of the second floor corridor is practically no different from the view on the first floor. If you don't pay attention to the details and don't look out the window, of course. The numbering of places on two floors is as follows: on the first floor - 1-32 places, on the second floor - 81-112 places. The lower seats of compartment cars are odd, and the upper ones are even.
9.

Now let's take a closer look at the coupe. The doors here are unlocked with magnetic cards, which are given to passengers upon boarding:
10.

General view of the coupe. Energy-saving LED lamps are used as lighting sources. Bed linen is included in the ticket price. The upper shelves are lined by the conductor before departure, the lower shelves are filled with packed sets of linen already in the compartment.
11.

Now let's look at the details. This wall has retractable footrests to make it convenient to climb to the top place:
12.

On both sides of each sleeping place Bright spotlights with switches are installed. With their help, you can arrange your own personal lighting without disturbing others' sleep. A window is a glass unit. There is a speaker installed above the window in the middle, from which music plays and, if necessary, voice alerts sound. There are volume buttons under the speaker:
13.

Included soffit, and hooks with hangers. Below are the main lighting switches:
14.

For electrical outlet Many people will say thank you:
15.

Here I used Mikhail’s help to show the distance between places:
16.

The number of information signs and warnings is impressive:
17.

There are two types of compartment cars: staff cars and regular ones. The head of the train rides in the staff car, along with the passengers; there will be one such car for the entire train. The staff car has a slightly different configuration of rooms, and because of this there fewer places— 50 versus 64 seats in a regular carriage. Due to this, some rooms in different carriages may look different. For example, toilets can come in at least three different configurations. The photo below shows the main toilet in the staff car. On the right hand there is a sink, a water tap, a dispenser for liquid soap, an outlet for electric shavers and three rather large mirrors:
18.

Toilet and toiletries opposite the sink:
19.

20.

21.

In addition, the staff car has a toilet for disabled people, including those in wheelchairs. Here the room is several times more spacious:
22.

And next to it, through the wall, there is a compartment for the disabled. There are two sleeping places (one for a disabled person, the second for an accompanying person), and a separate chair.
23.

24.

All switches are signed in raised Braille for the visually impaired and blind:
25.

In a regular carriage, the toilet rooms are simpler and smaller. Apparently there will be no shortage of available toilets on this train:
26.

He promised to show the passage between the cars. The orange doors open when you press the “OPEN” button, and automatically close hermetically after 15 seconds. There is a vestibule, but it is narrower than in old trains, and you cannot smoke there:
27.

We go into the third car, which was shown to us - the dining car. It is also two-story.
28.

On the ground floor there is a bar and kitchen:
29.

View in front of the bar counter:
30.

Kitchen:
31.

32.

On the second floor there is a restaurant with 48 seats, 4 seats at each table:
33.

34.

Above each table there is a panel for calling waiters. They provided a separate button to ask for an invoice. Competently!
35.

While eating you can watch football, for example:
36..

The restaurant has a very rich train menu. I'm used to seeing this in decent restaurants. How about a burger for 400 rubles? Quite an adequate price, considering that food is provided on the train on the way from St. Petersburg to Moscow and back.
37.

In addition to the main menu, there are signature dishes. This menu is different depending on the direction of travel:
38.

Well, some views from office premises. Here you can pour cold water or boiling water for tea, heat up food, and wash dishes. Opposite there is a coffee maker:
39.

Each carriage is equipped with a heating and air conditioning system, which is controlled from such a panel. The panels of the video surveillance system, security and access control to the premises are also displayed here. The cars receive all power supply from an electric locomotive. And the staff car, in addition, is also equipped with satellite communication and navigation systems.
40.

And I would also like to add that young and smiling conductors work on this train:
41.

Now let's talk about the price of the issue. The train we looked at will be numbered 5/6. Under number 5 he will travel from St. Petersburg to Moscow, and under number 6 - back. The first flight, as I said above, is scheduled for February 1st. You can buy tickets for this train only in compartments; there are no reserved seats.

Tickets are already on sale. This happens according to a dynamic pricing system, when the cost of tickets increases as they are sold out and seats on the train are filled. The very first 200 tickets for a flight will cost a minimum amount of 1,299 rubles. The next 300 seats will cost 1,699 rubles, and then increasing. The last 100 seats will be the most expensive; they are priced at 2999-3299 rubles. You also need to know that the lower shelves will be slightly more expensive than the upper ones, namely 150-200 rubles. But travel on the first and second floors has no difference in price.
For comparison, the ones we are used to reserved seat carriages other trains cost 1100-1600 rubles, and compartments cost 2000-3000 rubles.

Now you know approximately what awaits you if you decide to buy a night ticket in a compartment in the direction of St. Petersburg - Moscow - St. Petersburg. We will monitor the first reviews during the actual flight. If you have any comments or suggestions, write here, I will pass them on to the responsible employees.

For several years now I have been traveling to St. Petersburg with Sapsan, saving time, which is never enough anyway. On the way there I usually work, on the way back I sober up.

In early February, a double-decker train appeared on the country's most popular railway route. The same as the Moscow-Adler train launched a year ago for the Olympics. I never rode it then, I didn’t make it to the depot on the recent blogger press tour, so I’ll just ride it myself. Travel time is usual, eight hours, overnight. Strange and blurry people nearby - my St. Petersburg friends who came to see off alcoholic from Moscow back to the capital.

1 Three generations of railway equipment in one frame. Suburban train, fast “Swallow” and a double-decker train.

2 There’s no arguing about design, but it’s not here. Yes, not the handsome Sapsan, the flagship of the railways. This is generally an economic class, a future replacement for reserved seat throughout the country. Ticket prices start from 1,300 rubles.

The carriages were made at the Tver plant, in that city there is generally a strange understanding of the sense of beauty. But we should go, not checkers? It is much more important what kind of carriage is inside, and whether it is crowded there.

3 Railway riddle. In total, sixty-four people fit into the carriage, and on the second floor there are seats from 81 to 112. The conductor then answered my question, but I want to invite you to guess for yourself. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll add an answer later, and if you guess right, you’ll get free PR :)

4 Let's go inside. Externally, it is quite different from the train we are used to.

5 The corridors themselves are exactly the same, of course. Just on two floors.

6 There are stairs on both sides of the carriage. They are not that narrow, by the way, it is not difficult to drag a suitcase.

7 Standard coupe, four-seater. Inside, all compartments of Tver carriages look exactly like this. This is the second floor, and the photo should dispel the myth of cramped conditions and low ceilings on the second floor. In fact, the first one may seem cramped, but even that depends on the size of the person.

8 There are four individual lamps per compartment, but for some reason there are only two sockets. But this is progress, in the last generation there was only one, and before that there were no sockets in the compartment at all.

10 Toilets are concentrated in one part of the carriage. There are three bathrooms here. 25% less than before, because there are two toilets in a regular carriage, and three in a two-story carriage.

12 Carriage toilets have long ceased to be something indecent; here the toilet is normal, and the tap works as usual, and not like a village washbasin.

13 Opposite the toilets are bins for separate waste collection. There is no such program in the country yet, but someday, probably, we will also pack all the waste into different buckets or sort it when throwing it away.

14 A look at an ordinary carriage from the top shelf of the second floor. Views from the window - no strong point this route, even in summer the train from St. Petersburg to Moscow runs at such a time that it is dark outside almost the entire way, making it inconvenient to take pictures.

15 Transition between cars. Do you remember how it snowed there back in the day?

16 On the first floor there was a free compartment for people with limited mobility. There are only two places, the bottom shelf is one and a half times wider, there is a place to put the stroller. Pay attention to the ceiling - it’s tighter here, but if you lie on the top shelf, you still won’t bury your nose in the roof.

17 Toilet for disabled people. So far, only one carriage is equipped for the needs of people with disabilities. Unfortunately, in Russia they are not very free to move.

18 Oh, what is this! Tver Carriage Works has fixed its bug in the previous version! Somehow it turned out that on some trains there was no way to control the volume of sound in the corridors, and only the conductor could turn off the radio or the announcements of the head of the train. Now anyone can do this.

19 The coolest place is the bar. It's not just coffee that's served here!

20 The dining car is also two-story, and the dining room is on the second floor. Typically, dining cars are not popular on Moscow-St. Petersburg trains. Well, I got on the train, went to bed, and woke up at the station. But here it was packed.

21 The cooks in the kitchen wear stylish uniforms similar to those worn in Japanese restaurants.

22 The menu includes steaks and pork ribs, and just giant burgers! I find this sandwich especially delicious because I’m currently on a diet and it’s not allowed!

23 The kitchen is on the ground floor, and all food is taken up in a special elevator. Ring! The waiter brings the burger to the table!

24 They say that in a few years, just such double-decker trains will be running on most routes in the country, and reserved seat cars will become extinct, as long ago obsolete.

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Double decker buses or double deckers are the hallmark of London and those who have never even been to the capital of Foggy Albion know about them. What is known about double-decker trains? They can be found on the railways of most countries, and in Russia such transport was put into operation on the eve of the Sochi Olympics. The first one was launched on the Moscow-Adler route, since then there have been more of them, they are mainly occupied on long-distance routes.

About double-decker trains

A double-decker passenger car is not an invention of the future, since they were invented at the beginning of the 20th century. at the Tver Carriage Works. They were intended to transport passengers to the Far East, but only the 2nd floor was used for people, and livestock was transported on the 1st. They were not in operation for long and for a whole 50 years they forgot about multi-storey railway transport.

Khrushchev repeatedly tried to revive the 2-story train during Soviet times. These attempts were unsuccessful and such cars were not used en masse. Only with the advent of the 21st century. In Russia, they began producing double-decker railway trains, which were developed and produced at the same Tver Carriage Plant.

A trip in such a carriage is almost no different from a trip in an ordinary single-decker, and the level of safety meets the required standards. Although some countries have abandoned the use of multi-story passenger cars, since they are technically difficult to maintain.

Double-decker train - general view

Characteristics of double-decker trains

A double-decker long-distance train consists of the following elements:

  • compartment cars with a capacity of 64 people each;
  • one SV car with 30 seats;
  • staff car with 50 seats;
  • dining car for 44 people (1st floor – bar, 2nd floor – dining room).

The development of domestic double deckers was carried out with the involvement of French specialists, and the assembly is carried out entirely at the Tver plant. The trains are capable of accelerating to a maximum of 160 km/h, and are driven by the EP20 electric locomotive. Designed specifically as a locomotive for multi-deck carriages, running on direct or alternating current.

If you compare the dimensions of a regular and a 2-story carriage, it turns out that the latter is not much different from its “younger brother”: the new carriage is only half a meter higher and weighs 8 tons more. These are not such big numbers, considering that the two-tier passenger train almost 2 times more spacious. The task of the designers was to create a “train of the future” for large passenger traffic, and at the same time it had to move without problems along existing railway lines. What was done for this? The center beam was modernized, making it more compact. In addition, we had to sacrifice the upper niches for luggage. Stabilizers protect against pitching in the upper carriage.

Diagram of a double-decker compartment car of Russian Railways

Russian double-decker trains

Russian Railways put the first double-decker cars into circulation in 2013; by 2020, it is planned to provide all routes with the highest loads with branded double-decker cars. What know-how is used in such cars? Here are the most basic ones that cannot be found in ordinary carriages:

  • You can only get into the compartment using a magnetic card, which is issued to each passenger individually. This guarantees the safety of luggage if a person needs to leave for a while.
  • Each carriage has two sockets.
  • The entrance to the carriage is automated and opens using a button.
  • Each carriage has three dry closets, which are open throughout the journey. And they differ in the level of comfort, inside there is an outlet, disposable toilet covers, a large mirror, liquid soap, paper towels and toilet paper.
  • The carriages are equipped with a unified climate control and air conditioning system.
  • The staircase to the second floor is equipped with lighting and observation glass to see those who are climbing.
  • Car crossings are completely sealed.
  • For people with limited mobility there is a compartment (in the staff car), a lift for boarding the transport and a toilet.
  • The headquarters car is equipped with a GLONASS system, thanks to which satellite Internet is available along the entire route.
  • The train is equipped with a special control system, which is carried out from the headquarters car.
  • Each carriage has an electronic display with general information(car number, time, temperature, etc.).
  • The carriages are equipped with a small utility room with a water cooler, coffee machine, and microwave. In some NE carriages you can even find a shower and an iron and ironing board.
  • Separate waste receptacle for glass, plastic and food waste.

Boarding a disabled person into a carriage

Additional information! The price standard includes Russian Railways branded bed linen and hot water for tea. You also receive a packed lunch (muffin, bun, nutrition bar, tea bags and water bottle) and a hygiene pack (wet wipe, toothbrush, hygiene products, disposable slippers). These sets may differ slightly on different routes. But the cost of travel on futuristic trains differs, and significantly. The earlier the ticket is booked, the cheaper it will cost. If you need to travel on holidays or weekends, you will have to pay more.

Coupe

At first glance, the compartment in such a train looks like an ordinary one, and only upon detailed study does it become clear that there are differences. The distance to the ceiling on the upper shelves has become smaller, but this is not felt during sleep. But for the upper passengers, they added a couple of details that will make their trip easier: a limiter on the edge of the bed and a retractable step-ladder to make it easier to climb upstairs.

Previously, all people, without exception, were annoyed by the radio point, which could not be turned off; on double-decker Russian Railways trains, each passenger can turn off the radio broadcast for himself. Each shelf also has hooks and hangers for clothes, a shelf for personal items, and individual adjustable lighting.

Coupe. Inside view

Staff carriage

The headquarters compartment car contains the train director's compartment, a control room, and a control panel for security and climate control systems. In addition, this carriage is equipped with a compartment for wheelchair users. Its area is larger than that of a regular coupe; inside there are: a lower shelf with an adjustable backrest, an upper shelf for an accompanying person, a place for a wheelchair, a table, and a folding seat.

Note! To make it easier for people with disabilities to travel on the train, the carriage is conveniently located with an automated lift, a toilet for passengers in a wheelchair, and the compartment has a button to call the conductor. All inscriptions are duplicated in Braille (for the blind).

SV-car

As with many trains, the 2-story branded train There is a SV carriage with increased comfort. The price of a ticket in such a carriage is much higher, but the passenger receives the following advantages: each compartment has only two lower passenger seats, and in addition to a food ration, the ticket price includes two meals a day.

Dining car

The “restaurant on wheels” is located in car No. 8, so passengers who want to have lunch during the trip need to buy tickets closer to this car in order to make fewer transitions. On the ground floor there is a kitchen, utility rooms and a small bar, but on the second floor there is the restaurant itself, designed for 44 visitors.

Dining car

The color scheme of the interior of the dining car is designed in blue and pastel colors, in accordance with the general color scheme of the entire train. The pleasant thing is a decent menu, freshly prepared food and quite affordable prices for a dining car.

Double deck train routes

By 2018, the Russian Railways branded double-decker train was launched on the following routes:

  • Rostov - Adler No. 642/641: departure from Rostov at 20:55, arrival in Adler at 8:21. Travel time 11 hours 26 minutes.
  • Moscow – Kislovodsk No. 003/004: departure from Moscow 08:22, arrival in Kislovodsk at 08:28. Travel time: 23 hours 54 minutes.
  • Moscow – Kazan No. 23/24: departure from Moscow at 23:08, arrival in Kazan at 10:45. Travel time: 11 hours 35 minutes.
  • Moscow - St. Petersburg No. 5/6, No. 7/8: departure of train No. 5/6 from Moscow at 22:50, arrival in St. Petersburg at 6:47; departure of train No. 7/8 from Moscow at 21:50, arrival in St. Petersburg at 6:06. On average the journey takes about 7 hours.
  • Moscow – Adler No. 103/104: departure from Moscow at 10:00, arrives in Adler 24 hours later.
  • Moscow - Voronezh No. 738/737 (with seats): departure from Moscow at 16:52, arrival in Voronezh at 23:12. Travel time 6 hours 30 minutes.
  • Moscow - Samara No. 49/50: departure from Moscow at 18:10, arrival in Samara at 9:45. Travel time: 15 hours 35 minutes.
  • St. Petersburg - Adler No. 35/36: departure from St. Petersburg at 20:27, arrival Adler at 10:11. Travel time 37 hours 44 minutes.
  • Moscow – Voronezh No. 740Zh/739Zh: departure from Moscow at 8:14, arrival in Voronezh at 14:34. Travel time 6 hours 20 minutes.

The train schedule and directions are given for informational purposes, as changes may be made to them, so you should find out current information on the official website of Russian Railways.

Train on the way

Features of double-decker trains: pros and cons

Thousands of Russians and tourists have already taken the opportunity to ride on a double-decker train, and they have appreciated the advantages of such a trip from their own experience. Mostly almost everyone highlighted the following advantages:

  • unusual and interesting appearance;
  • convenient carriage layout;
  • comfort and cleanliness;
  • sockets, WI-FI, magnetic key cards;
  • reduction of travel time;
  • increased sound insulation and absence of “shaking” on the second floor;
  • dry closets that the conductor does not close in the sanitary zone.

Although there are some shortcomings, these include the following:

  • too few conductors - two for 64 passengers;
  • the steps are steep, making it difficult to lift luggage;
  • the overhead luggage rack disappeared;
  • there are few toilets - one for 21 people, in regular ones one for 18 people;
  • motion is felt on the second floor;
  • low ceilings;
  • windows are inconveniently located;
  • lack of satellite internet.

Boarding the train

All reviews are contradictory and in order to form your own opinion about Russian double-deckers, you need to “know the whole kitchen from the inside,” that is, choose one of the routes and ride this miracle of the 21st century yourself.

Double-decker trains are slowly becoming a familiar part of the interior of railway stations and are no longer surprising passengers. However, the day may not be far off when the Russian Railway decides to surprise once again and put a three-story train on the rails?