Train travel in Russia is possible between almost all major cities of the Russian Federation. Russia is a vast country, and sometimes train takes need a week to reach a final station. The number of modern and refurbished trains increases every year despite huge military spending. Russian aggression against Ukraine has resulted in the suspension of numerous international connections, but it is possible that Russia will want to expand its territory in the coming years, so these trains may reinstated as domestic trains.
Almost all trains in Russia are operated by Russian Railways ( Российские железные дороги)
Last updated: 16.03.2024
Train travel in Russia – domestic trains
Every traveler planning a trip to Russia should remember the addresses of two useful websites:
pass.rzd.ru – website of Russian Railways, where you can buy tickets for long-distance and international trains. It does not work for people from some countries.
www.poezdato.net – timetable of long-distance trains in Russia and the former Soviet republics. Possibility to search the timetable by station and buy tickets for some trains. Currently, the website works very slow due to numerous advertisements.
www.tutu.ru – Russian ticket sales agent. Tickets for trains, buses, planes, timetables with drawn connection maps.
Tickets can be purchased 40 days in advance. Long-distance trains in Russia have only reserved seats, berths and beds. Tickets for long-distance trains are relatively expensive, especially if you choose high quality trains.
Russian trains are considered safe, but due to political situation foreigners may face hostility. During long, sometimes several hours long stops at railway stations, you can buy all kinds of food and groceries.
There are trains from Moscow and Sankt Petersburg to Kaliningrad. These trains pass through the territory of Belarus and Lithuania.
Train travel in Russia – basic information:
– since May 2018, trains in Russia run according to local time, not Moscow time.
– on Russian long-distance trains, tickets are personal, valid only with a passport.
– trains arrive at the starting stations approximately 40 minutes before departure
– don’t forget about refreshing wipes. Showers can only be found in the newest carriages.
– most long-distance trains have dining cars.
– in each carriage, passengers have a samovar with boiling water at their disposal, so you can make tea, coffee or powdered soup at any time.
– there are sanitary zones around cities – toilets are closed when passing through the city according to the schedule posted on the toilet door. In Moscow, this may be up to an hour before reaching the station. Fortunately, more and more Russian carriages are equipped with vacuum toilets and you can forget about the sanitary zone.
– a very important person in each overnight carriage is “provadnitsa”. Most often, there are two women working in shifts in each carriage of a long-distance train. Before entering, they check tickets and identity documents, provide bed linen, clean toilets several times a day, ensure safety, and help with boarding and disembarkation.
Trains in Russia – types of the trains
Train travel in Russia may seem complicated. There are two clocks at each station – one with Moscow time, the other with local time. Long-distance trains (poezd) run according to Moscow time, while suburban trains (elektrichka) run according to local time. Trains in Russia are generally divided into six categories, but there are exceptions.
firmiennyj (фирменный) – firmiennyj trains are named or branded trains launched by Russian Railways. Trains of this type are much expensive than traditional ones, but passengers can be assured of high-quality services. These trains stop only at major stations and the carriages are refurbished and air-conditioned. The most famous train of this type is the 1/2 “Russia” train from Moscow to Vladivostok.
niefirmiennyj (нефирменный) – most common long-distance trains, usually comprised of non-refurbished platzkart coaches and sleeper cars, usually without VIP/LUX/SV cars. The quality of services is lower, so the tickets are much cheaper.
skorostnoj (скоростной) – new generation of fast trains running between the largest cities. This category includes, for example, Sapsan trains running on the Moscow – Saint Petersburg route. They are often named after bird species. These trains are usually equipped with air-conditioning and vacuum toilets.
skoryj (скорый) – an express train generally. Express trains in Russia run on long-distance routes and do not stop at all stations. The category includes “фирменный” or “нефирменный” trains; they differ in the quality of passenger carriages.
pasazirskij (пассажирски) – a long-distance train stopping at every station.
prigorodski (пригородный) – suburban train, also called “elektritschka”. The interior is usually made of plastic, metal or even wooden benches with an opposite 3+3 seating arrangement. These trains usually run around largest cities.
Trains in Russia – types of the carriages
In timetable you can notice some types of passenger carriages very common in former Soviet Union countries:
VIP – luxurious double compartments equipped with, among others: with a flat-screen TV, a DVD table, a toilet and a shower. There is a fully equipped bar at guests’ disposal. In addition, they are provided with clean bedding and three meals a day. There are only 4 such compartments in one carriage, which can accommodate 8 people.
LUX/SV (1st class) – double compartments with comfortable, fold-out sofas. The standard varies depending on the train – you may find compartments with televisions. The carriages are usually air-conditioned and additionally soundproofed. Each carriage of this type has a shower. One carriage has 8 compartments and 16 seats.
Kupe «K» – sleeping car “Kupe”. Most common sleeping car with 4-bed compartments. Two upper beds and two lower beds. Each carriage has nine separate compartments with four bunks.
Platskart car “PL” – couchette car popular in Ex-USRR countries. Cheap and comfortable option with unique atmosphere but no privacy. The open-class carriage consists of 54 bunks, arranged in bays of 4 on one side and bays of 2 on another. There is an aisle between the two sides. In practice, it is an ordinary carriage without compartments, with places to sleep. Reviews of travelers vary – some are bothered by the lack of privacy, others love these carriages for the opportunity to get to interaction with fellow passengers. There is a storage compartment under the lower bunk where you can store your luggage, so you don’t have to worry about someone stealing it at night.
Obshtyj “O”– cheapest and uncomfortable old seating carriage. Recommended only for young adventure lovers who want to spend as little money as possible or for very short journeys.
Sidiatshyj – seating carriage with 62 seats. Quality varies.
Diesel and electric multiple units have various arrangement of seats.
This is a basic division of the passenger carriages in Russia. There are modern double-decker couchette cars or comfortable seating carriages in long-distance trains.
Trains in Russia – Circum-Baikal Railway
The Circum-Baikal Railway (Кругобайкальская железная дорога) is one of the most famous railway attractions in Russia. The route of the Circum-Baikal Railway is approximately 89 kilometers long, and the line partly runs along the shores of Lake Baikal. The line was formerly part of the Trans-Siberian Railway. In the 1950s, a new route was built between Irkutsk and Sludyanka through the Olkha Plateau. At the same time the construction of a hydroelectric power plant in Irkutsk was started and in 1956 the filling of the retention reservoir began, as a result of which part of the old line was flooded and part was dismantled. The surviving part is used as the Circum-Baikal Railway.
Trains run on the Sludyanka – Port Baikal route. Trains don’t run every day, so many tourists choose to walk along the tracks. These trains are very slow, some of them cover the entire route in about 5 hours. The locals call them “matania”. During the season, tourist trains are also run, including steam locomotive trains (May – October), also on the Irkutsk – Slyudianka route. There are 38 tunnels along the route with a total length of 9,063 m, and the longest of them is 777.5 m.
Passengers can reach Sludianka by long-distance and suburban trains. Journey time by electric train from Irkutsk to Sludyanka is over 3 hours. In the town you can visit the Mineral Museum.
Train travel in Russia – Sapsan train
Sapsan is a brand of the high-speed Russian train running since December 2009 between Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Nizhny Novgorod. The Russian word “sapsan” means “falcon”. The connection is served by trains manufactured by Siemens, at first glance very similar to the German ICE 3. The train runs at a maximum speed of 250 km/h, after modernization it is expected to reach a speed of 330 km/h. One train can carry up to 604 people. The route between Moscow and Saint Petersburg takes 3 hours and 55 minutes. There are five pairs of trains a day. There are two classes on the train – business and tourist. Ticket prices vary depending on the day of the week and the time of departure of the train.
Trains in Russia – Strizh
Strizh (Стриж) is a brand of high-speed express Russian trains running on the Moscow – Nizhny Novgorod (since June 1, 2015) and Saint-Petersburg trains. Before pandemic these trains operated on Moscow – Berlin route. Strizh trains are Talgo-family trains, well known from Spain, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Russian trains of this type have first-class carriages without compartments (cars 8 and 9), second-class carriages (cars 10-18), sleeping cars with two-bed compartments (cars 1-5), a restaurant car and a bar car. All carriages are air-conditioned and equipped with vacuum toilets. Second class carriages have a 2+2 seating arrangement, first class carriages have a 2+1 seating arrangement. In sleeping cars, each compartment is equipped with a toilet and a shower. The cars are pulled by an EP20 locomotive.
Train travel in Russia – Yakutian Railways
Yakutia Railways (Железные дороги Якути) is a railway operator in Yakutia. Russian Railways and the authorities of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) have 50% shares. Yakutia Railways was established in 1995, the carrier operates freight and passenger services on the Tommot – Nizhny Bestyakh route.
Construction of the Berkakit – Tommot – Yakutsk railway line began in 1985. In 2004, passenger trains were launched to the Tommot station, and in 2011, the construction of the line was officially completed, bringing the tracks to the Nizhny Bestyakh station. Since 2014, freight trains have been running on the Tommot – Nizhny Biestiach section, and only on July 27, 2019, passenger transport on the Tommot – Nizhniy Bestyakh line was officially inaugurated. According to the Open Stret Maps and Google maps, the Nizhny Bestyakh railway station is located 15 kilometers from the town of Manday and the ferry port on Lena, from which the Yakutsk – Nizhny Bestyakh ferry departs.
There is a bus service between the Nizhny Bestyakh railway station and the ferry port. In the future, it is planned to build a bridge over the Lena River and extended the railway line directly to Yakutsk.
Yakutian Railways – official website, timetable, additional information
Railways in Russia – Yamal Peninsula
One of the greatest achievements of modern Russian engineering was the construction of a railway line on the Yamal Peninsula leading to the Bovanenkovskoye natural gas field. The first plans to build a railway line in that area appeared in the early 1980s. Construction began in 1988 and was scheduled for completion in 1990. Due to severe frosts in winter and floods and insects in summer, work progressed slowly. The political crisis, the collapse of the USSR and the economic crisis prevented the completion of the investment. By 1995, 224 kilometers of tracks were laid, and passenger and freight transport was launched on the Obskaja – Pajuta section. In 2003, an agreement was concluded between Gazprom, Russian Railways and local authorities – the company agreed to complete the construction of the line.
The construction of the Pajuta – Bovanenkovo section started in 2006. The difficulties included construction of a 4-kilometer bridge across the Yuribe River; Innovative technologies developed by Russian academic centers were used in the construction of the railway embankments. It was also necessary to build flood protection. The Obskaya – Bovanenkovo railway line was put into operation in 2010. The length of the line is 572 kilometers. Located near the Arctic Circle, it is the northernmost railway line in the world. It runs through wastelands covered with permafrost. Between the starting and ending stations is the 8 stations and about 70 bridges.
The owner of the railway line is Gazprom, which is why it is also called the “Gazprom Railway”. Freight trains and passenger trains carrying are available for employees only.
Train travel in Russia – international trains
There are many international trains running between Moscow and the countries of the former USSR. When Russia attacked Ukraine, international trains to some countries were suspended.
The most important international trains in Russia:
Abkhazia – there is a passenger train from Moscow to Sukhumi.
Azerbaijan – no international trains.
Belarus – many international trains between Belarus and Russia, for example Hrodna – Saint Petersburg, Brest – Saint Petersburg, Grodno – Moscow, Murmansk – Minsk, Murmansk – Brest, Minsk – Arkhangelsk, Minsk – Novosibirsk trains.
China – one of the routes of the Trans-Siberian Railway is Moscow – Beijing.
Estonia – intenrational trains suspended due to Russian aggression against Ukraine.
Finland – intenrational trains suspended due to Russian aggression against Ukraine.
Lithuania – trains from Russia to the Kaliningrad Oblast pass through Lithuania.
Latvia – international trains suspended due to Russian aggression against Ukraine.
Kazakhstan – many trains, for example Moscow – Karaganda train.
Kyrgyzstan – Moscow – Bishkek, Yekaterinburg – Bishkek, Kazan – Bishkek and Novosibirsk – Bishkek trains.
North Korea – there was a Moscow-Pyongyang train but was suspended due to pandemic and still was not reinstated.
Moldova – trains from Moscow and Saint Petersburg to Chisinau were ceased after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Mongolia- the Moscow-Beijing train passes through Mongolia.
Tajikistan- there are trains from Moscow to Dushanbe, Khujand and Kulob in Tajikistan. These trains are mainly for workers from Tajikistan returning from work in Moscow to their country and back.
Ukraine – no trains between Russia and Ukraine.
Uzbekistan – there are passenger trains Moscow – Tashkent, Ufa – Tashkent, Kazan – Tashkent, Chelyabinsk – Tashkent, Moscow – Andijon.
There is no train between Russia and Turkmenistan, although the Moscow-Dushanbe train passes through the territory of Turkmenistan without stop.
Related articles:
Railways in Europe by country
Railways in Asia by country
Sakhalin Railway
Crimea Railway
Train travel in Kaliningrad Oblast
