Trains most often used for travelling from one city to another in Russia. Just imagine, more than 1.3 billion people use this kind of transport annually. Here you can find lots of different routes. There are 17 highways working in Russia. You can buy tickets at a railway station. Of course you’d better do it in advance. Especially in summer time when all Russians get their holidays and go traveling because in this time it’s quiet difficult to buy tickets. When going to the railway station don’t forget to take passport with you. It’s necessary for buying tickets on a train. Besides you will need a passport when boarding the train. Just show it with your ticket to a controller standing near your wagon. By the way the wagon number and your place are pointed in the ticket. Besides buying it you’ll more likely be told what kind of place you have – upper or lower one, usual or lateral one, near to the start or the finish of a wagon. You can also buy ticket by Internet. There are several types of wagons. They are divided by the level of comfort. Wagons called 'platskartni' (3rd class) suit the most unpretentious. Its main difference from the others is the absence of doors between passenger rooms and common corridors and also presence of lateral places. So in 'platskartni' wagons you practically don’t have an opportunity to be alone. This class is often used by students and often by elderly and other people who want to save some money. Place in such a wagon costs much less money comparing with wagons of other classes. Coupe is a next wagon class. In a coupe you’ll find doors in passenger rooms. There are no lateral places here. One room in a coupe is for 4 people. And if you haven’t bought all 4 places in it then you’ll probably have to go with strangers. The room includes 2 upper and 2 lower places. This wagon class is popular among families going to travel. There is also a coupe plus. Here you’ll get breakfast or even dinner, newspapers and magazines, and some other pleasant trifles. Soft-seated (1st class) wagons are more comfortable. Its main advantage is that a room here is counted for 2 people. Also so called wagon of higher comfort have started to work here. They can be equipped with TV, conditioners, access to Internet and shower rooms. Company trains are also used in Russia. Each of them has its own name. These trains are wonderfully equipped. The staff has special preparations for working in such trains. It will always help you if you have any questions. Actually every wagon has a conductor. And you always can revert to him or her. The conductor can make tea for you. Also you can buy bed-clothes from him or her of course if that is not included into the cost of a ticket. What else can you find in a wagon? First of all there are 2 toilets situated at the start and at the end of the wagon. Besides if you need some hot water you can get it too. Take it from a construction looking like samovar. It’s at the lobby part of a wagon. Third you can find radio here. It’s a special railway radio. Here you can listen to Russian songs. It works till eleven o’clock PM. But if you want to sleep earlier just turn it off yourself. You need to lift up a lower place to store your luggage. Here you’ll find special space for its keeping. And if you’ve got upper places, that doesn’t mean that you can’t keep your things there. Smoking in rooms is forbidden. You’d better do it at the time of stopping or in places specially made for that. During the trip it’s pleasant to enjoy the view from the window. You can eat or drink something this time. There is a special atmosphere in trains. And in spite of all people’s going in one direction the aims of their trips are different. Somebody is visiting their relatives, somebody is going on business, and somebody is just traveling. If you are a little bored with your wagon then you can visit restaurant-wagon. it offers hot meals, salads, tea, juice, coffee etc. Sometimes music plays here. You can find out the number of a restaurant-wagon from theI conductor. Also this information is given by Furthermore, you can familiarize with the schedule of train moving. It’s usually hung out at the start of wagon. Here you can get the information about stations which train passes, the length of stops, and the arrival time to this or that station. Sometimes the stop takes about 20 minutes or even more.
