What is a double-decker railway carriage. Double-decker trains Russian Railways and private operators

First double deck car made by the masters of the Tver Carriage Works in 1905. And 108 years later, in November 2013, a double-decker car from the same plant set off on a journey across Russia. On what routes do double-decker trains now travel in Russia, 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 car produced at the Tver Carriage Works in 1905. It was intended for long haul, 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 buy cars made in the GDR. They cruised some commuter routes. Then there were attempts to create their own versions. The Yegorov Leningrad plant produced a prototype, in which the first floor was for sleeping, and the second floor was for sitting. Things did not 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, forming an order. The same Tver Carriage Works undertook to manufacture double-decker cars; in 2013, the first double-decker car was handed over to the customer. And in the same year, the two-story train moved along the route Moscow - Adler.

Now trains with double-deck cars run 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 program for the modernization of the Russian Railways rolling stock, the number of double-decker trains on the routes is planned to be gradually increased.

Features of double-decker trains

In contrast to the experiments of the last century, full-fledged sleeping compartments in modern cars are located on both floors. Passengers get to the second one by ordinary stairs. They are not too wide, but it is easy to carry a “picture, basket, cardboard” over 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.

Between the cars there are comfortable transitions - "accordions". The doors between them open automatically when a button is pressed. The rattling joints between the cars with the plates moving apart underfoot are a thing of the past.

Passengers note the comfort, safety and good equipment of double-decker carriages. Compartments are locked with an individual magnetic key, which is given to the passenger at the time of boarding. The car has double-glazed windows, energy-saving lamps. Installed air conditioning and heating systems. The surveillance, control and monitoring system transmits data in the conductor's compartment. Passengers can be calm for their safety. Also in the compartment there are two sockets for connecting razors and mobile devices.

Comfort is in the details. Remember the radio in the old cars, 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.

Advantages of double-deck cars

What other advantages can be noted in double-decker cars, in addition to modern design coupe and a good level of comfort?

The number of passengers carried is higher than usual. In the new trains, there are 64 beds in the car, in the usual 36 people are placed in the compartment car.
The fare in a double-decker train is lower than in a conventional compartment, because more passengers. Compared to fast branded cars of the same class, tickets are 20-25% cheaper.
Environmental friendliness. The cars are equipped with energy-saving lamps and heating systems, dry closets, special containers for separate waste collection.

When buying tickets for a corporate double decker train there is a dynamic pricing program. The earlier you buy tickets, the cheaper they are. As the date of the trip approaches, the price may increase depending on the demand and workload of the railway direction.

When ordering tickets for a double-decker train, please note that there is a separate layout for each floor.

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 NE will already be covered;
drinking water;
food (once);
sanitary and hygienic accessories;
WiFi;
in wagons superior comfort– Plasma screens for watching movies or news channels.

There is a dining car in branded double-decker trains. On the ground floor there is a bar and a kitchen, on the second floor there is a restaurant hall.

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

The good news for home-cooked food lovers and parents of young children is that passenger cars microwaves installed. You can make a hot sandwich or warm up food taken from home.

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

The first double-decker train appeared in Russia. The double-decker train has already set off on the Moscow-Adler route on November 1.

The passengers of the first flight were journalists and volunteers of the Sochi 2014 Olympics. The time spent by the passengers of the new train on the road will be 25 hours 19 minutes - an hour and a little less than on a conventional train. In the near future, the train will cover the same route in just 22 hours.

Among the advantages of the new train, Russian Railways notes the smooth ride, free Wi-Fi, 3 toilets instead of two in the car, as well as a small savings on tickets. The top shelf in a compartment of a double-decker train will cost 3,206 rubles against 4,530 in a regular train, writes pro-goroda.ru

At first glance, it seems that a double-decker train has only pluses. But observant Internet users have already discussed the innovation from all sides and found a number of disadvantages, which were kept silent by representatives of Russian Railways. A user with the nickname Alexid1 on the yaplakal.com forum clearly described the shortcomings of a double-decker train.

The first disadvantage. Service There are 36 seats in an ordinary compartment car. The new two-story building has 64 seats. You will have to wait longer for service because there are no more guides. There are still two of them. And there are 28 more passengers in a double-decker carriage. Even more than in a reserved seat car, where there are 54 passengers. So tea will be brought more slowly than in the reserved seat. Also, you will have to wait longer to board the car. And you pay as you would for an ordinary one-story compartment car. We are told that there will be more tickets than in conventional trains, but this is also not entirely true. No one will drive extra cars, just if there are fewer passengers for some direction, then the number of cars will be reduced proportionally.

Second disadvantage. stairs Elderly and disabled people will be especially grateful to Russian Railways for the need to carry suitcases to the second floor. Even from the first floor there will be a small staircase to get to the exit. Only one carriage in the entire train will be single-storey. And of course the places in it will be sold out in the first place.

The third disadvantage. Baggage Speaking of suitcases and bags. There is no longer a luggage rack above the entrance to the compartment. Not on the first or second floor. Where to put large luggage for 4 passengers is not clear. Also on this shelf, the conductors usually placed blankets and pillows so as not to occupy the lower shelves. Now they will interfere.

The fourth disadvantage. Ventilation I often travel in compartment cars of branded trains. They are all brand new, but the continuous ventilation only works on one out of five rides. Typically, ventilation is turned on in the evening and turned off at night. I'm not talking about air conditioning, but about a banal influx fresh air. Sealed non-opening windows have been installed in the compartment for a long time, and when 4 passengers are traveling, and the ventilation does not work for several hours in a row, there is simply nothing to breathe. I can’t even imagine how asthmatics and heart patients endure such torture. This gross violation of sanitary standards has been getting away with Russian Railways for many years. In double-decker wagons it will be even harder, because. the volume of the coupe has become significantly smaller, due to the reduced ceiling level and the lack of space where the luggage rack was. You might think that the newest carriages will have ventilation. I doubt it very much, because even in branded train 01/02 Moscow-Vladivostok, where they are used newest wagons with twin toilets at one end of the car, the ventilation is not turned on at all for the whole trip! Many times I quarreled with the conductors - they refer to various technical problems. Thus, the risk of literally suffocating with the ventilation turned off increases even more in a double-decker car. Many people are surprised at how weak they are after a trip on a night train - if there was no headache all night, if there was no ventilation all night, and the air did not meet any sanitary standards!

Fifth disadvantage. toilets Look here. In an ordinary compartment car there are 36 seats and 2 toilets. It turns out 1 toilet for 18 passengers. There are 64 seats and 3 toilets in a double-decker carriage - 1 toilet for 21 passengers. Toilets will be 15% busier. Not the biggest problem, but in this respect it will become a little worse.

Sixth disadvantage. Tambour and smokers Tambour with opposite side the conductor was removed from the compartment altogether. And there is nowhere else to smoke. In theory, this is great. Yes and new law Russia bans smoking on trains. I don't smoke myself and I can't stand the tobacco smoke that enters the corridor from the vestibule in ordinary carriages. But the reality in Russia is that many selfish smokers will still want to smoke and will do it in the toilets. And everyone will be forced to poison themselves with tobacco smoke when visiting the toilets. And in the vestibule where the entrance to the car, the conductors do not allow smoking - they often go there themselves and carry out any maintenance of the car systems.

The disadvantage of the seventh. Injury risk More about stairs. Unlike Europe, our railway tracks are not so ideally laid and the cars are not so well thought out in terms of suspension comfort and the cars shake quite a lot while driving. The risk of injury when descending the stairs when you are going to the toilet is very high. Or if you need to bring hot tea or boiling water. Yes, and swing the second floor will be stronger.

Comfortable double-decker trains began to run on Russian railways not so long ago. The train "Moscow - Adler" 103/104 was the first to be launched. At the moment, residents of the capital who wish to get to St. Petersburg can purchase a ticket for the same train number 5/6. There is another such train - from Moscow to Kazan (23/24).

How convenient are these trains?

The advantages of two-story compositions include primarily:

possibility of transportation immediately a large number passengers;
the possibility of selling tickets at a not too high cost;
environmental friendliness of operation.

The double-decker carriages of the Russian Railways (see photo below) look rather unusual. Their height is 5 meters 25 cm. They were designed and built by domestic engineers. Tickets for travel in such trains cost about 22% less than in conventional trains. Russian Railways managed to reduce the price for them precisely due to the fact that it became possible to carry a much larger number of passengers in one flight. However, judging by the feedback, go to two-story composition not as convenient as in a regular train.

Key Features

In addition to ordinary passenger trains, a dining car is also included in the double-decker trains. The dining room itself is located on the second floor. On the first floor there is a kitchen and a washing room. Ready meals are served upstairs by a special elevator. The same device is used to lower dirty dishes down. The restaurant hall is designed for 48 people. The bar can accommodate six people at the same time.

All double-decker train cars are assembled using special energy-saving technologies. They weigh only 64-66 tons. For comparison: the weight of a one-story building is 58 tons. At the same time, the capacity of the car of the new train is almost twice as large. The centralized energy saving system in such cars allows reducing energy costs by 35-40%.

In addition to the restaurant, this train includes a staff car. It is designed for only 50 passengers. At the same time, it has places for the disabled and their accompanying persons. Tickets for this carriage cost the same as for the others. However, beneficiaries have the opportunity to ride it for free.

The two-story structure is capable of developing great speed than single storey. You can get to your destination by 2-3 hours faster. A double-decker train is moving at a speed of approximately 160 km/h.

Cars in double-deck trains

Riding in such a train is not as convenient as in a regular one, but still it is quite comfortable. There is a special lift at the entrance to the double-decker cars. Disabled people have the opportunity to get inside the train without getting up from the wheelchair.

All double-decker carriages are equipped with air conditioning systems. The aisles inside the train are exactly the same width as in conventional trains. The stairs to the second floor are not too steep and are equipped with railings. A special mirror is installed on the intermediate platform. It is necessary so that ascending passengers see those descending, and traffic jams do not form on the stairs.

Each double-decker car (photo of the corridor can be seen above) is equipped with a temperature display. The conductor has the ability to monitor the order through a video surveillance system. It is much more convenient to move from car to car in a double-decker train than in a regular train. Nothing here rumbles or staggers (everything is absolutely sealed). Each double-decker carriage has three dry closets. Titanium s hot water is located not in the corridor, as in ordinary trains, but in the conductor's working room.

coupe

There are no reserved seats in double-decker carriages. Coupes are almost identical to ordinary ones. The difference is that they are equipped with 220 volt outlets. In addition, the trains free wifi. Passengers have the opportunity, for example, to take a laptop with them and access the Internet. In this, the double-decker Russian Railways cars (the photo below shows the situation in the compartment) in terms of convenience, ordinary reserved seats, of course, are superior.

Some discomfort in the compartment of such trains is experienced mainly by those who bought a ticket to the top shelf. In this regard, a double-decker car (the photo inside it clearly demonstrates this) actually differs from the usual one not in better side. The fact is that the distance between the surface of the shelf and the ceiling is very small. Even though there is no top luggage compartment to sit down with legs dangling, the passenger will not be able to.

In general, the double-deck cars of the new Russian Railways trains are quite well equipped. But, of course, the budget composition cannot be too convenient. However, you can still get to your destination by such a train with relative comfort. Yes, and you will have to pay a little less for the fare than for a trip in a regular carriage.

I have seen modern double-decker trains only in European countries. In Finland, on the Allegro, they 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 trains with seats that run between cities in the same country during the daytime. And the new cars of Russian Railways are designed to occupy the niche of budget night trains. There is a problem with the shortage of tickets for weekends of the week, and double-decker cars will take over this passenger flow.

IN this moment new cars are in the depot of the Moscow railway station:
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From the first photo, you can judge the height of the new cars and compare them with the old, one-story ones. Sergey, a great connoisseur railway transport, kindly agreed to help me visually demonstrate the height of the car in the photo. Impressive, right?
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This is what the wagon train looks like from the outside. How the passage between the cars is organized inside can be seen below:
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Approximately such a picture will be seen by those who enter the car for the first time. I would like to note the pleasant colors in which everything is painted around:
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These double-deck cars are produced in Russia at the Tver Carriage Works. I didn’t know about the existence of this, everyone knows only the Mytishchi plant, which makes cars for metro trains :)
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General view of the passage on the first floor. I will note the digital board on the ceiling, which shows the time, temperature and car number:
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On both sides of the corridor there are stairs that lead to the second floor:
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The view of the corridor on the second floor is practically no different from the view on the first floor. If you do not pay attention to details and do not look out the window, of course. The numbering of seats on two floors is as follows: on the first floor - 1-32 seats, on the second floor - 81-112 seats. bottom places compartment cars odd and top even.
9.

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

General view of the compartment. Energy-saving LED lamps are used as lighting sources. Sleeping linen is included in the ticket price. The upper shelves are covered with a conductor before departure, the lower shelves are packed sets of linen already in the compartment.
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Now let's look at the details. On this wall there are retractable steps to make it convenient to climb to the top place:
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On both sides of each bed mounted bright light bulbs, spotlights with switches. With their help, you can arrange your own personal lighting without disturbing others' sleep. The window is glass. A speaker is installed above the window in the middle, from which music plays, and, if necessary, voice alerts sound. There are volume buttons below the speaker:
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Soffit included, and hooks with hangers. Below are the main light switches:
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A lot of people will say thank you for the electrical outlet:
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Here I used the help of Michael to show the distance between places:
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The number of information plates with inscriptions and warnings is impressive:
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Compartment cars come in two varieties: staff and ordinary. In the staff car, along with the passengers, the head of the train rides, there will be one such car for the entire train. The headquarters car has a slightly different configuration of the premises, and because of this, there fewer seats- 50 versus 64 seats in a regular carriage. In this regard, some rooms in different cars may look different. For example, toilets can be in at least three different configurations. In the photo below, the main toilet in the staff car. By right hand a sink, a water tap, a liquid soap dispenser, an electric razor outlet and three rather big mirrors:
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Toilet bowl and toiletries opposite the sink:
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In addition, the staff car has a toilet for the disabled, including wheelchair users. Here the room is several times more spacious:
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And next to it through the wall is a compartment for the disabled. There are two beds (one for a disabled person, the second for an accompanying person), and a separate chair.
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All switches are signed in embossed Braille for the visually impaired and the blind:
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In an ordinary car, the toilet rooms are simpler and smaller. Apparently, there will be no shortage of free toilets on this train:
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He promised to show the passage between the cars. The orange doors open when the “OPEN” button is pressed, and automatically close hermetically after 15 seconds. There is a vestibule, but it is narrower than in old trains, and you can’t smoke there:
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We pass into the third car, which they showed us - the dining car. It is also two stories.
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On the ground floor bar and kitchen:
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View across from the bar:
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Kitchen:
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On the second floor there is a restaurant with 48 seats, 4 seats at each table:
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Above each table there is a panel for calling waiters. They brought a separate button in order to ask for an invoice. Competently!
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While eating, you can watch football, for example:
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The restaurant has a very rich menu for the train. I'm used to seeing this in decent restaurants. How about a burger for 400 rubles? Quite an adequate price, given that food is provided by train on the way from St. Petersburg to Moscow and back.
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In addition to the main menu, there are signature dishes. This menu is different depending on the direction of travel:
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Well, a few views from the office premises. Here you can pour cold water or boiling water for tea, heat food, wash dishes. Opposite is a coffee maker.
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Each car is equipped with a heating and air conditioning system, which is controlled from such a panel. Panels of the video surveillance system, security and access control to the premises are also displayed here. The cars receive all electricity from an electric locomotive. And the staff car, in addition, is also equipped with satellite communication and navigation systems.
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And I also want to add that young and smiling conductors work on this train:
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Now let's talk about the price issue. The train we were watching will be numbered 5/6. Under number 5, he will go 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 here.

Tickets are already on sale. This happens according to the dynamic pricing system, when the cost of tickets increases as they sell out and the seats on the train fill up. The very first 200 tickets for the flight will cost the minimum amount- 1299 rubles. The next 300 seats will cost 1699 rubles, and then on the rise. The most expensive will be the last 100 seats, they are assigned a price of 2999-3299 rubles. You also need to know that the lower shelves will be a little more expensive than the upper ones, namely by 150-200 rubles. But the fare on the first and second floor has no difference in price.
For comparison, familiar to us second-class carriages other trains cost 1100-1600 rubles, and a compartment - 2000-3000 rubles.

Now you know roughly 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 follow the first reviews during the actual flight. If there are any comments and suggestions - write here, I will pass it on to the responsible employees.

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

In early February, on the most popular in the country railway route a double decker train. The same as the Moscow-Adler train launched a year ago for the Olympics. I didn’t ride it then, I didn’t get to the depot on a recent blogging press tour, well, I’ll ride it myself. Travel time is usual, eight hours, overnight. Strange and smeared people nearby are my St. Petersburg friends who came to see alcoholic from Moscow back to the capital.

1 Three generations railway engineering in one frame. Suburban train, fast "Swallow" and a double-decker train.

2 There is no dispute about design, but it is not here. Yes, not the handsome Peregrine Falcon, the flagship of the railways. This is generally an economy class, the future replacement for a reserved seat throughout the country. The ticket price starts from 1300 rubles.

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

3 Railway riddle. In total, sixty-four people climb into the car, and on the second floor there are places 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 the answer later, and if you guess right, you’ll get free PR :)

4 We go inside. Outwardly, it is quite different from the train we are used to.

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

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

7 Coupe standard, four-seater. Inside, all the compartments of Tver carriages look exactly like this. This is the second floor, and the photo should dispel the myth of cramped space 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 Individual lamps are presented in the amount of four pieces per compartment, but for some reason there are only two sockets. But this is progress, in the past generation there was only one, and before that, there were no sockets in the compartment at all.

9 On the table are advertising booklets, promotions from Russian Railways and magnetic door key cards. Now you do not need to run after the conductor with a request to open and close the compartment while you go to the toilet or go to dinner in the dining car.

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

12 Wagon toilets have long ceased to be something indecent, here the toilet bowl is normal, and the tap works as usual, and not according to the principle of 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 and all waste in different buckets or sort it when thrown away.

14 A look at an ordinary carriage from the top shelf of the second floor. Views from the window are not a strong point of this route, even in summer the train from St. Petersburg to Moscow goes at such a time that it is dark on the street almost all the way, it is inconvenient to take pictures.

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

16 On the ground floor there was a free compartment for people with limited mobility. There are only two places here, the bottom shelf is one and a half times wider, there is a place where 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 into the roof.

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

18 Oh, what is it! Tver Carriage Works has fixed its jamb of the previous version! Somehow it turned out that on some trains there was no way to adjust the volume of the 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 it.

19 Most cool place- bar. It's not just coffee here!

20 The dining car is also two-story, and just on the second floor there is a dining room. Usually dining cars are not popular on Moscow-Petersburg trains. Well, what is there, got on the train, went to bed - woke up already at the station. But here he was jammed.

21 The chefs in the kitchen have stylish uniforms similar to those worn in Japanese restaurants.

22 The menu includes steaks and pork ribs, and just giant burgers! This sandwich seems especially appetizing to me, because I'm on a diet now 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, such double-decker trains will be launched on most directions in the country, and reserved seats will die out, as they have long been obsolete.

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