What does a reserved seat look like? The layout of seats in the Russian Railways reserved seat car
The reserved seat is a kind of wagon passenger train without partitions(doors) separating compartments. Such wagons are allowed to accommodate more passengers, since they also have side seats.
There are reserved seats on almost all trains. long distance in the CIS. They may vary in terms of comfort, but what they have in common is the location. passenger seats.
Each car consists of 9 compartments and includes 54 beds. All shelves are divided into upper and lower. On both sides of the car there are windows located opposite each other, in hot weather they can be opened, but in the winter they are tightly closed. The reserved seat compartments, unlike the compartment compartments, do not close.
Photo and description: what does it look like inside?
Below you can see photos of what a reserved seat car looks like from the inside. 
Corridor
The common corridor in the passenger compartment is connected by a compartment, between which there are no doors. The width of the corridor in the reserved seat should be at least 560-590 mm, it is quite narrow, it only allows you to move on foot. A person in a wheelchair cannot fit in such a corridor.
In the corridor there is a door leading to a double compartment for conductors, unlike other compartments, equipped with a door. Next to the compartment there is also an oblique corridor and titanium - a cauldron with hot boiled water.
On a note. You can order tea, coffee or other drinks from the conductor or conductor, but you can use your own using free boiling water.
Toilet
Toilets with washbasins are traditionally located at the beginning and end of each car. Inside a small room there is a toilet bowl, a mirror, a washbasin, a hanger, a socket. In addition, toilets should contain personal hygiene products:
- soap;
- toilet paper;
- paper towels;
- some additionally may have an air freshener;
- toilet seat pads.
New model trains are equipped with dry closets which are much more convenient than conventional ones. You can visit them at any time, as they do not close for sanitary zone. Maintaining cleanliness in the restroom is the responsibility of the conductor, but sometimes malfunctions can occur due to the carelessness of passengers.
Types of vestibules
A vestibule is a small room between the outer and inner entrance doors. It protects the interior of the car from outside noise and air, allowing you to maintain the optimum temperature inside.
Each carriage has two vestibules:
- working (with brake end);
- non-working (with non-braking).
In the vestibule with a non-working side there is a garbage collection box, next to it is one of the toilets of the car. Previously, it was possible to smoke in the vestibule, but now smoking is prohibited in all parts of the train.
Passengers are boarded and disembarked through the working vestibule. Through it there is an exit to the boiler room, where a furnace is carried out to heat the car. There is also a slanting corridor, a toilet, a water heater, a place for storing fuel, as well as a stop valve and a hand brake.
Important! According to the rules passenger traffic passage in the vestibule is prohibited.
compartments
The reserved seat salon consists of nine compartments for passengers not separated by a partition. Each has six seats, two tables, three shelves and the same number of compartments for luggage (top and bottom, respectively). In addition, on the upper shelves are mattresses, pillows, blankets at a time when they are not in use.
It is not difficult to determine the place when buying tickets: the lower places are odd numbered, for example, the seventh place will be on the bottom shelf, and the eighth place will be on the top. Numbers 35 and 36 are located near the toilet, so they are undesirable for travel. There, passengers may be disturbed by unpleasant odors coming from the toilet, slamming the door. The numbers from 37 to 54 number the side reserved seats.
Each section of the car is equipped with ventilation, hangers for clothes and bags, a radio point, as well as places for things that are located under the bottom and above the top shelf. On the wall there are small nets for newspapers and towels.
Side seats
Side seats start from 37th place. Due to them, installed instead of doors in a compartment, several times more passengers can fit in a reserved seat car than in a compartment car.
There are 18 side shelves in the car, they go along the aisle, perpendicular to the shelves in the compartment.
Just like the compartments, the side seats are equipped with two shelves for passengers to rest - upper and lower, and one more shelf for storing luggage and a blanket with a pillow. The bottom shelf folds out into a table and two seats.
Car at night: lighting mode and how you can isolate yourself from neighbors
At night, the lights in the carriages are dimmed so that passengers can rest comfortably. Safety rules do not allow turning off the light completely. The reserved seat does not make it possible to adjust the lighting individually for each passenger, therefore, from 22:00 to 06:00, the conductor makes sure that the incandescent lamps are only half lit. At this time, the radios are also turned off.
Often, passengers in second-class carriages sleep not only at night, but also during the daytime, especially on long-distance trains. The owner of the top shelf can use the bottom one if he wants to eat at a common table. However, he cannot claim a seat below, if the owner of the lower shelf is against it.
Reference. You can get bed linen from the conductor not only at night, but also during the day.
Nuances in the long-distance Demidov Express
In the reserved seat, especially in hot summers, it can be crowded and not very comfortable. More comfortable are reserved seats in branded trains, in which, as a rule, conductors monitor the cleanliness in the car and especially in the restroom, there is air conditioning, sockets.
One of these branded trains is the Demidov Express. It follows the route Yekaterinburg-St. Petersburg and is rightfully considered a train superior comfort. In addition to the usual equipment and equipment, there is:
The guides spread and make the beds themselves. Each car in such a train is equipped with dry closets with cold and hot water, as well as a scoreboard that shows the time, temperature and occupancy of the toilet.
Passengers can turn to the conductor to get fiction, newspapers, and even clothing and shoe care products. In addition, guides can provide special sleep belts for those who are afraid of falling in their sleep.
Traveling in second-class carriages can be not only cheap, but also comfortable, especially in new-style trains. In order for the trip to leave a pleasant impression, it is important to be careful when buying a ticket, choosing the most convenient places to your liking.
It has sleeping and seating cars, suites and specially equipped compartments for the disabled and their attendants. The ticket may include not only bedding, but also meals. What does a double decker car look like? The inside view is described in this article.
Varieties of wagons
Let's start with general description trains. The cars are manufactured at the Tver plant. The advantage of the new train is a significant increase in passenger seats. This allows you to reduce the cost of the trip. Cars are represented by several classes:
On the picture double-deck car(view from the inside) it can be seen that the floors are connected by a small staircase. Regardless of their type - compartment or "sitting" - they are all located on both tiers. Each train consists of the following cars:
- 12 compartments;
- one SW;
- headquarters;
- restaurant.
What are equipped
The train is equipped with air conditioners and dry closets, which are not closed at the stations, and now you do not need to wait for the departure to use them. In single-deck trains, the compartment car has only thirty-six seats. IN double-deck trains- twice as much. There are no electrical outlets in the corridors of the second tier, as they are available in every compartment.
The upper and lower floors in the carriages are completely identical. They almost do not differ from the usual standard single-tier compositions. But on the second floor there is a small slope of the roof, because of which it is not very comfortable to sleep.
General description of wagons
The view from the inside of a double-decker car is almost identical to a single-decker car. All trains consist of isolated compartments for 2 or 4 seats. Each room has a mirror, bedding, a table, shelves for small things. All compartments are equipped with lamps. Small ladders are provided for climbing to the upper places. The numbering has remained the same, even - the top places, the corresponding numbers are indicated on the left.
You can enter or leave the premises using special magnetic keys. Works in all cars free Internet and three dry closets. The train is well heated from the inside. Coupes are equipped with two sockets up to 100 watts. Windows in all carriages are closed with double-glazed windows. The inter-car space is hermetically packed, the doors open automatically after pressing the button. Doors do not open from the inside.
Wagon features
The compartment car looks familiar, the boiling water is located next to the conductors' room. A staircase at the entrance leads to the second floor. It has a mirror in the middle to prevent passengers from colliding, and there is a small trash box next to it. In the compartment itself there are soft seats, but on the upper shelves it is somewhat cramped. The room is equipped not only with an electric but also with a mechanical lock.
The staff car has a navigation and satellite communications system (GLONASS). The inside view of the two-story "sitting car" looks like an electric train. The same long seats, located opposite each other, but soft, with high backs and very comfortable. Above the chairs on each side hangs a small TV and a mirror. The dining car is located on the second floor and can accommodate from 44 to 48 people. On the first tier there is only a bar counter.
SV and "Lux"
What does a double-deck SV car look like? Inside view: LCD TVs are installed in double compartments. And one for each seat. In the rooms designed for four passengers, almost everything remained the same. Sleeping places and a table are located in the same way as in the usual single-tier trains.
The view from the inside of the double-decker "Lux" car does not differ much from the usual situation. On the floor - carpet, there are a number of additional amenities. And compartments for the disabled are equipped with special devices for the comfort of people with disabilities.
The height of the ceilings on the first floor is two meters, but on the top shelf you won’t be able to sit in full height, only crouching down. This makes a double-decker car unattractive for tall people. The view from the inside shows that for convenience there is not one dustbin, but several cabinets. All of them are divided into types of garbage that must be disposed of: metal, wood, plastic, food waste.
Disadvantages of a double-decker train
The view from inside the double-decker car in some aspects negatively differs from the previous trains. On the first floor, there are no longer upper ceiling shelves where luggage could be placed and where the conductors put mattresses and pillows. As a result, all things have to be tamped down somehow. Boiling water is only on the first floor.
The inter-car space is very hermetically sealed, there is absolutely no draft there, so it will no longer be possible to smoke on the sly. Otherwise, all the smoke will go into the cars. If there are many passengers on the train, then the service is somewhat delayed, since the number of conductors remains the same (there are two of them per car). During the movement of the train, it sways strongly and therefore you need to be very careful when walking up the stairs, otherwise you can easily get injured.
It is unlikely that any of us do not know what a reserved seat car is. This is the most popular type in the CIS railway transport. In addition, this unique phenomenon which you will not find anywhere else in the world. The reserved seats were invented in the Soviet Union under the Soviet reality and have remained in our lives for a long time.
A bit of history
Like many things in post-Soviet space, the reserved seat car got its name from a foreign word. It denoted a coupon (reserved seat), giving the right to occupy a specific place in the car. Free seat tickets meant that the passenger himself had to look for a free seat, or stand until it was free.
Over time, the non-reserved carriages were called common. But they differ from reserved seats only in an increased number of seats. In addition, nightly recumbent cars are often practiced today, tickets for which do not indicate a seat.
In general, it can accommodate 54 lying passengers or provides 81 seats.
How are the seats in the reserved seat car
In terms of their structure, cars of this type are large passenger compartments, which are divided by partitions into 9 compartments. They are interconnected by a common through corridor.
Each such compartment consists of 6 places: these are three upper and three lower shelves. The numbering goes clockwise from the working vestibule. Seats 1-36 are on its left side. At the same time, the side ones are numbered in reverse order: 37-54 from the non-working vestibule. All unpaired numbers are located on the lower shelves, and paired numbers are on the upper ones.
In addition to sleeping places, compartments are equipped with luggage racks and compartments. Above top spot the so-called third shelf is located, where mattresses are stored, and the passenger can leave his luggage. Under the lower seat there is also a compartment where you can hide your things.
Inside the quadruple compartment there is also a relatively large table where you can have a bite to eat or play Board games to pass the time. On the side seats, the role of the table is performed by central part the lower shelf in the unfolded position.
Wagon infrastructure
In addition to passenger seats, the reserved seat car has 2 toilets, a compartment for conductors, a service compartment, a water heater, and a compartment for controlling the heating system.
Single toilets are located on both sides of the car. They have metal toilets and sinks. A passenger with relative comfort can relieve his natural need here, wash, shave, brush his teeth. In branded trains, the toilets have paper towels, soap and toilet paper. In ordinary trains, all this may not be.
Conductors are people who monitor the comfort of passengers on the road. Therefore, a special compartment with a door has been allocated for them, where they can relax and recuperate. There are two sleeping places in the compartment. At the same time, the layout of the reserved seat car is designed so that behind the next wall there is a service room with a control room that controls the life support systems in the car.
Comfort systems in the car
It should be noted that places in reserved seat car, the scheme of which is rather specific, should be equally provided with comfortable conditions. To do this, the car has several important systems.
The first one is power supply. Each wagon is unique. Electricity comes from a generator that runs on the twin wheels of the wagon. This is enough to light all the places, power an electric water heater and provide 12 volts of current to the car sockets.
Also in reserved seats there is a water cooling system. Few people know, but every passenger has the right to free cold drinking water during the hot season. At the same time, its quantity is not limited, like boiling water in winter.
Also in the cars there is mandatory heating for the autumn-winter period. The air temperature inside should not be lower than 20 degrees Celsius. Also, all cars have forced ventilation, and modernized cars have an air conditioning system.
Responsibilities of a train attendant
Not everyone knows that seats in a reserved seat car, the scheme of which is chosen in a special way, must be served by conductors. Their duties include maintaining cleanliness in the car and other premises.
The conductors also provide bed linen, the rental price of which is included in the ticket price, and make sure that the passenger returns it on time. Behind additional fee the wagon worker can make hot drinks or lunch. But they give out medicines from the first aid kit, board games and clean cold / hot water completely free of charge.
The duties of conductors in post-Soviet trains are much broader than in European ones. For example, in Germany, the care of the passenger is completely entrusted to him, and the carriage employee only checks the availability of a ticket and helps to deal with the place, if necessary.
Disputes about the modernity of wagons
Many skeptics call the reserved seat car a relic of the past. Of course, the level of comfort in it is not at the highest level. But compartment cars are not much better. The lack of the opportunity to retire, extraneous noises, snoring and conversations of neighbors, unpleasant odors are everywhere. But the level of security in the reserved seat is higher.
Behind behind closed doors compartment, it is easier for a criminal to commit a robbery, rape or murder. In the reserved seats, everything is in plain sight. Therefore, there are few inveterate bandits who dare to commit a crime in such conditions.
Of course, the location of the reserved seat car in the hierarchy comfortable trips not the highest. At the same time, passengers choose it most often. Seats in such cars are cheaper, and the number of services received is sufficient to spend several hours of travel with relative comfort.
Therefore, it is too early to say that there is a worthy alternative to reserved seat cars. Their effectiveness has been proven by their high level of popularity among middle-class passengers.
Cars in the trains of Russian Railways are divided into several types, depending on the number of seats and the level of comfort. For most types of wagons, Tutu.ru has a seat map.
seated wagon
In the sitting car there are separately standing soft chairs with armrests. It resembles the cabin of an airplane or intercity bus, but here it is significant more space. It is better to take a ticket for a sit-down car when the trip lasts several hours. So you won't get tired. These are, for example, day express trains between Moscow and St. Petersburg or Nizhny Novgorod and Kirov.
Seated cars vary greatly in location and number of seats, as well as service classes. Therefore, there is no single scheme for them. For example, the figure shows the scheme of the train car No. 102YA Moscow - Yaroslavl.
On Tutu.ru in the "Trains" section there are seat maps for many sit-down trains, including for popular and . When buying a train ticket (on the seat selection page), for some trains, the direction of travel is indicated. This allows you to choose comfortable seats so as not to drive backwards.
High-speed train "Strizh", 1st class car
Econom-class train
This is the most popular type of carriage due to the low price of tickets. There are 54 seats in the car - 9 compartments with 6 beds. Two top, two bottom and two side. There are no doors between the compartments, they are all connected by a common corridor. All the bottom places are odd-numbered, and the top ones are even-numbered.
Seats 37 to 54 are "sides", they are shorter than the seats in the block of 4. Seats 33 to 38 are near the toilet. Here, the slamming of the door leading to the corridor and unpleasant odors can interfere.
In compartments 3 (seats 9-12) and 6 (seats 21-24) the windows do not open. This is true for older trains without air conditioning. In new trains, ventilation works normally.
Usually there are two toilets in the car, there is titanium with boiling water for brewing tea. Each compartment is equipped with tables, on the sides a table and two seats are obtained if the lower shelf is expanded. There is a lot of space for luggage in the reserved seat - these are compartments under the lower seats and third shelves.
In a fully occupied reserved seat, it can be stuffy and cramped (especially on the side seats). Second-class carriages in branded trains are cleaner and more comfortable: there is air conditioning and a dry closet, more sockets.
A second-class carriage in the branded train of Russian Railways
Shared wagon
Usually this is a reserved seat car with three seats on each lower shelf, including the lower side ones. This car has several serious drawbacks.
Firstly, reserved seats are not suitable for long sitting - due to the lack of a soft back and headrest. Secondly, a feeling of tightness is created - there are no armrests that separate people from each other. Finally, in most cases, in the general carriage, all tickets are sold without a seat - whoever managed to do it earlier took the best seats.
This is the least comfortable type of carriage, but the ticket to it is also the cheapest.
Compartment carriage
In a compartment car, there are usually 32 or 36 seats, divided into compartments with four seats in each. There are cars with 38 seats, where seats 37-38 are a double compartment. The bottom places are odd and the top places are even. The compartments are isolated from each other and are locked. There are folding chairs in the common corridor.
The compartment has a mirror, a table, hangers and hooks for clothes, as well as a night lamp for each passenger. Unlike the reserved seat, there is no third shelf in the compartment - it is replaced by a niche for luggage under the ceiling. Therefore, you can sit freely on the top shelf in the compartment.
Coupe is one of the most popular types of carriages due to the combination of price and comfort. In the wagon less people, extraneous conversations do not interfere, and personal belongings are safe. In the compartment car, similarly to the reserved seat, there are two toilets and titanium. But in a compartment there are fewer queues for the toilet compared to a reserved seat, since much fewer passengers ride in such a car.
Often, the upper shelves in a compartment can be bought at the price of a reserved seat. In some carriages, when buying a ticket, you can choose the type of compartment. Both men and women can ride in a mixed compartment, and only women can ride in a women's compartment. The type of compartment is determined by the passenger who bought the ticket first.
Compartment in the carriage of the private carrier JSC "TKS"
Luxury car (SV)
SV is a sleeping car. It has from 8 to 10 compartments with 2 beds, both are located below. But there are suites (SV) with upper and bottom place, but in such a compartment there are also only 2 seats. The standard suite has 18 beds. Suite (SV) is more comfortable than a compartment car, as it does not have upper shelves. On the lower shelves there is a soft back for sitting.
In terms of the level of service, the SV is better than a compartment car - the suite usually has a call button for the conductor, air conditioning, and some trains also have a TV. Depending on the carrier company, passengers are provided with a different set of services (food, drinks, travel set, press, underwear). For example, the carrier TKS JSC has high-quality wagons and a high level of service.
Suite (SV) is convenient for a family or romantic trip when you can redeem all compartments. The main disadvantage of SV is the price of travel. It is usually 3-4 times higher than in a reserved seat and 1.5-2 times higher than in a compartment. A trip to NE will cost more expensive than an airplane for a similar distance.
Luxury car (SV) of the private carrier TKS JSC
soft wagon
In a soft car there can be 4, 5 or 6 compartments. The layout of the compartment itself and the furnishings in it also vary greatly. Each compartment has 1 or 2 beds. If there are two places, then the lower one is a sofa that converts into a bed 120 cm wide. The compartments themselves are similar to suites, but differ in larger area.
The soft car is equipped at the level of a 3-4-star hotel: each compartment has a dry closet, washbasin, shower, air conditioning, TV, soft sofa and armchair. Here they always serve a hot breakfast, give out a shower set, a bathrobe and a terry towel, and the latest press. The soft carriages are equipped with a bar.
Of the minuses - high price much more than the cost of a plane ticket.
Soft car interior branded train Grand Express.
International carriage with 4-seater compartments
In terms of comfort, four-seater compartments international routes similar to usual compartment cars on the territory of the Russian Federation. But, as a rule, new cars go abroad, so they have a lot of pleasant little things (for example, a board with a running line in the corridor).
Another compartment in such a carriage can turn into a suite if you raise the upper shelves. Depending on the route, the carriage may have a shared shower, while the compartment may have air conditioning, individual lighting for each seat, and sockets.
Quadruple compartment in the train Moscow - Nice. Photo taken from the Russian Railways website
International carriage with 3-seater compartments
On some trains international communication there are triple compartments. In total, there are 33 seats in such a car. In the compartment, all three berths are located one under the other on one side. Such compartments can be used as doubles - the middle shelf remains in the raised position.
They are smaller than 4-seat coupes and can feel cramped. When there are three passengers in it, they are all forced to sit or lie down together, since it is impossible to sit with the middle shelf lowered. Therefore, cars with 3-seater compartments are now used very rarely.
It is pleasant to ride in such a compartment only if you buy all three seats together and raise the middle shelf. Of the amenities they may have (but not in all compartments) an armchair, a table, a washbasin and a wardrobe.
It is perhaps quite difficult to find a person who has not traveled in a reserved seat train at least once in his life. Although in Lately carriages with seats are becoming more and more popular, but still night trains still run in many countries of the world, which means that everyone can learn all the “charms” of a trip in a crowded reserved seat. In which country do sleeping cars turn out to be the most comfortable, and where is it better not to get into them further in our material.
1. Japan
Perhaps the most unusual modification of sleeping cars exists in Japan. They consist of two tiers of sun loungers that have absolutely no space between them. Each place is separated from each other only by a small partition, and there is a curtain on the side of the passage.
These unusual sleeping shelves inside are finished with a special carpet; travelers can get to the second tier via a special ladder, which ensures comfortable and safe ascent and descent from the upper shelves. Such cars are in great demand among those who are not worried about the close presence of strangers.
2. Thailand
In Thailand, reserved seat cars are considered second class. Given that their width is narrower than in Russia, then in some cars there can only be side shelves, which are located on both sides of the aisle. And in other cars - only transverse.
But in both cases, each place can be closed with a curtain, which allows you to at least organize a privacy zone for comfortable rest individual passenger.
3. Russia
Many are painfully familiar with trips in second-class carriages, which were designed at the beginning of the last century. The only difference is that if a hundred years ago the sunbeds were wooden, then recent years fifty of them are made semi-soft with leatherette upholstery.
Recently, Russian Railways has been developing new concept sleeping couchette cars, trying to make the journey more comfortable. The desire to organize “personal comfort zones” for passengers has led to the emergence of brand new cars that will receive their first passengers at the end of this year.
Although the arrangement of the shelves remained the same, there were very useful additions: sockets, USB connectors, a table for glasses between the upper shelves, vending machines and hot water coolers in the vestibules, as well as curtains between the shelves ..
It is noteworthy, but the designers and engineers of Russian Railways have been cherishing the hope for several years to introduce cars of a completely new modification - a capsule type. But this project has too many opponents, and passengers are not happy with such a radical change, which will entail a significant increase in ticket prices.
4. China
Despite the fact that high-speed rail lines are developing rapidly, conventional trains still run between Chinese cities, and they also have reserved seats. They look quite ordinary, but the arrangement of the shelves is different.
Each separate compartment has six shelves in three tiers, and instead of side ones there are tables and folding chairs where you can have lunch or just sit, watching the changing landscape outside the train window.
Also in China they create sleeping cars in high-speed trains, which are usually two-tiered. And individual places have already turned into real capsules that create the most comfortable personal zone.
5. India
Among ordinary citizens of India, it is precisely rail travel. This addiction is explained by the affordability of the trip, so sleeping cars are always crowded here. In second-class carriages there is a very narrow passage separating the shelves, which are located along and across (as in our trains).
Of course, the complete lack of sanitation and overcrowding, the lack of bed linen and the worn-out state of the entire interior space does not cause great joy from the trip. The only thing that pleases passengers is the presence of a hot dinner (if the appetite does not spoil!), Which is already included in the ticket price.
6. Europe
Given that European countries do not have too long distances for traveling on long-distance trains, so the main modification of railway cars is seated. But sleeping cars are still available in some rolling stock - this is a compartment with sunbeds without a bathroom and shelves in a compartment with a bathroom.
As a rule, sleeping cars have three tiers of shelves and a folding table, there is also a door that can be closed at night. There are no side shelves in such cars.
7. USA
Perhaps this the only country in a world in which a train ticket in a sleeping car is more expensive than a plane ticket in the same locality, and travel time can increase significantly, going beyond the schedule. Therefore, practical Americans have long made their choice in favor of domestic airlines.
But be that as it may, the railroad in the United States continues to operate and transports its passengers every day, who decide to use just this type of transport. In our understanding, there are no ordinary reserved seats in such trains, but there are cars in which seating chairs are provided, which can be laid out almost horizontally, and you can get a good sleep on them during the journey. As a rule, such places are equipped folding tables, and the distance between the rows of seats is quite enough so that the legs do not rest against anything (or anyone).
Sleeping cars in Canada don't even try to compete with charter flights airlines and comfortable buses. As such, there is no reserved seat space in the carriages, but long-distance trains have quite comfortable compartments designed for 2-4 people.
In such cars there are side shelves that fold into very comfortable couches at night.
A distinctive feature of Canadian trains is the presence of common lounges, where you can spend time in a friendly atmosphere with other travelers, helping themselves to free fruits and cookies.
Modern engineers and designers promise that most modifications of sleeping cars will stop running. railways world, because they will be replaced by completely new rolling stock. you will find out in the following review.
