Old and new railcars. Rolling stock of Russian Railways: passenger cars (7)

The compartments themselves have also undergone significant changes, perhaps only the layout has remained as before, only now the shelves in the compartment are immediately filled with linen.
Do you remember how we left the compartment in turn allowing the neighbors to get a mattress? Cover everything, while trying to prevent the dust from flying in all directions and not to touch anyone with your hands? Now you can immediately go to bed without unnecessary body movements.
It also seemed to me that the shelves had become longer - in any case, this time my legs did not rest against the wall. visually, there is definitely no more space here than in a regular coupe. The air conditioner worked. There is another side to this in the windows - if the air conditioner breaks down, there is a chance to weld, the windows do not open. Two sockets “the joy of the iPhone”, right in the compartment. Lamps, a mirror, the table is covered with a clean tablecloth, there are hangers . it is stated that travel set bathroom accessories are included in the price, but I was too lazy to follow him to the conductor.

The toilet is practically a masterpiece. And that's not sarcasm. Most importantly, they can be used at any time. It is clean, quite spacious (although there is no that romantic window on the right, the handle of which was so comfortable to hold), there are napkins and soap, an almost nanotechnological flush button. There are three such toilets in a double-decker car (there are more toilets per person compared to a reserved seat car, and fewer toilets per person compared to a compartment car). The vestibule next to the toilets expands a little, so several people are quite comfortable standing while waiting for their turn - it's funny that this was thought through. And on the scoreboard in the car, the "status of the toilet" is displayed, in the sense that it is occupied there or not. Very comfortably. True, it was possible to go further and make such an indicator right in the compartment, so that there was no need to get up from the shelf in vain.

Separate entertainment - the passage between the cars. No terrible harmonicas with a shaking floor and flickering sleepers and dirty vestibules. Now there are cheerful orange doors with silver corrugation, a hard floor, it's quiet and not scary at all. I remember that panicked childhood fear when I had to go between the cars - it was insanely scary to fail, and it was just dark and very, very noisy. Now the doors between the cars open at the touch of a button with a quiet pneumatic sound, and close automatically allowing you to move freely towards the intended goal (but smokers will suffer - there is absolutely nowhere to kill a cigarette here.)

I had a goal. I don’t remember that I have ever been in a restaurant car, so I decided to go out of ethnographic and research interest. The dining car also has two floors, the restaurant itself on the second, utility rooms and a bar on the first. They say the food is tasty and not very expensive compared to Moscow prices, but it was late, I didn’t want to eat, but I wanted to sleep, so after taking a couple of shots I preferred to go to sleep.

Of the nice goodies - there is WiFi in the double-decker train, however, there is a suspicion that it works simply through a modem from a mobile operator: that is, when cellular Yes, there is the Internet. And when the train rushes in the wilderness, and the base stations are tens of kilometers away - it is not there.

On a two-story building (number 006) I was traveling from St. Petersburg to Moscow. In St. Petersburg, I ended up on another train, one-story (No. 004 "Express", as it is written on the ticket). Almost everything is the same there - clean, quiet, a good toilet, but no wifi and one socket on the compartment. But I was amazed that passengers were offered a light dinner - in the compartment there were boxes of water, cookies and yogurt right on the table, and the conductor asked what we wanted for breakfast (there was a choice of three dishes - porridge, cheesecakes, pancakes) and brought it in the morning - it was shock! For the first time on the train they gave a normal hot meal (for free).

True, I had to pay 30 rubles for tea in a branded glass holder. Interestingly, by the way, is this a way for the conductors to earn a tip, or is breakfast and dinner really included in the ticket price on this train, and tea for separate fee? In this case, "where is the check??"? But the price of tickets in this train is higher than in the "two-story".

By the way, now Russian Railways has a flexible pricing system on some trains, almost like on airplanes - the more demand (the fewer seats left on the train), the more expensive.

Here is an estimate of the price in a week (I suspect that this is not very far from the possible minimum):


A compartment in a double-decker carriage with departure "tomorrow" will cost more than 3,000 rubles (if the seats are sold out - and they are usually all sold out).

According to my impressions, Russian Railways has made a rather big step forward in terms of developing the quality of service and comfort, but it has not been without features either. I’ll say right away, to the car branded train I have no complaints at all - everything was very cool there (though without wifi). But there are a couple of comments on the double-decker car:
1. Stairs - for the elderly and those with heavy suitcases, it is better to immediately choose places on the ground floor
2. Claustrophobia - those who do not really like enclosed spaces and low ceilings should not take the upper places on the second floor. The ceiling there is slightly sloping towards the window, and hangs very low overhead.
3. Place for luggage. I fully admit that we were somehow unlucky and we had a special compartment (the last one to the stairs), but under the bottom bunk there was some kind of metal technical box that occupied almost the entire place. So we barely managed to fit my backpack (about the size of hand luggage on the plane) and Tanya's suitcase (not much bigger). What people will do with big bags, baby carriages, skis, bicycles, I can’t even imagine, because there is no “third shelf” on which all this was stuffed in old cars. I really hope that somewhere luggage compartment which can be used if necessary. If you have large luggage, it is better to take another train.
4. Poor guides. The car has become a double-decker, the number of passengers has doubled (compared to a conventional compartment car), and there are still two conductors. The conductor honestly told us that if we need something (tea or something else), then it’s better to go to him right away, and not wait until he brings it, because he will serve fifty Chinese for several hours.

In 2013, the first train with double-deck passenger cars produced by the Tver Carriage Building Plant was formed. We have encountered the shortcomings of single-deck cars more than once and present them. But the disadvantages of traveling in double-decker cars are still unknown to us.

Double-deck cars have their own specific disadvantages, different from single-deck cars:
- In a compartment double-decker car, almost twice more places(instead of 36 it became 64), but the same number of conductors remained, respectively, the service will be slower (tea will have to wait longer) and the time of boarding the car will increase (the queue will be longer).

In a double-decker carriage there are stairs not only to the second floor, but also to the first, which is especially unpleasant with heavy luggage. Elderly passengers, who will have to carry luggage up stairs, will be especially affected. This circumstance is exacerbated by the fact that the number of passengers will increase and create certain difficulties when going up the stairs.

There is no luggage shelf (third shelf) in a double-deck car. It is not clear where the luggage of 4 compartment passengers should go. Most likely they will limit the amount of luggage.

There is no titanium in the double-deck car. Instead, a conventional electric kettle. How many times it will need to be boiled and how long it will take is unknown. It is worth noting that the number of passengers is almost twice as large.

The height of the ceiling in the compartment of a double-decker car is lower than in a single-decker one, so the owners of the upper shelves will not be able to sit - there is not enough height.

New double-deck cars have ventilation (inflow fresh air) only while the train is in motion. There are no air vents and the car is hermetically sealed with double-glazed windows. The air conditioner only cools the air, but does not change to fresh. The volume of the coupe has been significantly reduced by lowering the height. In the summer, during the heat or forced stops, it will be much worse to endure the trip. Moreover, there are 64 passengers in the car instead of 36, which is more than in a reserved seat car (54 passengers). If the air conditioner fails, then a disaster.

Moving along the corridor of the second floor will have to be slightly crouched, especially for tall people, since the wall and windows are sloping to the ceiling 2 meters high.

In an ordinary compartment car for 36 passengers - 2 toilets (1 toilet for 18 passengers), in a double-decker car for 64 passengers - 3 toilets (1 toilet for 21 passengers). It got a little worse.

Double-deck cars have become higher and during movement such cars sway even more than single-deck cars, which will cause discomfort, especially on the second floor. Moving up stairs while driving (especially for the elderly) is fraught with injury. It is worth noting that hot tea will also be carried up the stairs, which will also create additional dangers.

The fact that tickets will be much cheaper also looks illusory. RZD will not miss the opportunity. It will be especially a pity if Russian Railways does not make alternatives to double-decker trains.

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 a handsome peregrine falcon, the flagship 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 Looking at regular wagon 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 hall. 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 It is said that in a few years most destinations in the country will be allowed to operate just such double-decker trains, and second-class carriages will die out, as they have long been obsolete.

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Almost everything is here. Air conditioning, video surveillance, bathrooms (really rooms, not a corner to relieve yourself), doors with an electronic key, even a compartment for people with disabilities. And there are twice as many seats here - double-decker cars, but it's still the most ordinary train ...

Unusual were second-class carriages. They are not found anywhere except in Russia and the countries that were in the USSR. This is exclusively our invention.

In 1951, the German drawings of the Ammendorf plant, as was customary in the post-war period, end up at the Kalinin Carriage Works. Here, under the leadership of the director of the Kazan Helicopter Plant Lukyanov Ivan Alekseevich, the design compartment car brought up to Soviet standards. Doors are removed, partitions are cut and compacted, adding 18 side places. For 65 years they have been traveling around the country like this ... In 2006, in honor of the inventor reserved seat car, they call one of the Tver boulevards.

It is noteworthy that the first double-decker car in Russia was made at the same Tver Carriage Works in 1905.

The 21st century began in 2013. An unexpected turn - the Tver Carriage Works again begins to produce double-decker cars, which should completely replace the second-class cars.

New cars are not much higher than usual

But you can photograph them in different ways, even from the same angle. Here they are huge and scary.

And then cheerful and swift

Inside you won't even know which floor you're on. This is the first

And this is the second one. Almost no difference, except for the mirror at the end of the corridor

First floor compartment

The second one is pretty much the same.

God, a 220 outlet! Not in the aisle at the reclining chair, not in the closet with the warning “Shavers only”, but in the compartment and already two of them! But why not four then?

Intercar doors open with a button and close automatically

Entrance to the compartment by cards

The most popular search query, starting with the words "What if" will gradually become a thing of the past. Start typing this phrase in Yandex if you don't understand what I mean.

On February 1, this train began to travel between Moscow and St. Petersburg. Departure at 22:50, arrival at 06:47.

Conductor's kitchen. Microwave, coffee machine, thermo pot… I didn’t understand where the cup holders are hidden.

The dining car is decorated with collages. On the one hand, Moscow - the Kremlin, Tsar Cannon, University, on the other - St. Petersburg. They just did not take into account that the sculptures are created in such a way that they are looked at from below. Face to face they look monstrous.

Nothing supernatural. Just a train as it should be in modern countries. I would even say budget train. The price is slightly more expensive than the reserved seat and usually cheaper than all other compartment trains in this direction.