Double-decker Russian Railways carriages (27 photos). New double-decker Russian Railways train (photo report) Diagram of 2-decker Russian Railways cars

Double-decker cars of the Russian railway are part of the Moscow-Adler train. Russian Railways plans to launch trains with double-decker carriages with seats on the routes Moscow - Smolensk and Moscow - Belgorod, Moscow - Saratov. Double-decker cars are manufactured in compartment (64 seats), SV (30 seats), restaurant car, business class seated cars (58 seats), economy class seated cars (104 seats). The two-story dining car has 48 seats in the dining room and six seats in the bar. The length of the double-decker car is almost the same as a regular one (the double-decker version is 70 centimeters longer), and the height of the car has become 5.25 meters.

The main difference between a double-decker compartment and a regular compartment is the absence of upper luggage compartments and the height of the ceiling. Instead of 2.5 meters in a regular carriage, in a double-decker carriage the ceiling height is 2.1 meters. The designers of the double-decker carriage were given the task of “squeezing” it into the dimensions of a regular carriage. This is achieved by placing the first floor compartments between wheeled trolleys. Now, in order to get into the compartment on the first floor, passengers will need to go down the stairs and go up to the second floor accordingly. The entrance to the carriage, the conductor's compartment, and the toilets are located on the “middle” level.

On the diagram of a double-decker car the numbers indicate:
1 – vestibule
2 – office space
3 – conductor compartment
4 - ladder of the brake end of the car
5 - passenger compartment of the first floor
6 - ladder not at the brake end of the car
7, 8, 9 – toilets
10 – utility room
11 - corridor of the non-braking end of the car
12 - large corridor of the first floor
13 - corridor of the brake end of the car
14 - large second floor corridor
15 - passenger compartment of the second floor.
The compartment numbers are indicated in red from 1 to 16. In the four-seater coupe version, the seats are arranged (odd seats are lower seats, even seats are upper seats):

First floor:
compartment No. 1 – 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th place,
compartment No. 2 – 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th place,
compartment No. 3 – 9, 10, 11 and 12 places,
compartment No. 4 – 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th places,
compartment No. 5 – 17, 18, 19 and 20 places,
compartment No. 6 – 21, 22, 23 and 24 places,
compartment No. 7 – 25, 26, 27 and 28 places,
compartment No. 8 – 29, 30, 31 and 32 places.

Second floor:
compartment No. 9 – 81st, 82nd, 83rd and 84th place,
compartment No. 10 – 85th, 86th, 87th and 88th place,
compartment No. 11 – 89, 90, 91 and 92 places,
coupe No. 12 – 93rd, 94th, 95th and 96th place,
compartment No. 13 – 97, 98, 99 and 100 places,
compartment No. 14 – 101, 102, 103 and 104 places,
compartment No. 15 – 105, 106, 107 and 108 places,
compartment No. 16 – 109, 110, 111 and 112 places.

Numbering of a double-decker SV class car:
First floor
compartment No. 1 – 1st, 2nd place,
compartment No. 2 – 3rd, 4th place,
compartment No. 3 – 5, 6th place,
compartment No. 4 – 7, 8 place,
compartment No. 5 – 9, 10th place,
compartment No. 6 – 11, 12 place,
compartment No. 7 – 13, 14 place,
compartment No. 8 – 15th, 16th place.

Second floor
compartment No. 9 – 81st, 82nd place,
compartment No. 10 – 83, 84 place,
compartment No. 11 – 85, 86 place,
compartment No. 12 – 87, 88 place,
compartment No. 13 – 89, 90th place,
compartment No. 14 – 91, 92 place,
compartment No. 15 – 93, 94 place,
coupe No. 16 – 95, 96 place.

The double-decker carriage can have 64-seat and 30-seat options. The 64-seater carriage has four-seater compartments, and the 30-seater carriage has two-seater compartments.
Passenger compartments of a double-decker Russian Railways carriage are equipped with: two lower seats and two upper ones (not available in the 30-seat version), in the double compartment there are shelves for small items, under the window table, a ladder and a handrail for climbing onto the upper berths (in the double version - absent ), hooks for clothes and a mirror on the door.

Double-decker carriage with seats

The double-decker economy class carriage will accommodate 104 seats. In the business class carriage, there will be 29 luxury seats on each floor. The seats in the business class can be turned towards the direction of the train, or the interlocutors can turn the seats towards each other. All double-decker carriages are equipped with air conditioning and Wi-Fi with Internet.

At the moment, only two double-decker trains are running: No. 104, Moscow - Adler, and No. 5, Moscow - St. Petersburg. The carriages of both trains were built on A distinctive feature of these modern trains is their much larger capacity compared to conventional ones.

Fare

Traveling on each of these double-decker trains will cost a little less than on a regular train. However, only if the ticket is purchased in advance. The fewer empty seats remain in the cars, the more expensive they are. A ticket for the two-story Adler, purchased in advance, will cost about 4,000 rubles. A train ticket to St. Petersburg costs about 1,300 rubles. Sales for flights begin as usual - 45 days before departure.

Both double-decker trains belong to the branded class. they don't have it. In addition to the compartments, there are several SVs. The capacity of one carriage is 64 seats. This was mainly the reason for the reduction in fares on the double-decker train. For comparison: a carriage usually has only 39 seats.

Features of the composition

A double-decker train differs from a regular train primarily in the height of the cars. The train is driven by a fifth-generation locomotive EP-20, capable of operating on both AC and AC power. The high-rise cars are distinguished by their modern appearance. Each one has the branded abbreviation Russian Railways, written in red letters, clearly visible on a gray background.

The Adler restaurant has a seating capacity of 60, and the St. Petersburg restaurant has a capacity of 48. Two waitresses serve visitors. The restaurant is located on the second floor of the train. As in regular trains, food is also sold in the corridors several times a day. In addition to the restaurant, the double-decker train also has a bar for eight people. It is located on the first floor. Next to it is the kitchen. It is connected to the restaurant by two elevators. One of them is designed for lifting ready-made dishes to the top, and the second is for lowering dirty dishes down.

Facilities for disabled people

The convenience of these two new trains also includes the fact that they have carriages specially designed for people with disabilities. Their distinctive features are wide corridors. Passengers can navigate them directly in the stroller. There is a special lift at the entrance to the car. Thus, a disabled person can get on the double-decker train itself (a photo of it can be seen on the page) without getting out of the wheelchair.

First floor

Most passengers who have already traveled on these trains describe them as quite comfortable. The carriages are a little cramped than usual, but quite comfortable. The height of the corridors is slightly more than two meters. Doors in compartments can be closed/opened using a magnetic card. Traveling on the train is completely safe - the passages between cars are sealed.

The two-story structure, judging by the reviews, is, among other things, also very clean. Smoking is prohibited in the vestibules. Each carriage has three dry closets. You can use them, including at bus stops. There are also containers on the train for sorting garbage.

Second floor

A fairly well-equipped staircase leads upstairs from the first floor. Its steps are illuminated, and you can hold on to the comfortable handrails. A garbage container is installed on the interfloor area. A viewing spherical mirror is suspended above it. Passengers going down the stairs can see those going up, and vice versa.

The second floor of the train is very similar to the first. The only difference is that the ceiling here is slightly sloping, and the windows are very low - at the level of an adult's waist.

Train compartment

Passengers who have purchased a ticket for the branded Moscow-Adler double-decker train or to St. Petersburg can settle in very well. The compartments in these trains are quite comfortable and well equipped. Each of them is designed for four people. The length of the shelves in the compartments is slightly shorter than in the carriages of regular trains. However, even tall people can fit on them more or less comfortably. The only thing is that you won’t be able to sit upright on the second shelf. The ceilings on both floors are quite low. There are no third luggage racks in the compartment and SV. Suitcases can only be placed under the bottom ones.

The lighting in the compartment is LED, and next to each of the two lower shelves there are sockets built into the wall for charging phones and laptops. Free Wi-Fi is available on double-decker trains. Communications are provided by Megafon. Among other things, each compartment has a separate radio point. The presence of a climate control system increases the comfort of the trip. However, unfortunately, it is impossible to regulate the temperature in each individual compartment.

Windows throughout the train are equipped with modern soundproof double glazed windows. SV cars have LCD monitors designed for viewing video programs.

Service

When boarding a double-decker train, as in any branded train, passengers are given bed linen. The ticket price also includes a sanitary and hygiene kit, a newspaper, boiled water during the entire route and packed lunches. The latter includes bottled drinking water, jam, crackers, chicken pate, mustard, mayonnaise, waffles. Just like on regular trains, tea is served periodically. The hygiene package includes a spoon, fork, knife, toothpick, and paper napkin.

Both double-decker trains are escorted by police officers. In order for them to monitor order in the carriages, video cameras are placed in the corridors.

Double-decker train: reviews

As already mentioned, passengers had a good opinion about these trains. First of all, the low cost of travel and the absence of standard inconveniences of Russian trains are noted: closed toilets at stops, heat or cold in the cars, non-working boilers, etc.

Passengers primarily note that the disadvantages of these trains are that the carriages are somewhat cramped. Clean and comfortable toilets are also something that the double-decker train boasts of. Reviews about it in this regard are also very good. However, the toilets can sometimes get smoky. Smoking is prohibited in the vestibules of both trains. Therefore, some passengers do this in the toilet. The lack of third shelves also causes some inconvenience. If there is too much luggage, there will simply be nowhere to put it.

Lineup schedule

The double-decker train moves a little faster than usual. The average speed is about 160 km/h. The schedule has been developed in such a way that the majority of passengers spend the shortest possible time on the route. From Moscow to Adler you can travel by double-decker train in about 25 hours. To St. Petersburg - 8 hours.

As you can see, the double-decker train (the photos confirm this) can be assessed as quite convenient and comfortable. The ticket is inexpensive, and the train moves very quickly. So you can even put up with some cramped conditions.

The last time I traveled by train was 2 years ago from Moscow to Donetsk, before that the last time I traveled was 5 years ago, and somehow I didn’t notice much difference with my childhood memories (as a child, every summer we rode to my grandmother and back, so the memories very clearly etched in my memory) - a cramped compartment, it’s blowing from the window, it’s either cold or hot in the compartment, a dirty table, vintage mattresses, for which you first need to take linen from the conductor and then hand it in (a separate quest and entertainment). It’s scary to go out into the vestibule, not to mention walk between the cars, and what is it worth waiting in line for the toilet next to the trash can, which was invariably overflowing by the end of the journey? And the dirty toilet that you couldn’t use at bus stops?
But when I was offered to go to St. Petersburg and back by train, curiosity overcame fear. It turned out to be very tempting to go from the center of Moscow straight to the center of St. Petersburg simply by sleeping at night. It's faster by plane, and sometimes it's the same price as by train, but you have to remember that you have to get to and from the airport, arrive an hour before boarding... in short, it's not the most comfortable option for relatively close distances. There was also the extreme option of going by car, but I would have to drive 800 km alone at night after a work week, without hope of sleeping in the next couple of days. So the train seemed the most reasonable and convenient way, and it was interesting to remember the sensations of the sound of wheels and the landscapes passing by outside the window.

The most unusual thing that appeared on the railway during the time I did not use their services was double-decker cars. They launched about a year ago. Now there are two trains - to Adler and to St. Petersburg, both from Moscow.
The double-decker carriage was designed to carry 64 people, and was packed to the gills with cheerful Chinese citizen tourists. We enter the carriage - it is light and clean, there is an even row of compartment doors. Do you remember when trains used to have reclining seats in the corridors in compartment cars? There are no such chairs here. There is a staircase leading to the second floor and externally the corridor of the first floor is no different from the corridor of the second.

The compartments themselves have also undergone significant changes, perhaps only the layout remains the same as before, only now the shelves in the compartment are immediately filled with linen.
Do you remember how you left the compartment one by one, allowing your neighbors to get the mattress? Cover everything, while trying to prevent dust from flying in all directions and not touching anyone with your hands? Now you can go straight to bed without unnecessary movements.
It also seemed to me that the shelves had become longer - at least 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 was working. The windows have double glazed windows, “goodbye to drafts.” But there is another side to this – if the air conditioner breaks down, there is a chance it will boil, the windows will not open. Two sockets “the joy of an iPhone”, right in the compartment. Lamps, a mirror, the table is covered with a clean tablecloth, there are hangers It is stated that a travel set of bathroom accessories is included in the price, but I was too lazy to go to the conductor to get it.

The toilet is practically a masterpiece. And this is not sarcasm. The most important thing is that you can use it at any time. It’s clean, quite spacious (although there isn’t that romantic window on the right whose handle was so convenient to hold on to), there are napkins and soap, and an almost nanotechnological flush button. There are three such toilets in a double-decker carriage (compared to a reserved seat carriage, there are more toilets per person per person, and fewer than a compartment carriage). The vestibule next to the toilets widens a little, so several people can stand quite comfortably while waiting their turn - it’s funny that they thought of this. And the display in the carriage displays the “toilet status”, meaning whether it is occupied or not. Very comfortably. True, it was possible to go further and make such an indicator right in the compartment, so that there would be no need to get up from the shelf.

A separate entertainment is the passage between the cars. No scary accordions with a shaking floor and flashing 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 panicky childhood fear when I had to walk between the cars - I was incredibly scared to fall through, and it was just dark and very, very noisy. Now the doors between the cars open at the press of a button with a quiet pneumatic sound, and close completely automatically, allowing you to move unhindered towards your intended goal (but smokers will suffer - there is absolutely no place to kill a cigarette here.)

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

One of the nice perks is that the double-decker train has WiFi, although there is a suspicion that it simply works through a modem from a cellular operator: that is, when there is a cellular connection, there is also the Internet. And when the train rushes in the wilderness, and the base stations are tens of kilometers away, it is not there.

I was traveling from St. Petersburg to Moscow in a two-story car (number 006). In St. Petersburg, I ended up on another train, a single-decker one (No. 004 “Express,” as it says on the ticket). Almost everything is the same there - clean, quiet, good toilet, but no wifi and one socket per 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 in the morning she brought it - it was shock! For the first time on the train we were given normal hot food (free of charge).

True, I had to pay 30 rubles for tea in a branded glass holder. I wonder, by the way, is this a way for the conductors to earn tips for themselves, or is breakfast and dinner really included in the ticket price on this train, and tea is an additional fee? In this case, “where is the check??”? But the price of tickets on this train is higher than on the “two-story” one.

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

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

A compartment with a double-decker carriage departing “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 quite a big step forward in terms of developing the quality of service and comfort, but it is not without its peculiarities. I’ll say right away that I have no complaints at all about the carriage of the branded train - everything was very cool there (though without wifi). But here are a couple of comments about the double-decker carriage:
1. Stairs - for older people and those with heavy suitcases, it is better to immediately choose seats on the first floor
2. Claustrophobia - for those who do not really like confined spaces and low ceilings, it is better not to take the upper seats on the second floor. The ceiling there is slightly sloping towards the window, and hangs very low above your head.
3. Space for luggage. I fully admit that we were somehow unlucky and had a special compartment (farthest towards the stairs), but under the bottom bunk there was some kind of metal technical box that took up almost all the space. So we barely managed to fit in my backpack (the size of hand luggage on an airplane) and Tanya’s suitcase (not much larger). I can’t even imagine what people will do with large bags, baby strollers, skis, bicycles, because there is no “third shelf” on which all this was stuffed in the old carriages. I really hope that somewhere there is a luggage compartment that can be used if necessary. If you have a lot of luggage, it is better to take another train.
4. Poor conductors. The carriage became double-decker, the number of passengers doubled (compared to a regular compartment carriage), and there were 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 for him to bring it, because it will take him several hours to serve fifty Chinese.

Russian Railways double-decker cars were produced for the Japanese high-speed railway network. For the first time such trains in Russia were launched in 2013., their goal was to replace the “reserved seat”.

What is a 2-decker train?

It is a train with wagons where two passenger cabins(on top of each other). Most common in Japan, already found in Russia. The main advantage is speed.

In such models there are no reserved seat carriages - there are only COUPE, NE. An ordinary compartment contains 36 places, but now the new two-story - 64 . But as for SV, instead of 30 there is only due revenge 18 . There are regular compartments here 50 places Each carriage is divided into 2, 4 local small branches. The compartment has double-glazed windows and includes:

sleeping places;
shelves for small items;
mirrors;
lamps;
sockets;
ladders for climbing to higher places.

The CB has an LCD display in front of the seats. The doors are opened using individual magnetic key cards. There are 3 dry closets. All stairs have strong handrails. For a comfortable microclimate there are air conditioning and heating systems.

Pros, cons of the first floor

On all places (shelves) you can charge your phone, there are USB ports and sockets.
Excellent dry closets.
On the ground floor there is a compartment for "limited mobility" people (disabled people). There is a compartment for 2 places.
There is a toilet for disabled people.
There is a bar on the ground floor.
Slot machines with snacks, soda.

Flaws:

The overhead luggage racks have been removed, now you have to think about where hide luggage.
Reduced the distance from the floor to the bottom shelf.
Low ceiling above the top shelf.
Meet even more neighbors in neighboring compartments, now they are not only on the right and left, but now above and below.
Private interruptions in air conditioning.
Long service.

Advantages, disadvantages of the second floor

Advantages:

Available WI-FI.
A display showing the temperature of the toilet.
Free "packed rations": bottle of water, mints, bun, pate, jam, crackers.

You can read what is the difference between funded, insurance and social pensions

Flaws:

Ladder. It will be extremely difficult for elderly people to carry their suitcases in and get up.
Window. To just look out the window, you have to bend over.
This carriage is not designed for particularly large people, as it is quite cramped.
Toilet on the first floor.

Routes of double-decker Russian Railways trains

Go under the routes:

Rostov-on-Don - Adler.
Kislovodsk - Moscow - Kazan.
Moscow, Saint Petersburg.
Moscow - Adler.
Moscow - Voronezh.
Moscow - Samara.
St. Petersburg - Adler.
Moscow - Izhevsk.

The first double-decker carriage was made by craftsmen from the Tver Carriage Works in 1905. And 108 years later, in November 2013, a double-decker carriage from the same plant set off on a journey across Russia. What routes do double-decker trains travel in Russia now, 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 carriage produced at the Tver Carriage Plant in 1905. It was intended for long-distance transportation, 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 purchase cars made in the GDR. They operated on some commuter routes. Then there were attempts to create their own versions. The Leningrad plant named after Egorov produced a prototype in which the first floor was sleeping, and the second was with seating. Things didn’t 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 and placing an order. The same Tver Carriage Plant undertook to produce the double-decker cars; in 2013, the first double-decker car was delivered to the customer. And in the same year, a double-decker train moved along the Moscow-Adler route.

Currently, trains with double-decker 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 Russian Railways rolling stock modernization program, the number of double-decker trains on the routes is planned to gradually increase.

Features of double-decker trains

Unlike the experiments of the last century, full-fledged sleeping compartments in modern carriages are located on both floors. Passengers get to the second one via regular stairs. They are not too wide, but “a picture, a basket, a piece of cardboard” is easy to carry through 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.

There are comfortable “accordion” passages between the cars. The doors between them open automatically after pressing a button. Rattling joints between cars with plates moving apart underfoot are a thing of the past.

Passengers note the comfort, safety and good equipment of double-decker cars. The compartments are locked with an individual magnetic key, which is given to the passenger upon boarding. The carriage has double-glazed windows and energy-saving lamps. Air conditioning and heating systems are installed. The surveillance, control and monitoring system transmits data to the conductor's compartment. Passengers can rest assured about their safety. The compartment also has two sockets for connecting razors and mobile devices.

Comfort comes from the little things. Remember the radio in old carriages, 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 to.

Advantages of double-decker carriages

What other advantages can be noted in double-decker cars, besides the modern design of the compartment and a good level of comfort?

The number of passengers carried is higher than usual. The new trains have 64 sleeping places per carriage, while the regular trains accommodate 36 people in a compartment carriage.
The fare on a double-decker train is lower than on a regular compartment because there are more passengers. Compared to fast branded carriages of the same class, tickets are 20–25% cheaper.
Environmental friendliness. The cars are equipped with energy-saving lamps and heating systems, dry closets, and special containers for separate waste collection.

When purchasing tickets for the branded double-decker train, a dynamic pricing program is available. The earlier you buy tickets, the cheaper they are. As the travel date approaches, the price may increase depending on the demand and congestion of the railway route.

When ordering tickets for a double-decker train, please note that each floor has a separate seating plan.

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 CB will already be made;
drinking water;
food (one time);
sanitary and hygiene supplies;
Wi-Fi;
in luxury cars there are plasma screens for watching movies or news channels.

The signature double-decker trains have a dining car. There is a bar and kitchen on the ground floor, and a restaurant hall on the second floor.

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

Good news for lovers of home-cooked food and parents of small children - microwaves are installed in passenger carriages. You can make a hot sandwich or heat up food taken from home.

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

It might be useful to read: