At the moment, there are only two double-decker trains: 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

Travel in each of these double-decker trains will cost a little less than in 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 tall cars are distinguished by 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 48 seats. 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. 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 are noted Russian trains: closed toilets at stops, heat or cold in cars, non-working boilers, etc.

Among the disadvantages of these trains, passengers primarily note 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.

Double-decker passenger trains have already gained some popularity in our country. For example, they can be found on the routes "Moscow - Sochi", "Moscow - Kazan", "Moscow - Samara". Last year I traveled in such carriages several times, and today I will compare them in detail with single-decker branded trains. ..

I'll start with the advantages of a double-decker train. Oddly enough, they exist. :-)

Mainly it is the ticket price. Due to larger capacity each car, it is lower than for a similar single-decker train.
For example, let's look at the prices for the Moscow - Kazan train on February 2:


If the ticket is in a single-story compartment branded train No. 002 costs 3,672 rubles, then a similar seat on a double-decker train costs only 2,075 rubles, which is comparable to the price of a reserved seat on a single-decker. Those. for the same money, you can travel in a higher class.
A two-story SV is also cheaper than a regular one. There are no reserved seats on double-decker trains.

There are other "advantages". For example, in the compartment of a double-decker carriage there are as many as 2 sockets instead of one, and they are located not under the table, but in more accessible places:

You can also note containers for separate waste collection, which I have not yet seen in single-deck carriages:

There is, however, the question of how the garbage is removed from them: with the division preserved or not, and where it is sent in the future - I don’t know. But the very fact that people are taught to sort is already a good thing.

And now about the shortcomings. Unfortunately, there are more of them.
Let's start with the ease of entry/exit. When you have luggage or a baby stroller, this is of no small importance. And here the double-decker train loses to its one-decker counterpart. Even if your ticket is in a compartment on the first floor, when entering the carriage you will have to go down a few steps, the floor level here is lower:

The passage to the second floor looks like this:

Don’t forget that exiting the carriage is at terminal station It will most likely take longer, simply due to the fact that the capacity of a standard double-decker carriage is almost 2 times higher than that of a similar single-decker: 64 people instead of 36.

Of course, the height of a double-decker car is not 2 times higher than a single-decker, but about 1.5. Due to this, passengers have less space to live. The upper shelves on the first floor look like this:

The severity of the problem is not very clear from the photo, so let me clarify that an adult will not be able to sit on the top bunk! You can only sit there lying down or reclining. And climbing onto such a shelf is also extremely difficult; the likelihood of hitting your head on the ceiling is very high. :-)
In single-deck carriages there are no such problems, even less so.

And, in my opinion, this is the main disadvantage of double-decker cars. I wouldn't wish anyone to get a ticket with a top seat...

How such an outrage could appear in a carriage designed and built in the 21st century is incomprehensible to me. After all, in single-deck cars there is a convenient panel with a full-length folding top, with several convenient compartments:

Why was it necessary to return to these grids from the Soviet past? Mystery!

A few words about toilets. There are 3 of them in a double-decker carriage. Of course, bio, i.e. parking lots are not closed. But by simple arithmetic operations we find that in a single-decker carriage there is 1 toilet per 18 passengers (there are 2 of them), and in a two-decker carriage there is 1 toilet per 21 people. Those. the likelihood that he will be busy in the morning when you go to brush your teeth is higher on a double-decker train.

There is no traditional “titanium” with boiling water in double-decker cars:

Instead, there is a regular office cooler in the conductors' compartment. Who cares, for me this is also a minus - what kind of romance with a cooler is now? :-)

On double-decker trains, the ticket price does not include hot meals, as in many single-decker branded trains. Only small sets available

This is how I saw double-decker carriages. And in this short review I tried to remain as objective as possible.

All other things being equal, in the future I will choose single-decker trains, but if I need to save money, I will probably prefer a double-decker compartment car to a single-decker reserved seat car. Still, in my youth I “ate up” on a reserved seat for many, many years to come. And it seems like Russian Railways plans to abandon it over time reserved seat carriages at all - I think this is the right vector of development.

In principle, if you choose the lower seats, then by and large there is nothing criminally unpleasant in double-decker cars. Yes, they lose in nuances, but someone will be able to travel in a compartment instead of a reserved seat for the same money.

P.S. Yes, I almost forgot about one cool and undeniable advantage double-decker carriage - where children can run in circles. Of course, this is much more interesting than going back and forth along the corridor on a regular train. :-)

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 cruised on some suburban 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 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 carriages, 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;
  • top place in the compartment and all seats in the SV will already be made;
  • drinking water;
  • food (one time);
  • sanitary and hygiene supplies;
  • Wi-Fi;
  • in carriages increased comfort– 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 routes long distance double-decker carriages will completely replace reserved seat carriages.

It has sleeping and sitting cars, luxury and specially equipped compartments for disabled people and their accompanying persons. The ticket may include not only bedding, but also meals. What does a double-decker carriage look like? The inside view is described in this article.

Types of carriages

Let's start with a general description of the train. The cars are manufactured at the Tver plant. The advantage of the new train is a significant increase passenger seats. This allows you to reduce the cost of travel. The cars are presented in several classes:

The photo of the double-decker carriage (inside view) shows that the floors are connected by a small staircase. Regardless of their type - compartment or "sit-down" - they are all located on both tiers. Each train consists of the following cars:

  • 12 compartments;
  • one SV;
  • staff;
  • restaurant.

What are they equipped with?

The train is equipped with air conditioning and dry toilets that do not close at stations, and now you do not have to wait until departure to use them. In single-deck trains, the compartment car has only thirty-six seats. In double-decker trains - twice as much. There are no electrical outlets in the corridors of the second tier, as they are available in each compartment.

The upper and lower floors of the carriages are completely identical. They are almost no different from ordinary standard single-tier trains. But on the second floor there is a slight slope of the roof, which makes it not very comfortable to sleep.

General description of cars

The inside view of a double-decker carriage is almost identical to that of a single-decker. All trains consist of isolated compartments with 2 or 4 seats. Each room has a mirror, bedding, a table, and shelves for small things. All compartments are equipped with lamps. Small stairs are provided to reach the upper places. The numbering remains the same, even numbers are at the top, the corresponding numbers are indicated on the left.

You can enter or leave the premises using special magnetic keys. Works in all carriages free Internet and three dry closets. The train is well heated from the inside. The coupes are equipped with two sockets with a power of up to 100 W. The windows in all carriages are covered with double-glazed windows. The space between cars is hermetically sealed, the doors open automatically after pressing a button. The doors do not open from the inside.

Car Features

The compartment car looks familiar in appearance; the boiling water is located next to the conductors' room. A staircase located 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 bin nearby. The compartment itself has soft seats, but the upper bunks are somewhat cramped. The room is equipped not only with an electric lock, but also with a mechanical lock.

The headquarters car has a navigation and satellite communications system (GLONASS). The inside view of the two-story “seater car” is similar to that of 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 there is 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-decker SV carriage look like? Inside view: Double compartments have LCD TVs. And one for each seat. In the rooms designed for four passengers, almost everything remains the same. The sleeping places and table are located in the same way as in conventional single-tier trains.

The view from the inside of the double-decker “Lux” carriage is not much different from the usual environment. The floor is carpeted and there is a row additional amenities. And compartments for disabled people 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 you won’t be able to sit on the top shelf at full height, only by bending down. This makes the double-decker carriage unattractive for tall people. The inside view shows that for convenience there is not just one trash bin, but several cabinets. All of them are divided into types of waste that must be disposed of: metal, wood, plastic, food waste.

Disadvantages of a double-decker train

The interior view of the double-decker carriage is in some respects negatively different from previous trains. On the ground floor there are no longer any upper ceiling shelves where luggage could be placed and where the conductors would put mattresses and pillows. As a result, all things have to be compacted somehow underneath. There is boiling water only on the first floor.

The space between cars is closed very hermetically, there is absolutely no draft there, so you won’t be able to smoke on the sly. Otherwise, all the smoke will go into the carriages. If there are a lot of passengers on the train, then the service is somewhat delayed, since the number of conductors remains the same (there are two of them per carriage). While the train is moving, it swings a lot and therefore you need to walk on the stairs very carefully, otherwise you can easily get injured.

One of the important advantages of a double-decker carriage is that it can accommodate more passengers. There are 64 sleeping places (16 compartments) in a two-story compartment carriage, while in a regular carriage there are only 36 (9 compartments). Thanks to this, the cost of travel on a double-decker train is lower than on trains of similar class. The train departs at 10 am from the Kazansky station and covers the distance between Moscow and Adler in 25 hours.

The train includes cars:

  • SV (32 seats)
  • coupe (64 seats)
  • headquarters (50 seats; with space for people with disabilities)
  • dining car

Services for passengers

The carriages consist of 4-seater or 2-seater insulated compartments located on two floors. The equipment of the cars includes air conditioning and heating systems, three dry closets, LED lights, a video surveillance system, a control system, access control and security. passenger train. The energy supply is provided by an electric locomotive, which ensures that the train is environmentally friendly.

Each compartment has a table, mirrors, shelves for small items, lamps, and ladders for climbing to the top place. The compartments are equipped with two sockets for connecting electric shavers, mobile and other devices with a power of no more than 100 W. In 2-seater compartments (SV), each seat is equipped with an LCD display for viewing video programs.

The staff car is equipped with satellite communications and navigation equipment (GLONASS).

The fare includes: bed linen, drinking water. The carriages are provided with sanitary and hygienic items of improved quality. Also offered Additional services: sale of tea and confectionery products, printed publications, souvenirs and other goods.