Printed intercity train schedules are available at all stations. Suburban electric commuter schedules are only available at the station serving those lines. One central number provides information for all stations both suburban and intercity.
Information About Trains 168-01-11

Same day tickets: Tickets for same day departure can be purchased only at the station of departure at the "same-day window" (sutochnaya), if available. Last minute tickets can sometimes be obtained from speculators-scalpers with an inside track, but at a stiff premium. It is also risky because of the name-on-ticket/passport rule.

Tickets in advance: Tickets for the next day up to 45 days in advance can be purchased at the station of departure or at

Central Railroad Ticket Office called
Tsentralnye Zheleznodorozhnye Kassy
Right off Nevskiy marked by a locomotive sign.
Griboedova kan. nab., 24....... 162-33-44
Mo-Sa 8-20, Su 8-16, M. Nevskiy Prospekt; H8 (G5)

Tickets by telephone to your home: You can order tickets in advance by telephone and they will be delivered in two or three days to your home or office. You pay when they are delivered.

To book tickets for home delivery Call 201
The Railroad Ticket Agency called
Tsentralnye Zheleznodorozhnye Kassy
Oktyabryskaya Zheleznaya Doroga
Tickets delivered in 2-3 days
Griboedova kan. nab., 24
Information........ 162-33-44
Mo-Sa 8-20, Su 8-16; M.Nevskiy Prospekt

Tickets for foreigners: In theory, foreigners are supposed to buy intercity tickets at special Intourist windows at the station, Intourist ticket offices or special windows in the Central Railway Office. Receipts are given with these tickets showing that you paid properly. Intourist collects a $4 surcharge for each ticket.

In practice, many foreigners ask a Russian to buy tickets for them. Names are no longer printed on tickets and passports are less frequently requested, making this option much more possible. In theory the conductors are supposed to compare the name on the tickets and your passport. Occasionally, the ticket bureau enforces the "sale against passport only" rule.

International train tickets: In theory international tickets are sold only for hard currency to all travelers, Russian or foreigner. Other places to buy tickets: Intertrans in the Hotel "Moskva" Tickets for Moscow and Helsinki: reservation and delivery, see TRAVEL AGENCIES.

Train travel is the least expensive and the most efficient way in most cases to travel to Moscow, the Baltics, and Northwest Russia.

Comfort and classes: There are three basic classes for long distance train travel: luxury-soft (lyuks or SV, CD) with two soft beds, coupé-soft (kupe) with four soft beds, and platskart with six beds per compartment or standard seats depending on the wagon, this last choice is to be avoided at all costs.

Day versus night trains to Moscow: One of the TYP editors' favorite trains between St. Petersburg and Moscow is the fast Avrora (Aurora), which leaves around 15:55 daily and arrives in Moscow around 22:00. It is a good way to travel by train without encountering problems sometimes associated with the overnights and a wonderful way to see the countryside between Moscow and St. Petersburg .

Special Commercial Trains: For better service between St. Petersburg. and Moscow, take the "commercial trains" (kommercheskiy poezd). The improved service usually includes clean bathrooms, linen fee, hot tea and snacks, restaurant cars, new equipment, polite conductors and overall less hassle.

Hint: For real comfort, always buy all the tickets for the compartment on the overnight trains, even if just one or two people are traveling. You have privacy and on overnight trips, you can make yourself a king-size bed by putting your luggage & extra blankets between the two beds. For women traveling alone, it is highly recommended to buy out the whole cabin to better insure a safe trip. Or take an escort along.

Getting to your train: Your ticket will indicate the train (poezd) number, wagon (vagon) and compartment (kupe). People meeting you will often ask for your compartment and wagon number. Russian trains are long, so it is handy to have someone there where you step off the train. The lower the wagon number, the closer to the front of the train, and the further down the departure platform.

Note: Russian trains leave on time!

On the train: When you board the train, the conductor (provodnik) will put your ticket into his/her black pouch and will return it to you before you leave the train. He/she may or may not check your passport; few conductors bother. If you have lots and lots of baggage, expect to pay a surcharge of about (R=$5.00/bag). On night trains the conductor will usually collect a small sum of money for the bed linen, and towel ($1.00-2.00 in rubles). They should also offer you tea at night and in the morning. Some will have a selection of alcohol, cold beer, soda and snacks for sale. For good service, a small tip ($1.00 in rubles) at the end of the trip is appropriate.

Porters (nosilshchik) expect no less than $4.00 in rubles from foreigners for one or two bags. Indulge yourself, because "Wagon Number 1" is a long way down the platform. Agree on a per bag price before they start helping you.

Toilets on most trains are without supplies. Take your own toilet paper and soap in a bag, maybe even a moist towelette to clean the toilet seat. The floors are often wet. A few are clean, most are not at all!

What to bring: To make your trip more enjoyable bring food, water, non-alcoholic drinks, beer, spirits and a pocket knife (to prepare food). On overnight trips bring slippers, light clothes to sleep in, toilet paper, a small towel, and a 1 meter piece of nylon cord that can be used to secure the door for added safety. Note: it can be stifling hot in your compartment and the windows don't open.

Safety at the station: Be alert around railway stations, especially the Moscow, Warsaw and Baltic stations. At night, be accompanied by someone.

Safety on the train: As on most European trains, each compartment door has a door lock and a second security lock for ventilation. The door lock, however, can be opened with an easily-available "special key"; the ventilation lock can also be quietly defeated from outside with a ruler flip and... voila, the door lock is open!

Tie the door rule: Thus, we carry a short nylon cord to loop over the top of the door handle to prevent the door handle from being opened. Most conductors approve of this method.

To Western Europe and the Baltics:
Berlin: 35-36, Brest: 20, Budapest: 50, Bucharest: 50, Helsinki: 6-7; Riga: 11, Tallinn: 8-9, Vilnius: 13-14 hours.

Note: When crossing the Russian border to Western Europe (except Finland), the train will stop for about three hours to change the trucks (wheels) from the wider Russian track width to the narrower European width.

To CIS Republics:
Kharkov: 27, Kiev: 25-30, Minsk: 16-17, Odessa: 36-40, Sofia: 59, Warsaw: 26 , Alma-Ata: 78 hours.

To Major Cities in Russia
Arkhangelsk: 28, Kaliningrad: 24, Moscow: 6-8.5 (15 times daily), Novgorod 4-5.5, Petrozavodck: 7.5-9, Samara: 41, Pskov: 6.5, Smolensk: 16, Volgograd: 38, Nizhniy Novgorod: 18, Kazan: 29, Murmansk: 31, Vyborg: 3 hours, Vladivostok: 140 hours across the Trans Siberian Railway

For an individual ticket, 36 kg of hand luggage are permitted in your compartment (as of June 1996). If the conductor agrees and the dimensions permit, you are permitted up to 70 kg for a payment mutually agreed upon by you and the conductor. Baggage to 200 kg maybe shipped for a fee in the baggage wagon. There are set fees determined by weight and distances. Payment receipts are issued by the baggage department.