Not so long ago, the management of Russian Railways decided to replace all old reserved seats with new double-decker cars. The latter are produced at the Tver plant according to the project of domestic engineers. Of course, there are many differences between such cars from reserved seats and compartment compartments. At the moment, several double-decker trains run on Russian railways . One of them carries passengers on the route Moscow - St. Petersburg. Train 006 left its first flight on February 1, 2015.
Features of the composition
Differences in double-decker trains, compared with conventional ones, are both outside and inside. Wagons in the trains themselves are coupled to each other by means of a gapless device. Therefore, the double-decker train Moscow - St. Petersburg accelerates and slows down without jolts and blows that are familiar to everyone, which, of course, most passengers consider very convenient. Going from car to car in such a composition is not at all scary. There are no cracks in the floor in this place, nothing shakes and does not rattle.
Disabled passengers note another advantage of the double-decker train. At the entrance to such cars, special lifts are installed. Therefore, people with disabilities have the opportunity to get inside without getting up from their seats.
Features of cars
Inside the passengers who bought a ticket for the double-decker train Moscow - St. Petersburg, there are also many innovations. Corridors in wagons are generally similar to familiar ones. The only difference is the very low location of the windows. In order to admire the beauty of the landscapes of the Leningrad and Moscow regions, flickering past, passengers have to bend over.
You can get to the second floor of the car via a rather narrow staircase equipped with a railing. Its crampedness and relative steepness, most passengers, evaluating the train 006 (double-decker) Moscow - St. Petersburg, are attributed to the minuses of the train. However, collisions on such a ladder can be easily avoided if desired. A panoramic mirror hangs on its intermediate platform. It is necessary for descending passengers to see ascending.
Among the innovations can also be attributed a display hanging in the corridors, on which an indicator of air temperature is displayed. There are three toilets in each two-story carriage. The trash bin has been replaced with several modern bins. There is no well-known boiler at the beginning of the corridor in double-decker cars. It is now located in the compartment of the conductor and has a completely modern appearance. In addition, if you wish, you can now ask the Russian Railways employee accompanying the car to warm up some cooled dish. The conductor’s compartment has a microwave.
What you should know about
The tambours in such trains are quite spacious, but, unfortunately, it is impossible to smoke in them. However, the double-decker train Moscow - St. Petersburg, the photo of which is presented on the page, goes along a not too long route. Therefore, for passengers accustomed to nicotine, this is most likely not to be a particular problem.
For clarity, below is a diagram of a double-decker train Moscow - St. Petersburg. Perhaps she will help one of the passengers to deal with places in the cars. The fact is that on the lower floor they are numbered from 1 to 32, and on the second floor from 81 to 112, which can cause some confusion.
Train compartment
Shelves in cars of such compositions are not much different from ordinary ones. The upper ones are located at about the same height as in a simple compartment. You can climb them on a rather convenient staircase. Many passengers do not like the fact that there is very little free space above the shelf itself. However, it was impossible to sit here comfortably in ordinary reserved seats. The only difference in this case is that over the passenger’s head is now not the third luggage rack, but the ceiling, and the distance to it is slightly less.
The undoubted pluses of the compartment in double-decker cars include the presence of several outlets. Internet lovers, of course, should buy a ticket not to the usual, but to the double-decker train Moscow - St. Petersburg. Photos show the convenience of his coupe quite clearly. A laptop or netbook can be charged at any time. Communication in the train is carried out via free Wi-Fi provided by the mobile operator Megafon.
The door in the compartment of a double-decker train opens with a special card. The minuses, in addition to some cramped space, passengers include the lack of a lower luggage box. Things now have to be stored just under the shelf.
Train toilets
These conveniences in double-decker trains, in general, earned a positive assessment from passengers. Equipped toilets are really very good. There is no unsanitary conditions, as in the old Soviet structures, here. But some mothers with children pay attention to one rather serious problem that they had to face in the toilets of double-decker trains. The fact is that due to the ban on smoking in the vestibules, some passengers do it slowly. And of course, in the toilet. And of course, the remnants of smoke have to breathe, including children. Therefore, it is possible that the management of Russian Railways and car builders should think about this problem and still equip a place for cigarette lovers in the same place where it was in reserved seats, providing an exhaust hood. In addition, in this case, passengers entering the double-decker train Moscow - St. Petersburg will not have to breathe on the platform with puffs of smoke produced by smokers.
Restaurant car
Judging by such a composition, judging by the reviews of passengers, it is also possible with comfort. The double-decker train Moscow - St. Petersburg earned good reviews from passengers, including for quite comfortable tables in the restaurant car. The hall itself is located on the second floor. The kitchen in the new train Moscow - St. Petersburg is on the first. It is equipped with the latest technology. Passengers speak of delicious dishes served at the restaurant. Soups, salads, juices, etc. are brought into the hall in a special small elevator.
Double-decker train Moscow - St. Petersburg: passenger reviews
Thus, the opinion of the Russians about the new double-decker trains was mostly positive. Riding in them, of course, is not as convenient as in ordinary compartments. But reserved seats in terms of comfort, they are still superior. On the downside, in addition to the lack of an adequately equipped smoking area and some crowding, many passengers consider the microclimate in such cars not too good. According to the Russian Railways, all new trains are equipped with modern climate control systems. However, air conditioners in such cars are turned on, apparently infrequently. Many passengers believe that in a two-story train compartment it is too stuffy both in summer and in winter.
Ticket price
As for the cost of tickets, there are practically no complaints from Russian Railways customers in this regard either. If you buy a ticket for the two-story train Moscow - St. Petersburg in advance (a month or a half before the trip), it will cost no more than a reserved seat. And even if the travel document is purchased just before the trip, you still have to pay a little less for it than for a similar one in an ordinary compartment.