On the railways of our country trains with wagons of various degrees of comfort ply. The most popular places for Russian Railways are reserved seats. For long trips, they are perfectly suited, as they are very inexpensive and quite comfortable. But for short distances, it is better, of course, to travel in cars with seats. They cost even less than a reserved seat. Sleeping or lying down for several hours in the daytime is not necessary. The seating layout of Russian Railways is quite simple and convenient for passengers.
Types and designations of cars
The cost of seats on Russian Railways trains can vary significantly. Currently, passengers in our country are transported:
Rail cars. This is the most expensive and most comfortable type. Coupe of such cars can be double or quadruple.
Soft cars. Designated by the letter M.
Compartment (C).
Reserved seat (P). There are more places in such cars than in the rest, since the shelves are located including along the side of the aisle.
- General (O). Such cars can also be called sedentary, since three passengers are placed in them on the lower shelves. Now there are practically no such cars in the rolling stock of Russian Railways.
Actually, the seated cars themselves are equipped not with shelves, but with seats. Such compounds usually run within the same area. Therefore, their wagons are designated as Obl (C). Sometimes the latter can pick up on long-distance trains. The layout of a seated Russian Railways car is almost identical for all classes.
Degree of comfort
Seated wagon, as already mentioned, is currently the cheapest variety. Traveling in it is relatively comfortable. Such trains differ from trains in that almost every car has a toilet and a wardrobe. During the journey, as in regular trains, drinks and food are carried. Some trains of this type have buffets.
Traveling in a seated carriage can be somewhat more dangerous than in a sleeping car. This is especially true for women and children. The fact is that such trains often move people from the lower social strata of society (up to homeless people). They simply do not have money to buy a long-distance ticket at least to the reserved seat. And so they prefer to travel around the country or by train, or just in such trains, changing from one to another. In addition, in compositions of this type, judging by the reviews of passengers, it is quite dusty and dirty.
Classes
The layout of the sitting carriage of Russian Railways is simple, and from the inside it looks about the same as the interior of a very large tram. In small cities, trains of this type usually run, the seats in which are practically no different from those in electric trains. From the stations of megacities usually depart trains with soft chairs. Seats are located on seated trains on both sides of the aisle. Typically, trains of this type carry two varieties of cars - 1st and 2nd class. The first seat is wider and more comfortable. There are two of them on each side of the aisle of such a car (or two on one side, and one on the other). First class passengers in some cases can use a folding table (as in reserved seats and coupes). The scheme of a seated carriage of Russian Railways (1C) is presented below.
In the second class, places are located three on each side of the aisle. The chairs here go one after another along the entire length of the carriage. There are also tables, but very small, individual. They recline from the backs located in front of the seats. Below is a diagram of a seated car 2C RZD.
Sometimes in trains there are also places of the third class. These are the most uncomfortable sitting cars of Russian Railways. Instead of chairs, they have benches located opposite each other and at a very close distance. The latter factor causes discomfort, especially among tall passengers. The distance between the stands opposite each other is so small that people simply have nowhere to put their legs. The scheme of the seated car 3C RZD demonstrates its crampedness clearly.
Numbering places
Tickets for seated wagons, as well as regular ones, are sold at the railway ticket offices of Russian Railways. The seat number must be indicated in the travel document. This is another difference between sedentary trains and trains. The numbering in cars of this type is the same as in conventional ones. In the composition, they are most often 10-12.
In first-class sitting cars, there are usually 21-28 passenger seats. Their numbering goes behind, in parallel rows. The scheme of the sitting carriage of Russian Railways shows this well. That is, the two last places on the right side are numbered 1 and 2, on the left - 3 and 4. Sometimes the order of designation of places in such cars is different. Numbering goes from the end sequentially on the right side, and on the left - continues. In the first class, usually no more than 7 rows of seats are installed.
The second class of compounds of this type is less convenient. The rows of chairs here are usually already 8 or more, and the seats are at least 36. Numbering is also carried out from the end and in rows. In third-class cars, there can be up to 66 seats. Of course, this is a lot, and greatly affects the degree of ride comfort. The scheme of the 3C Russian Railways seated car is presented on the page above. Looking at it, you can see some inconvenience of traveling to such places.
Ticket price
The cost of a seat in a regular, non- branded train is very low. For example, for 2015, as part of Moscow - St. Petersburg, the price for it is only 410 rubles. For comparison: a reserved seat will cost 780 rubles, a coupe - 1430, a luxury - 3390, a soft car - 10 610 rubles. Of course, the cost of a seat depends on the class. However, the difference in this case in price is usually not too large.
Conclusion
These are just about the amenities and provides its passengers with Russian Railways. The layout of the seats in the carriage is simple, you can find yours very quickly. As for the class, it is better, of course, to take a ticket to the first or second. Experienced clients of Russian railways advise traveling in the third carriage only as a last resort and for very close distances.