Trains on the Trans-Siberian
TRAINS ON THE TRANS-SIBERIAN RAILWAY
Many trains run along the Trans-Siberian Railway daily - but only a few go all the way from Moscow to Vladivostok in one trip. As the Trans-Siberian is a regular railway, not just a tourist route, there are many trains which connect certain cities on the route - for example in the Russian Far East between Khabarovsk and Vladivostok people normally use the daily Okean (№6) premium train as it has a convenient schedule and is not as expensive as the Rossia premium train. The Okean train operates only between these two cities on a regular basis. There are quite a lot of trains running along the Tran-Siberian that allow you to set your own route and plan stops in various cities.
There is a whole range of trains in terms of comfort and speed. The quality of service, speed and comfort of the train depends on the train number - the lower the number of the train the better the standard. Normally all trains up to No. 100 are quick trains although there are some exceptions when higher numbers are also quick.
In general there are five types of trains running along the Trans-Siberian:
- Premium trains connecting Moscow with regional centres.
- Premium trains operating between regional centres
- Standard passenger trains (connecting both Moscow with regional centres and interregional trains).
- International Trains
- Tourist Trains
PREMIUM TRAINS BETWEEN MOSCOW AND REGIONAL CENTRES
If you are planning a trip along the Trans-Siberian the first thing you should know is that the best trains in Russia are called premium trains and premium trains usually have a name as well as a number. The main difference from other trains are that premium trains generally have a convenient schedule, they usually have air conditioned wagons, the attendant (provodnitsa) tends to be more professional and polite, and the wagon-restaurant has more meals on offer. Also premium trains often have more classes of wagons - for example SV (1st class) and Lux (with an individual toilet and shower).
ROSSIYA (РОССИЯ) PREMIUM TRAIN : MOSCOW - VLADIVOSTOK
- Duration from/to Moscow: 6 days
- Number of stops: 58/59
- Schedule: odd dates/even dates
The main train which operates directly from Moscow to Vladivostok is the Rossia premium train - train No. 1 or No. 2 (depending on the direction). This train is the best passenger train along the Trans-Siberian (but not the best in Russia) - it is the quickest and most comfortable train with three classes of wagons - 1st class (SV), 2nd class (Kupe) and 3rd class (Platzkartny).There is also a wagon-restaurant and a wagon for staff which has a special compartment for people in a wheelchair equipped with special handrails and belts. A compartment is designed for two. For children there is a compartment with toys and children's books. All wagons have power sockets for laptops and other devices and 2nd and 1st class compartments have a flat screen TV. To prevent theft, compartment doors are equipped with electronic locks, opened using a personal card with a microchip.
For safety reasons, the wagons are equipped with video surveillance and fire alarms.
However all this comfort comes at a cost and it is the most expensive passenger train on the Trans-Siberian. Prices can be three times higher than on a normal passenger train (for example No. 100 which goes along the same route). Another issue is the schedule - it is not very convenient if you are planning to make stopovers along your trip as sometimes you need to get off in the night/early morning, or arrive in a new city late in the evening which increases expenses for accommodation.
We recommend this train:
- if you are not going to get off the train along the trip and intend to spend six days in the carriage.
- If your budget for the trip is very limited.
- if you prefer to travel on the most comfortable train on this route.
OTHER PREMIUM TRAINS YOU MAY USE ALONG THE ROUTE
31/32 Moscow - Kirov (Москва-Киров)
7/8 Moscow - Perm (Москва-Пермь)
15/16 Moscow-Yekaterinburg (Москва-Екатеринбург)
55/56 "Yenisey": Moscow - Krasnoyarsk (Москва-Красноярск) - Енисей
29/30 "Kuzbass": Moscow - Kemerovo (Москва-Кемерово) - Кузбасс
35/36 Moscow - Nizhny Novgorod (Москва-Нижний Новгород)
001/002 "Tatarstan": Moscow - Kazan (Москва-Казань) - Татарстан
25/26 "Sibiryak": Moscow - Novosibirsk (Москва-Новосибирск) - Сибиряк
37/38 "Tomich": Moscow - Tomsk (Москва-Томск) - Томич
PREMIUM TRAINS OPERATING BETWEEN REGIONAL CENTRES
Premium trains which operate between regional centres are normally less comfortable, slower and older than trains from Moscow but they usually have a convenient schedule. Below are some premium trains you can use while on the route:
88/87 Novosibirsk - Omsk (Новосибирск-Омск) - Иртыш
125/125 - Ob: Novy Urengoy - Novosibirsk (Новый Уренгой - Новосибирск)
5/6 - Okean: Vladivostok - Khabarovsk (Владивосток-Хабаровск)
115/115 - Omich: Omsk - Nizhnevartovsk (Омск-Нижневартовск) - Омич
STANDARD PASSENGER TRAINS
Normal passenger trains are the cheapest trains in Russia - they tend to be slow, have lots of stop, are often not air conditioned and the staff might not always be polite as it is not as prestigious to work on such trains. These trains do not generally have 1st class wagons, the highest class is 2nd. But they have a big advantage - they are much cheaper than premium trains. They can even be at times three times cheaper.
110/ Moscow - Novy Urengoy (Москва-Новый Уренгой)
068/125 Moscow - Abakan (Москва - Абакан)
100/99 - Moscow - Vladivostok (Москва-Владивосток)
118 - Moscow - Novokuznetsk (Москва-Новокузнецк)
044 - Moscow - Khabarovsk (Москва-Хабаровск)
078 - Novosibirsk - Neryungri (Новосибирск - Нерюнгри)
070 - Moscow - Chita (Москва - Чита)
007/008 - Vladivostok - Novosibirsk (Владивосток-Новосибирск)
INTERNATIONAL TRAINS
There are a few international passenger trains which run along the Tran-Siberian, but none of them cover the whole way from Moscow to Vladivostok. After the Republic of Buryatia they head into Mongolia (Ulan Bator) and further to China (Beijing). Alternatively after the Chita Region trains cross the border into Manchuria in China (Harbin) and then go to Beijing. Please note that tickets for these international trains are not available online, you should buy them in the special international cashier or via travel agency.
These trains are as follows:
020 - Moscow - Beijing (Москва - Пекин) - Vostok (Восток) Russian Premium train duration about 6 days
043 - Moscow - Beijing (Москва - Пекин) - duration about 6 days
006 - Moscow - Ulan-Bator (Москва - Улан Батор) - duration about 4 days
There are also direct carriages on followin destinations:
Chita - Manchuria (twice a week)
Moscow - Erdenet (once a week)
Irkutsk - Ulan Bator (Daily)
Moscow - Tumangan (North Korea) on certain days.
INTERNATIONAL TOURIST TRAINS
There are three tourist trains which travel along the Trans-Siberian in the summer. These trains are more like cruise ships as they have everything you need during the trip: a few restaurants, entertainment on board, organised excursions in different cities, nice compartments with individual service. The undoubted advantage of such trains are the comfort, assistance with language issues and good food. But there are also some disadvantages - the price is very high, you will see a limited number of sights, you are limited by time and, most importantly, you won’t get a 'real' Russian experience or be able to communicate with locals.
"TSAR'S GOLD" TRAIN BY LERNIDEE.
The luxury Tsar’s Gold offers several classes of wagons in the train - from the classic standard 4 berth compartments (like in non-tourist trains) to the most expensive Bolshoi Platinum (the analogue of a 1st class compartment in non-tourist trains). However all of these wagons are perfectly renovated. The Tsar’s Gold train runs along the Trans-Mongolian Route with stops in Moscow, Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, the Circum-Baikal railway, Ulan Ude, Ulan Bator and Beijing. There are six tours a year in each directions. The tour lasts 16 days and makes 9 stops.
"GOLDEN EAGLE" BY GW TRAVEL
The Golden Eagle is the most luxurious international tourist train on the Trans-Siberian Railway. Each cabin has its own toilet and shower. There are only three types of carriage and the cheapest starts from EUR 13,000. The Golden Eagle train runs along the Trans-Mongolian Route with stops in Moscow, Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, the Circum-Baikal railway, Ulan Ude, Ulan Bator, and Beijing.
This train takes 13-15 days and has 8-10 stops which makes this train the most flexible of all the three tourist trains. The train has four tours a year in each direction.
"IMPERIAL RUSSIA" BY RUSSIAN RAILWAYS
Russian Railways operates their own special tourist train - Imperial Russia. This train has less types of wagon than other tourist trains and is the cheapest of all of them. This train also runs along the Trans-Mongolian route with stops in Moscow, Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Ulan Ude, Ulan Bator, and Beijing. Unlike the other two tourist trains, this train does not go to the Circum-Baikal railway.
There are two tours a year. The tour lasts 13 days and the train makes nine stops.
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