Large FAQ about long-distance trains and non-obvious rules

Achivka “Tester's Gene”: my colleague first got on the train, and an hour later she printed out a ticket at the station she passed by.

After we started writing about trains and electric trains, it turned out that many people do not know such obvious (for us) things as a shower in the headquarters train car, the opportunity to get off at any station on the route and the difference between exchanging and returning a ticket.

Therefore, let us now bite all the raisins from the rules of transportation of the main passenger companies on the railway in order to carry the light of knowledge to the masses. And, perhaps, a little to reduce the load on our call center on the first line.

- When stop selling tickets?

In electronic form - one hour before departure. At the box office - 15 minutes before departure. At modern stations - in electronic form 15 minutes before departure from the passenger station, if the train has a device for controlling the legitimacy of electronic tickets. At the ticket office you can buy a ticket right before the departure of the train, if the technical capabilities of the station allow it.

At the last moment you can get very cheap tickets for Sapsan, for example, but this is a lottery. Here are a couple of things about Sapsans : for example, we have a notification about the arrival of the first tickets and even a pre-order feature (not only for Sapsans).

- According to which document can I buy a train ticket?


Please note that the rules of Russian Railways do not indicate that a ticket must be purchased by the original document, so some cashiers can issue tickets without presenting the original document (by copy or document data). When boarding the train, the passenger must present the original document, which is listed in the ticket.

Boarding is carried out only if there is a genuine identity document of the passenger, on the basis of which the travel document was acquired.

- How many errors can be in the ticket?

One error per ticket (order of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation of December 19, 2013 No. 473) is allowed in exactly one character exactly (in any place) in the name, patronymic, surname, series or document number. You must check the ticket upon receipt. If a gross error is made in the data when placing an order, then you need to make a return in the complaint order ( for example ).

Now the tickets indicate the date of birth of an adult passenger. Any errors are made in it, if it does not affect the ticket price (that is, it does not become childish due to an error). If the mistake is at the age of the child, changing the level of payment, then it will be necessary either to pay extra on the spot, or to refuse the trip (or return the ticket).

If there are two or more errors and you did not see them when buying, then you must personally go to the cashier of JSC “Russian Railways” with a passport and ticket number or boarding pass. You will be given a new ticket, the cost of the service will be 223.70 rubles.

Maiden name: “if, when boarding a train, a passenger presents a boarding coupon (ticket) in which the passenger’s name does not match the name in the passenger’s identity document and a document confirming the name’s change, such a passenger is allowed to travel on a long-distance train and commuter with places. " More info here .

You can take the train on a new passport, because it contains information about the old one.

When a foreigner is confused with the name and surname of a foreigner, in theory, a return is needed, but in practice we do not know the cases of refusal to land. But we do not recommend hoping at random, if there is time to return and a new purchase.

- What should I do if I bought a train ticket, where there is no electronic registration, and there is nowhere to get it at the station?

If the ticket was purchased in advance, to obtain it, you must contact the nearest station, where there is an Express-3 ticket office.. If this is not possible or the train leaves in the near future, then you need to contact the train conductor with a boarding pass and an identity document and explain the situation. And then get a ticket on the form at the nearest station on the way of the train, where there is the possibility of obtaining a paper ticket. You can get a ticket within 12 hours after the departure of the train, if the train is in Russia, and within three hours, if the train is interstate communication.

Upstairs - proof that we did it.

Also note that the presence or absence of the electronic check-in service does not apply to the train, but to each specific car. Therefore, one should rather look not at the train, but at a specific car at the step of choosing places (there is an ER icon on the car diagram). Most trains in Russia have electronic registration.

- Is it possible to reissue an e-ticket?

Yes you can. You can change the train, place, car, class, change the route while maintaining the end point (with a surcharge for a longer or return part of the money for a shorter one), resume the trip after a delay or due to illness. You cannot transfer to another passenger, you cannot change the final and initial stations, the carrier, you cannot change the ticket if a child was bought for an adult, or vice versa. There is a special order of exchange for Sapsans and trains crossing the border of the country. The cost of the ticket at the time of reissuance is calculated at the time of reissue at the ticket office, whether it is electronic, your ticket or physical You need to contact the ticket office personally for the passenger for whom the ticket was issued, show the ticket (or its screenshot) and the document according to which it was purchased. From 2018, a renewal fee is valid - 132 rubles 30 kopecks exactly.

The difference is that:
- in the range of 8-24 hours before departure, you save 60 rubles 40 kopecks (the difference with the fee for return), but must go to the checkout with your feet;
- in the range of 0–8 hours before departure, re-issuance is more profitable than returning and buying a new ticket for a fairly substantial amount.

For re-issuance after being late, it is given 12 hours in the case of “I am a dolt out, forgive” and five days - in case of illness or accident, you will also need to submit supporting documents.

- Can the mourners not to let the car?

Yes, for example, there is the same entry and pass system in Uzbekistan as in our airports: there are pass bureaus for the mourners (for example, if you need to escort a disabled person), but in general, all remain outside the station area. In Russia, mourners are usually allowed in wagons. And about 5–10 minutes before departure, the conductor asks the escort to leave the car, and the passengers - to pass from the platform inside the car.

- How to extend the trip from the intermediate station?

The procedure was described on paper ticket forms, but still very few people understood anything. In general, you can take and exit at any station along the road. Then after a couple of days, catch another train and ride it. It's not free.

It is done this way: on the train, the conductor should be warned about the exit and at the intermediate station, contact the cashier’s office (station management) within three hours from the moment of arrival of the train, present a travel document and an identity document. You will be marked on the stop. To extend the trip you should also contact the administration. You will put a new mark. You can stop at an intermediate station for no more than 10 days.

When resuming the trip, the cost of the reserved seat (money for the fact that you have a seat in the car), the fee for reissuing the ticket, as well as other payments are possible depending on changes in travel conditions. The resumption of the trip is made in the carriage of the carrier with which the original ticket was issued.

For example:

You paid for the ticket in the Yekaterinburg - Moscow coupe and decided to leave at the Kazan station for a week.

You pay for a ticket Ekaterinburg - Moscow 4 631,50 rubles.
You pay for the continuation of the Kazan-Moscow trip: 1 328.10 rubles: this is a collection of 132.30 rubles and part of the ticket (reserved seat) of 1 195.80 rubles. 5 941.60 rubles - for a trip with a stop.
Tickets Ekaterinburg - Kazan and Kazan - Moscow cost the same train 2,891 + 2,767.50 = 5,658.50 rubles.

For a reserved seat:

You paid for the ticket in the reserved seat Yekaterinburg - Moscow and decided to leave at the Kazan station for a week.

You pay for a ticket Ekaterinburg - Moscow 2 469.10 rubles.
You pay for the continuation of the trip Kazan - Moscow 774 rubles: this is a collection of 132.30 rubles and part of the ticket (reserved seat) of 611.70 rubles. 3 213.10 rubles - for a trip with a stop.
Tickets Ekaterinburg - Kazan and Kazan - Moscow cost the same train 1 536.40 + 1 393.50 = 2 929.90 rubles.

That is, something like a preferential return ticket from Kazan to Moscow and the purchase of a new one is happening.

- Can I sit at the intermediate station?

Paragraph 16 of the Rules for the carriage of passengers establishes that the journey of passengers must begin from the station indicated in the travel document (ticket). However, as explained by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the decision dated 01.07.2004 No. GKPI04-875, this only means that the passenger does not have the right to board the train earlier than the departure point indicated in the ticket. This does not deprive the passenger of the right to use the transportation service from any next station on the way.

The passenger can sit at any station following the departure station indicated on the ticket, subject to the validity of the ticket. According to the rules of JSC “Russian Railways”, if the place is sold, then the conductor must provide either a place a class higher without extra charge, or a place a class lower with paying the difference.

For example, there was a case when a person was late for a train for a few minutes, but was able to quickly catch a taxi and get to the next train stop.

This does not apply to trains: you must go to your station.

- Is there insurance in the ticket?

From January 24, 2013, carriers engaged in the carriage of passengers on rail transport and members of the Russian Railways Group have stopped charging insurance premiums on the sale of travel documents. Mandatory personal insurance of passengers has been canceled in accordance with Presidential Decree No. 36 of January 19, 2013 No. 36. The new rules prescribe that the insurance company of the carrier will indemnify the damage to the passengers upon occurrence of the insured event (if the passenger did not take out insurance on his or insurance company).

Now it is paid: for causing harm to the life of the passenger up to 2 million 25 thousand rubles, for causing harm to the health of the passenger - up to 2 million rubles, for causing harm to the property of the passenger - up to 23 thousand rubles. In order to claim compensation, the victim must submit to the carrier a written application for payment of insurance compensation, drawn up in an arbitrary form, and documents containing information about the victim, the event and its circumstances, the nature and extent of damage to the victim's health. The deadline for payment of compensation is 30 calendar days from the date of receipt of documents by the insurer. Natural disasters, civil unrest and strikes, military actions, etc. are not included in the insurance. In addition to this insurance, you may Will aggressively offer voluntary insurance with higher thresholds and more insurance claims. The Tutu.ru train service has travel insurance - it is inexpensive, you can tick if you want to be insured, for example, if the train accidentally rolls and you are covered in boiling water from the titanium to your place in the car. Well, or when peeling off the shelf, turn up your leg. For more details, see AlfaStrakhovanie on the link in the insurance unit at the “Completion of an order” step.

- I did not pass the electronic registration and lost my ticket. What to do?

If the train across the border - buy a new one. If the train is inland - run to the attendant at the station of the departure, destination or ticket sale, pay 223 rubles 70 kopecks evenly and show your document. And remember the train and the car with the place.

By the way, places are usually stored in the computer center of the first station of departure of the train.

- Do I need a visa to Kaliningrad?

For a one-time trip, a Lithuanian visa to citizens of the Russian Federation is not needed. It is enough to issue a special simplified travel document on the railway (DFD). The FRTD is issued at the ticket offices at the station, which simultaneously send a request to the consular section of the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Moscow. 28 hours after the submission of the request, the passenger must apply to any railway ticket office and find out whether he received permission for the right to transit through Lithuania. If permission is not obtained, the passenger can return the ticket and return the money. Registration of FRTD is free of charge.

- I'm going with an animal. What to do?

If the animal is small (up to 20 kilograms), then it is necessary to buy the document in the usual box office. If the animal is large, then it must be weighed on the scales and get a document on him in the baggage checkout. This is a legacy, but from the point of view of processing logic, large dogs are still baggage, and small ones are hand luggage. Depending on your carriage, small animals may be free or not provided at all. For large ones, it may be necessary to purchase a separate seat, the entire compartment, or similarly it may not be provided. In one cage or box - no more than two pets. Dogs - in a muzzle and with a leash. Each dog occupies one seat; there can not be more of them together with the owners in the compartment than in the compartments. Special rules apply to guide dogs, and it is much easier to travel with them: for example, you don’t have to pay for extra space. Wild animals can not carry. Pets are listed in the rules of transportation: in particular, you can carry a runner. Depending on the animal and the destination of transportation, a veterinarian certificate may be required. Please note that if you bring animals to the exhibition, the rules are stricter than if you take them just to ride.

- I have a super bag of more than 180 cm in three dimensions. What to do?

If the luggage does not fit into the norms of hand luggage, then it is issued either in the luggage compartment of the station, or online at the Russian Railways site. It is loaded into a separate car, and the issue is made only if the recipient has a baggage check and travel document. If the passenger was traveling with a transfer, then the travel document from the transfer station to the destination station. If the recipient does not have a travel document, a surcharge is collected from him to the freight charge rate.

The railways are obliged to carry out operations for issuing baggage arriving at intermediate stations no later than an hour after the train’s passage, and at terminal stations after unloading the baggage car.

- I lost a thing, and now ...

If you lose items in the train, you need to contact the luggage office of the terminal of the train’s destination. That is, if you lost a thing in the train Petersburg - Moscow somewhere in the Leningrad region, and drove to Tver, then you need to contact the luggage room in Moscow.

In your things peek.

If among the things there are edible products, they are immediately written off according to the sanitary act.

If there are documents or other papers in things that can be used to identify or contact the owner, the employees do it.

Things are kept for 30 days, after which, if there are no calls, they are disposed of. When contacting, you will need to tell the station employee where they were lost, in which train, etc., what exactly was lost, how it all looks. After that, things are transferred to the owner with the application of their inventory on the day of receipt. When returning, the owner must pay each day the cost of storage at rates roughly like in the storage room: this is protection from those who deliberately lost bulk bags to keep them at the station.

- If I went out for a walk at the intermediate station and did not have time to get on the train, then ...

1. Contact the station attendant to contact the station attendant further or immediately with the conductors (if possible): it is necessary that your things get into the FAQ above more or less intact.
2. In theory, it is possible to catch a train by taxi: in some cities it is quite possible to drive faster to the next station by car. It is quite expensive, the driver will probably break the rules, there is an increased risk of an accident.
3. Contact the station attendant or station head. There is a chance to take the next train if there are empty seats. But the call center of the Russian Railways at the time of publication does not know how to handle such situations, so everything is quite blurry.

- What is the story with the inability to buy a ticket at night?

From 3:30 to 3:50 Moscow time in Express-3 - a technological break. On Tuesdays, it's a little longer, until 4:07. At this time, when searching for tickets it will not be possible to get the most current train schedule, prices and availability. From neighboring countries there are very noticeable breaks in the Finnish booking system, they begin at 23:00 Moscow time and end at a random time.

- Is the ticket local time or point of arrival?

Previously indicated time of departure station. For cross-border trains - departures in Moscow, arrival is indicated local. For trains not from Russia and not to Russia - local. For the start from Finland, the time will be local (minus an hour from Moscow), and on arrival in the Russian Federation the time of arrival station will be indicated.

From August 1, 2018, local time is indicated.

- Is it possible to see the actual movement of the train?

Yes, for long-distance trains - on the Russian Railways website . For the train - we can here . Long-distance trains are extremely rare late, so there is usually no need to track a train in real time. And the train route can be found here - on this page there is a search by train number. Or on the schedule page in the direction click on the train number and follow the link to its route with the time of stops and map. The same infa comes with a short link in the SMSC “Lucky Way” when departing a train, in order to know at which stations you can get out to breathe. Well, in a mobile application it is convenient to have this info at your fingertips.

- Can I get into any car if the train at my station costs two minutes?

Yes. “Passengers boarding is made in the car specified in the travel document. At intermediate stations, passengers are allowed to board any train carriage with a subsequent transfer to the car specified in the travel document. ”

There are even more details in the post about what trains and carriages are .