December 20, 2021

A Different Kind of Train Schedule


A Different Kind of Train Schedule
Moving in style, punctually. The Russian Life files

Traveling by train in Russia is a delight, if one marred by excessive Gogolian bureaucracy. Soon adding to that might be company-imposed times for using tables in cabins.

Russia's Ministry of Transport has recently proposed a plan to impose schedules on train riders for when they can use their compartment's table, in an effort to prevent train-borne conflicts from breaking out.

Travelers in second class—called "kupe" in Russian—typically stay in small four- to six-person rooms with bunks on either side, which fold to become seats and a table during the day, which is good, considering that Russian train rides can literally last for multiple days.

When all members of a compartment know each other, it's no big deal to share and share alike. But maybe a little sharing regime would be helpful when dealing with ornery strangers. After all, folks on the lower bunks have easier access to the table, but have better places for sitting, while people on top bunks can't reach the table, but have (marginally) more privacy.

This also brings into question new pricing scales, which will likely have to be assessed alongside the table-sharing plan. Currently the idea is up for public comment and would go into effect in September of 2022.

Other proposed measures include the creation of female-only compartments, male-only compartments, and child-only seats, as well as regulations that limit one pair of skis and a single snowboard per passenger.

Which is all fine and good, but can they go to space?

You Might Also Like

Tips for Russian Train Travel
  • July 30, 2019

Tips for Russian Train Travel

There may be no better way to understand Russia than spending a few days chugging across the country by train. Here are our tips for how to make the most of it.
Off the Rails
  • August 28, 2019

Off the Rails

Readers send us their stories of interesting train journeys and interactions.
All Aboard the Hogwarts Express!
  • November 19, 2021

All Aboard the Hogwarts Express!

You no longer need to travel to platform nine and three-quarters to get to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; Russia now has her very own Hogwarts Express. 
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955