Key Events

Renewing rolling stock and launching new trains

In 2021, the Company continued to expand the geography of its new range of carriages — twin-carriage units. In May, the train No. 59/60 Volga running between Nizhny Novgorod and Saint Petersburg departed from Moskovsky Station in Nizhny Novgorod for its maiden voyage in a new composition. The train includes third-class open sleeping carriages and second-class sleeping carriages with four-berth compartments in the form of twin-carriage units, to travel between cities with more comfort.

Also in 2021, new double-deckers of 2020 series came into operation within the train No. 137/138 running at the route of Moscow — Samara — Orenburg. For the first time, children’s compartments and showers appeared in every carriage of a regular train. Other advantages of the new carriage include increased space on the upper berth of the upper deck and a smoother ride.

New concept of carriage with capsules (enclosures) was presented at the Transport of Russia international forum

At Transport Week 2021, a concept for a herringbone arrangement with non-compartmented interior was announced. This is the third version in a series of projects involving the replacement of the traditional third-class open sleeping carriages. What they have in common is that they share a common arrangement principle, at the heart of which is individualisation of the space.

The ‘herringbone’ concept gets its name from the special arrangement of the berths: the enclosures are placed diagonally across the aisle. The model has two options of arrangement: an individual enclosure and an open-top compartment. An individual enclosure, which is separated by a wall and curtain from the common aisle, is aimed at passengers travelling alone. The second option is an open-top compartment designed for families with children or large groups.

About 83% of the surveyed visitors to the new carriage rated the layout positively, with 64% of them rated as ‘I like it very much’. The design proposed by the developers was approved by 96% of respondents, comfort was approved by 86% and reliability — by 95%. More than 62% of those surveyed said they would be happy to travel in an open-top herringbone compartment, while 72% would choose to travel in a carriage with individual enclosures.

Subsidised discounted fares for families travelling in compartment carriages on long-distance trains

In 2021, the Government of the Russian Federation allocated subsidies to JSC FPC to provide Russian families with a preferential fare to travel in compartment carriages on long-distance trains. This made it possible for families with one or more children to travel profitably until the end of 2021. For them, the fare was calculated as the difference between the current cost of a ticket and 50% of the third-class open sleeping carriages fare at a given route.

A prerequisite for the discount was that a parent (parents) or legal guardian travelled together in Russia (including travel to Kaliningrad Region) with a child (children) under the age of 18.

About 400,000 passengers made good use of the discounted fare between the start of the promotion (August 2021) and December 2021. The most frequent family trips on trains formed by JSC FPC were to the Moscow Region, Rostov-on-Don, Adler, Anapa, Saint Petersburg, cities in southern Russia, the North Caucasus, etc.

Moscow and Minsk connected by Lastochka

On 30 April, the first Lastochka high-speed train between Moscow and Minsk started its maiden voyage with passengers. Two trains set off simultaneously from stations in the Russian and Belarusian capitals.

From 1 October 2021, this route will use the ten-carriage version of Lastochka enhanced comfort train, designed specifically for convenient travel on long routes. Lastochka trains are equipped with the latest technology: climate control with air disinfection, energy-saving LED lighting, an infotainment system, hand luggage racks and sanitary spaces.

JSC FPC launched more than 20 tourist trains

In 2021, JSC FPC offered passengers exciting journeys around Russia by new tourist trains. Cruise trains and weekend trains on more than 20 routes were launched during the year.

The train No. 930/929 Zhemchuzhina Kavkaza (Pearl of the Caucasus) was very popular for trips to the south of Russia, while the train No. 928/927 Baikalskaya Skazka (Baikal Fairy Tale) was chosen by passengers for trips to Baikal. For cruises to Karelia, the most popular train was route No. 928/927: Moscow – Petrozavodsk – Sortavala – Vyborg – Moscow, and for the tulip festival in Elista — train No. 928/927: Moscow – Rostov-on-Don – Elista – Moscow.

Passengers were also able to travel during the autumn-winter period. For example, the tourist train No. 924/923 Serebryany Marshrut (Silver Route) offered passengers a journey through old-established Russian towns and cities. The trains No. 921/922 Zimnyaya Skazka (Winter Tale) and No. 924/923 as well as the train No. 930/929 Velichiye Severa (Splendour of the North) enabled visiting Father Frost and Snegurochka in Veliky Ustyug and Kostroma. The train No. 926/925 Skazy Povolzhya (Tales of the Volga Region) took tourists on a circular train from Moscow to Yoshkar-Ola, Sviyazhsk, Nizhny Novgorod, etc.

In addition, the Bright Weekend in the Volga Region project continued to develop in 2021.

Awards and tourist segment prizes

At the end of the year, the Company’s Dream Journey project won the Event of the Year category. Vladimir Piastolov received a special award from Ksenia Razuvayeva, the head of the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs. Organising a unique train journey virtually across whole Russia was part of the large-scale project Main Recess, which was implemented as part of the national project Education. In 2021, more than 2.5 million school and college students participated in the competition.

The Zhemchuzhina Kavkaza (Pearl of the Caucasus) tourist train was also voted the winner of the Made in Russia 2021 award in the Across Russia with Love category. The award was organised by Snob magazine, and the Federal Agency for Tourism (Rostourism) was a partner in nominating.

At the end of November, the Kuybyshev Branch of FPC together with regional tour operators and the Samara Regional Art Museum presented nine projects to the jury of the Itinerary of the Year award, and they all won. The Grand Prix of the competition was awarded in the category Best Museum Excursion, the first place in the category Best Weekend Itinerary, and second place in the categories Best Cultural and Informative Route and Best Railway Cruise.

Launch of five new double-deckers

In 2021, the route network of double-deckers was expanded. In particular, new double-deckers No. 72/71 Moscow – Cheboksary (from 8 May), No. 277/278 Saint Petersburg – Anapa (from 30 May, in summer period), No. 137/138 Orenburg – Samara – Moscow (from 3 December), No. 29/30 Saint Petersburg – Belgorod (from 12 December), No. 43/44 Saint Petersburg – Kostroma (from 15 December) were launched. JSC FPC now carries passengers by double-deckers on 19 routes.

Linking the regions

In the summer of 2021, direct rail connections between Kalmykia’s capital city and the Black Sea coast were resumed. In order to connect the regions, the Company appointed a group of through carriages between Anapa and Elista, running on certain dates during the summer holidays.

Also on 28 December 2021, a through group of JSC FPC’s carriages departed for the Yoshkar-Ola – Nizhny Novgorod – Saint Petersburg route for the first time. The carriages are equipped with air conditioning systems and environmentally friendly toilet facilities.

For the first time, double-decker No. 221/222 Moroz Express (Frost Express) connected our nation’s capital with the north of Russia. The train ran from Moscow to Veliky Ustyug and took tourists to the Father Frost’s estate. This is a joint project between the Parent Company of JSC FPC, and the Vologda Region government aimed at developing family travel during the New Year and Christmas holidays.

JSC FPC’s branded trains celebrate their anniversary

On 10 June 2021, train No. 1/2 Krasnaya Strela (Red Arrow) marked the 90th anniversary of its launch. To celebrate the occasion, Leningradsky Railway Station in Moscow and Moskovsky Railway Station in Saint Petersburg hosted festive events.

In addition, on 26 November 2021, the train No. 29/30 Yantar (Amber) made its anniversary journey. This branded train connects the Amber Corner of Russia with its capital for 60 years. The Kaliningrad Passenger Carriage Depot also celebrated its 75th anniversary. To celebrate the occasion, a festive event was held at Kaliningrad-Yuzhny railway station. For the train’s anniversary, JSC FPC upgraded six third-class open sleeping carriages, 23 second-class sleeping carriages with four-berth compartments and one administrative carriage, all of which underwent enhanced modernisation.