Russian Railways are launching Swifts to Berlin. International routes Swift train travel time

Many people don’t understand why buy train tickets to Berlin and spend 20 hours on the road, when you can fly to the German capital by plane for the same money in about 2.5-3 hours. I'll try to explain.

1. December 17, Russian Railways launched Express train Swift on the route Moscow - Berlin. The translation of the name was done simply - in Russia it is “Strizh”, abroad - Strizh. The train looks the same as the one that is currently in service. Nizhny Novgorod. But this is only at first glance.

2. Alas, one cannot be happy for the Russian manufacturer and say that Strizh is the brainchild of the Tver Carriage Works or the Ural Locomotives. The train is adapted to Russian climatic conditions project of the Spanish Talgo 250, which is successfully used on railways Europe, and even in Kazakhstan. The more I studied the train, the more I realized how different it was from our classic long-distance trains.

3. The first thing that catches your eye is that the carriages are significantly shorter and lower. The length of one carriage is only 13 meters: half the size of our native Russian one.

4. All equipment for the train’s operation is hidden not under the floor, as is usually the case, but in two technical cars. They are located at the beginning and end of the train. Short car bodies of lightweight construction, made mainly of aluminum alloys, make it possible to lower the center of gravity. There are no traditional wheeled carts here either. The entire train of 20 cars has 21 wheeled bogies, with independent rotation of the wheels on their own axle shafts. That is, each car has only 1 (one, Karl!) pair of wheels.

5. Wheeled bogies are located under the car articulation units. It turns out that on one side the car rests on its own wheelset, and on the other, on the wheelset of the next car. Due to all this, the cars can go through difficult sections and curves faster, and the impact on the track is much less than that of conventional carts.

A clever traction system turns the cart around corners. This allows you to minimize lateral loads on the wheels and reduce flange wear on the rails.

6. To avoid ice in the Russian climate, the wheels are blown with warm air (approximately 38 degrees).

7. During the reconstruction of the Moscow-Kyiv depot, three separate tracks were equipped specifically for servicing Swifts. The photo shows a turning device that allows you to repair wheels without disassembling the carts.

This is the first train in Russia equipped with a system for automatically changing the width of wheel pairs. A transfer device was created especially for this train in Brest. Thus, the Swift will switch from the Russian standard gauge of 1520 millimeters to the European standard of 1435 millimeters in just 20 minutes. Previously, this procedure took about two hours.

8. By the way, there is a widespread opinion that when choosing a gauge in Russia, the military aspect also played a role - a gauge different from the European one would make it difficult for a hypothetical enemy to supply troops in the event of an invasion of Russia.

In fact, most likely they didn’t think seriously about anything like this at first, but simply chose one of the models that existed in those years, which was then popular in the USA. The military significance of the gauge difference today is not very great - already in the middle of the 20th century, railway troops could easily change from 10 to 30 kilometers of road per day. The width of the track was not particularly important because retreating troops, since the First World War, often destroyed the tracks behind them. To supply the advancing troops on enemy territory, special temporary narrow-gauge railways were often built.

The photograph shows that the Strizh cars are almost a third lower than our two-system electric locomotive EP20. The height of the Swift platform is half the standard height. The first and last carriages of the train are technical - there are no passengers in them, only equipment.

9. Technical carriages contain all the systems that ensure vital functions, safety and fire extinguishing, communications of this train, and so on. A diesel generator, air compressor, air cleaning and heating systems are installed here. The train has two generators operating normally, but in the event of a breakdown, even one will be able to supply the entire train with electricity. The diesel fuel reserve lasts up to 15 hours of operation in winter and up to 30 in summer. It all depends on the outside temperature. It looks very neat and even somewhat futuristic.

10. Passenger cars look no less cosmic.

11. The entire train has a through passage, while the Euro size imposes its own limitations - all the corridors are narrower than “ours”, and it will be difficult for two fat people to separate. In the photo at the end of the corridor there is a folding chair and a table. Yes, this is the guide's place. He no longer has his own compartment, where he could always buy Alenka chocolate and order tea.

12. Standard coupe. Recessed shelves are hidden in the niches of the walls. On the right in the background is a ladder to climb up. On the shelf above there are folding tables for each chair. Tickets for this compartment cost from 10,000 rubles.

13. View from the other side.

14. If in the unfolded state of the shelves such a compartment resembles our Russian trains, then this is where the similarity ends.

15. Instead of the usual table - a sink with a tap!

16. Seat carriage, the cheapest travel option is from 9,000 rubles per seat. Pull-out tables from the armrest, individual sockets, normal distance between the seats, footrests, hooks for clothes - the equipment is excellent.

17. The seats are comfortable, similar to business class on an airplane, but spending 20 hours sitting is cool. In fact, these places are intended primarily for those who will travel between Belarus, Warsaw and Berlin over distances covered in 3-6 hours.

18. Double SV. It was in this “number” that I traveled all the way to Berlin. The ticket cost 17,000 rubles - this money buys both seats at once, and you travel alone. Traveling with a neighbor costs approximately 13,000 rubles per seat.

19. SV also has its own sink.

20. Option with folded beds. Interesting feature: If anyone can unfold a bed, only an athlete can slam the shelf back into the wall. You need to put in a lot of effort so that the pillow and blanket crumple and the shelf fits into place. But this is a full bed. Wide and long, moderately hard, just the way I like it. With my height of 178, my legs and arms did not rest against anything.

But driving while sitting with the beds unfolded turned out to be cramped - your head rests on top shelf. Therefore, either lie on the beds, or fold the shelves and ride while sitting in chairs. I used the folding ladder as a laptop table.

21. And this is a family coupe, with a rather strange layout solution. These are two standard CBs, with an additional common door (on the right in the photo).

22. For all listed classes, each carriage has one bathroom. It is quite enough, because the carriages are small and only a few people can fit. Moreover, everyone has their own shells. But that is not all. There are even cooler places - these are luxury carriages, where each “room” has its own toilet and shower!

23. Voila. No wonder a luxury ticket costs the same as a business class flight to Berlin: 30,000 per person or 50,000 for an entire compartment.

24. In addition to a separate cabin with a shower, the suite differs from the SV in the presence of a TV and a safe. There is also a small table here. Just a table, not a sink.

25. Let's look a little at the details. Stop valve, glass breaker, speaker and air conditioner control. It’s worth noting that on this train I completely forgot about the word “stuffy”. The air exchange system worked perfectly, so I slept well at night.

26. The sink, although small, is quite enough to wash your face and wash fruits/vegetables.

27. Hidden under the sink was a micro-trash bin the size of three volumes of War and Peace.

28. Side niche with 4 hangers for outerwear and a spacious luggage rack, in the corner of which there are folding tables.

29. The decision is controversial, since with the table installed, you will no longer be able to stand up or sit in the chair. Personally, I only took it out to take a photo.

30. This is what a spacious compartment for passengers with disabilities looks like.

31. Behind the door is a giant bathroom with a shower, sink and toilet.

32. And finally, the main party places of the train are the dining car and the bar car)

33. In one carriage there are seats with tables, in the other there is a kitchen and a bar counter.

34. The train will run twice a week, departing from Moscow's Kursky station on Saturdays and Sundays at 13:05 and arriving at Berlin Ostbahnhof station at 07:19 the next day local time.

I listened to the reporter’s speech for a long time, but he kept getting confused and talking some kind of nonsense. Then it turned out that he spoke Polish)

35. Now a few words about the trip itself and its rationality. Why travel 20 hours by train to Berlin when for the same money you can fly by plane many times faster? It's a good question, but in reality a situation could easily arise where such a trip would be justified. Let’s imagine that I’m once again going to film the Innotrans railway exhibition in Germany. Getting up at 3 o'clock in the morning, going to the airport, flying somewhere and then filming for another whole day - thank you, no need, I've been through this more than once. In order to be ready for work in the morning and arrive at Messe Berlin with full strength, you need to arrive on an evening flight, check into a hotel, and get some sleep.

I usually get to the airport in about two hours and try to arrive two hours before departure. The flight itself lasts 2.5 hours. All together, with the passage customs control, receiving luggage from home to the hotel takes 7-8 hours consistently. That is, in order to be able to sleep in Berlin at midnight and go to work in the morning, you need to leave the house at 5-6 pm.

Personally, the journey from home to my compartment took 29 minutes. I left at 12:30. At the same time, there were no procedures for checking in luggage, security checks, sterile zones, waiting for boarding, and so on. I entered the carriage, sat down and drove off. It turns out that the time loss is not so big, only about five hours. But what goodies! And you don’t have to pay for an extra night in a hotel in Berlin)

36. And in terms of comfort, a modern train is much more better than an airplane, there is nothing to say here. And there are no endless airport queues. Those who flew from Berlin or Frankfurt to Moscow will understand me.

37. Even a short flight cannot compare in the amount of running and fuss per minute.

39. We started talking: “We are always in a hurry somewhere, running. We don't allow ourselves pauses. We don't have time to be alone with ourselves, with our loved one. Sit in silence and think about something. Look out the window. Flying on an airplane is more like teleportation, and often the flight itself takes less time than pre-flight procedures, but traveling by train is a real journey. We also ordered a kitchen set from Germany; in Moscow it costs 6 times more. How can you get the service home safe, if not by train?”

40. The dining car was not empty the entire trip. At the same time, the audience was completely different. From businessmen with expensive watches to guys in flip-flops and sleepwear. I asked several visitors why they chose the train. Someone wanted to relax on the road, having reached Berlin without the bustle of airports. Someone needed to transport a lot of luggage. Two said that they always travel by train and see no reason to change their habits. The first flight was full to capacity - all tickets were purchased a couple of weeks before departure.

I managed to taste it several times local cuisine and was completely delighted. The only caveat of the first train is that the restaurant did not have time to debug the card payment system. I only had 500 rubles, which I exchanged for borscht. And then I had to look for kind people who exchanged me 50 euros for rubles. Otherwise, you would have to starve until Berlin, or look for homeless packages at the stalls at short stops in Orsha or Brest)

41. While inspecting the train, having lunch and talking, time passed quickly. In the evening we were already at the Minsk station. The advertised Wi-Fi worked, but did not allow me to access the Internet. There was another reason to take a break from work and the network.

42. Among the shortcomings of the trip, I would like to note the slow passage of the Polish border. The Belarusians let us through quickly, but the Poles fussed and delayed the train for an hour. In the end, I managed to go to bed only after passport control at 2 am. Due to a delay in Berlin, we arrived 30 minutes late. It is clear that as the train runs in, these processes will be debugged, optimized and improved. And I didn’t even notice the process of changing the track.

At 7:40 on Sunday I was standing on the platform of Ostbahnhov station. A reagent with marble chips was scattered underfoot. The police escorted the foul-smelling and staggering homeless man away. Some gopniks with broken and drunken faces tried to talk to me. It’s like I never left Moscow)

The Strizh train is high-speed train Talgo Intercity, acquired by Russian Railways and adapted for Russian and European railways. Talgo Intercity trains are actively used by European railway companies. Meets all modern requirements for trains, has high speed, comfortable carriages.

On November 17, the Strizh train was launched in the Moscow-Berlin direction. The train has 20 cars, of which 18 are passenger cars. Track gauge in the Russian Federation and European countries differs, therefore, during the border crossing in Brest, the train undergoes an automated shift to the European gauge. The total procedure is only 30

Train route. Travel time.

The train departs from Moscow-Kurskaya station twice a week. Travel time is 20 hours 14 minutes. In the future, it is planned to reduce the travel time to 16 hours. "Strizh" passes Smolensk, Minsk, Brest and Warsaw, the final station is Berlin East Station. The length of the route is 1896 km.

Despite the speed of air travel from Moscow to Berlin, many people prefer to travel by train. This comes with many advantages. By train, customs control is faster, which takes place right on the way. Passengers have the opportunity to relax in comfortable compartments, sleep en route, and dine in the dining car. Another important plus is the ability to transport hand luggage.

Strizh train schedule

"Strizh" departs from Moscow Kurskaya station on Saturdays and Sundays at 13:05. The train arrives in Berlin at 7:19 on Sunday and Monday respectively.

In Berlin, departures are at 18:50 on Sunday and Monday. Arrival at Moscow Kurskaya station occurs at 17:25 on Monday and Tuesday. The train route goes like this: does not cross the borders of Ukraine.

The train passes through the stations of Smolensk, Orsha, Minsk, Brest, Terespol, Warsaw, Poznan, Rzepin, Frankfurt on the Oder. Customs and border control is carried out in Brest and Terespol.

Car layout

The Moscow-Berlin Strizh train has 18 passenger carriages, which can accommodate 216 people. This:

buffet;
restaurant;
five 2nd class carriages equipped with sleeping berths;
two 1st class carriages, seats;
four 1st class SVs equipped with berths;
two luxury class carriages with sleeping places, toilet, shower;
three luxury class carriages equipped with compartments for the passage of people with disabilities.

All carriages have environmentally friendly bathrooms, video monitors and audio systems. For an additional fee, you can access the Internet via Wi-Fi.

Numbering when traveling from Moscow is from the head of the train. From Berlin - from the tail.

Luxury carriage

In each compartment:

2 sleeping places;
table;
sockets;
safe.

Luxury carriage with seats for disabled people

Hot food, a set of towels, bed sheets, a blanket and a hygiene kit are included in the price.

In each compartment:

2 sleeping places;
personal bathroom with shower, washbasin and toilet;
TV with a choice of films;
table;
sockets;
safe.

SV carriage, 1st class

Consists of 6 double compartments. Hot food, a set of towels, bed sheets, a blanket and a hygiene kit are included in the price.

In each compartment:

2 sleeping places;
TV with a choice of films;
table;
sockets;
safe.

1st class carriage with seats

Hot meals, blankets, hygiene kits are provided free of charge

Each place is equipped with:

adjustable headrest, backrest and footrest;
folding table;
lighting system;
audio system;
socket.

2nd class carriage with sleeping berths

Consists of 4 four-seater compartments and one two-seater. Food, drinks, printed publications are provided for a fee.

Each compartment contains:

lighting systems (general and personal);
table;
audio system;
sockets;
air conditioning system.

Additionally, the train includes a restaurant car with 30 seats and a buffet car. Passengers can order hot dishes, salads, snacks, desserts and drinks.

Buy a ticket to Russian Railways.

The cost of train travel depends on the chosen location and time of travel. The cost is estimated in Euros, converted into rubles at the current exchange rate when purchasing a ticket.

The price of a standard adult ticket without discounts and special offers is (in euros):

323.50 for a seat in a Suite;
227.92 for a place in the NE;
155.04 per seat in 1st class;
177 for a seat in a 2nd class carriage.

The cost of a ticket for a child in each case is half that of an adult.

Compartments in Luxury 1st class carriages can be purchased in full with a small extra charge:

353.50 for Lux;
266.50 for a 1st class compartment.

Discounts on the Strizh train

It is possible to purchase a ticket for the Swift train at a good discount using one of the current offers. Discounts are provided in the following cases:

30% when purchasing a compartment by 2 passengers;
30% for persons over 60 and from 12 to 25 years old;
40% when purchasing tickets for 6 passengers;
50-40% when purchasing tickets for children in a group;
20% for groups of 2-5 people;
35% discount on birthday +/-7 days;
35% discount within a month after the wedding;
5% on all top shelves;
10% when purchasing a ticket 60-45 days in advance.

Discounts on tickets are not cumulative and are applied sequentially.

Boarding and traveling on the train

Passengers are advised to arrive at the station in advance to board the Swift. The passenger must present the conductor with a foreign passport and ticket. It is recommended to read in advance customs regulations, rules for transporting animals, in order to avoid problems.

Rules for traveling with children

All passengers have the opportunity to carry free transportation of 1 child under 4 years of age, without the provision of an additional seat. It is advisable to buy a coupe for a trip with a small child, for greater comfort. Children are not allowed to travel unless accompanied by an adult. Animals must have an electronic ID.

Rules for traveling with animals

Carriage of small domestic animals and birds is allowed in the amount of no more than 2 per place. The passenger must have an international passport for the animal being transported. Passengers are required to comply with all necessary sanitation and hygiene rules when traveling with pets.

Disabled spaces

The train has special carriages with compartments for disabled people and their accompanying persons. The disabled compartment is different big amount space, enlarged bathroom.

How to buy a ticket for the Strizh train?

Purchasing tickets for the Moscow-Berlin Strizh train is available a maximum of 60 days before boarding. Buy travel document You can directly through the Russian Railways website, or through any other convenient service. You can also buy a ticket directly at the box office. Electronic ticket sales stop one hour before the departure of the train.

Electronic registration is carried out along the entire route and is available within a period of no more than 1 hour after departure from the first station of the route.

Border crossing.Customs and passport control

When crossing the border, all passengers undergo mandatory customs and passport control. Passengers are required to present a passport and a valid visa. The inspection takes place while the train is moving.

To cross the border of the Russian Federation, foreign citizens are required to fill out a customs declaration and a migration card.

Baggage on the train

Passengers have the right to carry hand luggage. Hand luggage must not contain prohibited products or goods in excess of permitted customs standards.

Goods worth 1,500 Euros and weighing over 50 kg, jewelry, securities, weapons, over 3 liters of alcohol, narcotic substances, etc. are required to be declared.

If you need to issue a VAT refund for goods purchased in EU countries, you must prepare them for inspection. You must also attach the sales receipt, and Tax Free form.

Answers to frequently asked questions

How to purchase a ticket?

To do this, follow these steps on our website:

set a route, select a suitable date in the section;
find the corresponding train and carriage;
choose a place;
enter your data;
check the entered information, pay by credit card;
receive a ticket by email, print it or save it on your mobile device;
When boarding, present your ticket along with your foreign passport.

Is it possible to purchase a ticket for the Swift Moscow-Berlin with a Russian passport?

It is forbidden. Passengers cross state borders, so purchasing tickets is only available with a foreign passport or other document permitting travel outside the country.

What documents are needed?

The main document is a passport. All passengers are also required to fill out a migration form indicating their full name, citizenship and purpose of travel.

Do you need a visa?

Do Russians need a visa, definitely yes. This is a mandatory condition for crossing the Russian state border. But to buy an international ticket, a visa is not required, your passport data is enough, but on a trip to cross the border with another state, a visa is required.

How to register electronically for Swift?

If, when purchasing a ticket for the Strizh train, the passenger did not uncheck the “pass electronic registration", then it will be carried out automatically. If such registration is not required, you can uncheck the box. When checking in automatically, the passenger only needs to present a ticket and an international passport.

How to return a train ticket?

All purchased e-tickets for the “Strizh” composition, you can easily return it online by clicking on the link that was sent by mail or via SMS message.

Paid fees are not refundable, Russian Railways additionally charges a commission, fee and penalty for the return. The amount of fees, commissions and fines depends on the remaining time before departure.

1. This Saturday, December 17, Russian Railways launched the Strizh fast train on the Moscow-Berlin route. The translation of the name was done simply - in Russia it is "Strizh", abroad - Strizh. The train looks the same as the one that now goes to Nizhny Novgorod. But this is only at first glance.

2. Alas, one cannot be happy for the Russian manufacturer and say that Strizh is the brainchild of the Tver Carriage Works or the Ural Locomotives. The train is a project of the Spanish Talgo 250 adapted to Russian climatic conditions, which is successfully used on the railways of Europe, and even in Kazakhstan. The more I studied the train, the more I realized how different it was from our classic long-distance trains.

3. The first thing that catches your eye is that the carriages are significantly shorter and lower. The length of one carriage is only 13 meters: half the size of our native Russian one.

5. Actually, here is a picture. Wheeled bogies are located under the car articulation units. It turns out that on one side the car rests on its own wheelset, and on the other, on the wheelset of the next car. Due to all this, the cars can go through difficult sections and curves faster, and the impact on the track is much less than that of conventional carts.

6. A clever traction system turns the cart around corners. This allows you to minimize lateral loads on the wheels and reduce flange wear on the rails.

7. To avoid ice in the Russian climate, the wheels are blown with warm air (approximately 38 degrees).

8. During the reconstruction of the Moscow-Kyiv depot, three separate tracks were equipped specifically for servicing Swifts. The photo shows a turning device that allows you to repair wheels without disassembling the carts.

By the way, there is a widespread opinion that when choosing a gauge in Russia, the military aspect also played a role - a gauge different from the European one would make it difficult for a hypothetical enemy to supply troops in the event of an invasion of Russia.

In Brest, border guards did not let anyone off the train and checked documents while they were moving. Therefore, I was unable to film the process of changing the train gauge. For anyone interested, I recommend watching Sasha’s report on this topic russos http://russos.livejournal.com/1355962.html

9. The photograph shows that the Strizh cars are almost a third lower than our two-system electric locomotive EP20. The height of the Swift platform is half the standard height. The first and last carriages of the train are technical - there are no passengers in them, only equipment.

10. Technical carriages contain all the systems that ensure vital functions, safety and fire extinguishing, communications of this train, and so on. A diesel generator, air compressor, air cleaning and heating systems are installed here. The train has two generators operating normally, but in the event of a breakdown, even one will be able to supply the entire train with electricity. The diesel fuel reserve lasts up to 15 hours of operation in winter and up to 30 in summer. It all depends on the outside temperature. It looks very neat and even somewhat futuristic.

11. Passenger cars look no less cosmic.

12. The entire train has a through passage, while the Euro size imposes its own limitations - all the corridors are narrower than “ours”, and it will be difficult for two fat people to separate. In the photo at the end of the corridor there is a folding chair and a table. Yes, this is the guide's place. He no longer has his own compartment, where he could always buy Alenka chocolate and order tea.

13. Every second carriage is equipped with a cooler with hot and cold water.

14. Options for the layout of train cars.

15. Standard coupe. Recessed shelves are hidden in the niches of the walls. On the right in the background is a ladder to climb up. On the shelf above there are folding tables for each chair. Tickets for this compartment cost from 10,000 rubles.

16. View from the other side.

17. If in the unfolded state of the shelves such a compartment resembles our Russian trains, then the similarity ends there.

18. Instead of the usual table - a sink with a tap!

19. Seated carriage, the cheapest travel option - from 9,000 rubles per seat. Pull-out tables from the armrest, individual sockets, normal distance between the seats, footrests, hooks for clothes - the equipment is excellent.

20. The seats are comfortable, similar to business class on an airplane, but spending 20 hours sitting is cool. In fact, these places are intended primarily for those who will travel between Belarus, Warsaw and Berlin over distances covered in 3-6 hours.

21. Double SV. It was in this “number” that I traveled all the way to Berlin. The ticket cost 17,000 rubles - this money buys both seats at once, and you travel alone. Traveling with a neighbor costs approximately 13,000 rubles per seat.

22. Airplane or space shuttle, but not a train)

23. SV also has its own sink.

24. Option with folded beds. An interesting feature: if anyone can unfold the bed, only an athlete can slam the shelf back into the wall. You need to put in a lot of effort so that the pillow and blanket crumple and the shelf fits into place.
But this is a full bed. Wide and long, moderately hard, just the way I like it. With my height of 178, my legs and arms did not rest against anything.

But traveling while sitting with the beds unfolded turned out to be cramped - your head rests on the top bunk. Therefore, either lie on the beds, or fold the shelves and ride while sitting in chairs. I used the folding ladder as a laptop table.

25. And this is a family coupe, with a rather strange layout solution. These are two standard CBs, with an additional common door (on the right in the photo).

26. For all listed classes, each carriage has one bathroom. It is quite enough, because the carriages are small and only a few people can fit. Moreover, everyone has their own shells.

27. But that's not all. There are even cooler places - these are luxury carriages, where each “room” has its own toilet and shower!

28. Voila. No wonder a luxury ticket costs the same as a business class flight to Berlin: 30,000 per person or 50,000 for an entire compartment.

29. In addition to a separate cabin with a shower, the suite differs from the SV in the presence of a TV and a safe. There is also a small table here. Just a table, not a sink.

30. Let's look a little at the details. Stop valve, glass breaker, speaker and air conditioner control. It is worth noting that on this train I completely forgot about the word “stuffy”. The air exchange system worked perfectly, so I slept well at night.

31. The sink, although small, is quite enough to wash your face and wash fruits/vegetables.

32. Hidden under the sink was a micro-trash bin the size of three volumes of War and Peace.

33. Side niche with 4 hangers for outerwear and a spacious luggage rack, in the corner of which there are folding tables.

34. The decision is controversial, since with the table installed, you will no longer be able to stand up or sit in the chair. Personally, I only took it out to take a photo.

35. This is what a spacious compartment for passengers with disabilities looks like.

36. Behind the door is a giant bathroom with a shower, sink and toilet.

37. And finally, the main party places of the train: the dining car and the bar car)

38. In one carriage there are seats with tables, in the other there is a kitchen and a bar counter.

39. The train will run twice a week, departing from Moscow's Kursky station on Saturdays and Sundays at 13:05 and arriving at Berlin Ostbahnhof station at 07:19 the next day local time.

I listened to the reporter’s speech for a long time, but he kept getting confused and talking some kind of nonsense. Then it turned out that he spoke Polish)

40. Now a few words about the trip itself and its rationality. Why travel 20 hours by train to Berlin when for the same money you can fly by plane many times faster? It's a good question, but in reality a situation could easily arise where such a trip would be justified. Let’s imagine that I’m once again going to film the Innotrans railway exhibition in Germany. Getting up at 3 o'clock in the morning, going to the airport, flying somewhere and then filming for another whole day - thank you, no need, I've been through this more than once. In order to be ready for work in the morning and arrive at Messe Berlin with full strength, you need to arrive on an evening flight, check into a hotel, and get some sleep.

I usually get to the airport in about two hours and try to arrive two hours before departure. The flight itself lasts 2.5 hours. All together, with customs control and baggage collection from home to the hotel, it takes 7-8 hours consistently. That is, in order to be able to sleep in Berlin at midnight and go to work in the morning, you need to leave the house at 5-6 pm.

Personally, the journey from home to my compartment took 29 minutes. I left at 12:30. At the same time, there were no procedures for checking in luggage, security screening, a sterile area, waiting for boarding, and so on. I entered the carriage, sat down and drove off. It turns out that the time loss is not so big, only about five hours. But what goodies! And you don’t have to pay for an extra night in a hotel in Berlin)

41. And in terms of comfort, a modern train is much better than an airplane, there’s nothing to say here. And there are no endless airport queues. Those who flew from Berlin or Frankfurt to Moscow will understand me.

42. Even a short flight cannot compare in the amount of running and fuss per minute.

44. On the train you can chat with interesting people, hang out in a restaurant, drink tea and have a leisurely conversation. On this trip I met a wonderful couple: Yulia and Igor. They regularly fly to Berlin to visit relatives and traveled to Germany by train for the first time. Yulia said that she had been waiting for this train for three years. The launch dates were constantly postponed. She called and wrote letters to Russian Railways asking when the train would be launched. Official responses came that the train was undergoing tests, and that every effort was being made to launch the new train as soon as possible. And so Yulia waited for the first flight)

45. We talked: “We are always in a hurry somewhere, running. We don’t allow ourselves pauses. We don’t have time to be alone with ourselves, with our loved one. Sit in silence, think about something. Look out the window. Flight to on an airplane is more like teleportation, and often the flight itself takes less time than the pre-flight procedures, and a train ride is a real journey. We also ordered a kitchen set in Germany, which costs 6 times more in Moscow. Here's how you can get it. home safe, if not on the train?

46. I became thoughtful. Meanwhile, Russian pastoral scenes flashed outside the window.

47. The dining car was not empty the entire trip. At the same time, the audience was completely different. From businessmen with expensive watches to guys in flip-flops and sleepwear. I asked several visitors why they chose the train. Someone wanted to relax on the road, having reached Berlin without the bustle of airports. Someone needed to transport a lot of luggage. Two said that they always travel by train and see no reason to change their habits. The first flight was full to capacity - all tickets were purchased a couple of weeks before departure.

48. I managed to taste the local cuisine several times and was completely delighted. The only caveat of the first train is that the restaurant did not have time to debug the card payment system. I only had 500 rubles, which I exchanged for borscht. And then I had to look for kind people who exchanged me 50 euros for rubles. Otherwise, you would have to starve until Berlin, or look for homeless packages at the stalls at short stops in Orsha or Brest)

49. If you are interested in seeing the menu and prices, click on the photo.

50. While inspecting the train, having lunch and talking, time passed quickly. In the evening we were already at the Minsk train station.

51. The declared Wi-Fi worked, but did not allow me to access the Internet. There was another reason to take a break from work and the network. I watched a movie and talked with Igor and Yulia.

52. Among the shortcomings of the trip, I would like to note the slow passage of the Polish border. The Belarusians let us through quickly, but the Poles fussed and delayed the train for an hour. As a result, we managed to go to bed only after passport control at 2 am. Due to a delay in Berlin, we arrived 30 minutes late. It is clear that as the train runs in, these processes will be debugged, optimized and improved. And I didn’t even notice the process of changing the track.

Well, would you like to ride one?

Dmitry Chistoprudov, Vostok photo agency. For questions regarding filming, please email

MOSCOW/MADRID, December 17 – RIA Novosti/Prime."Federal Passenger Company" (FPK, a subsidiary of Russian Railways for the transportation of passengers in long distance) on Saturday, December 17, will launch a new train on its first flight from Moscow to Berlin, which will run under the Strizh brand, Russian Railways reported.

First passenger train formed from cars equipped with a system for automatically changing the width of wheel pairs. This will reduce the time for transition from the Russian standard gauge of 1520 millimeters to the European standard of 1435 millimeters at the station. Brest (Belarus).

The Strizh train will take about 20 minutes to pass through a specially equipped transfer device, whereas currently changing wheel sets takes about 2 hours. Thus, the train will cover the distance from Moscow to Berlin in 20 hours 14 minutes versus 24 hours 49 minutes at present. From Berlin to Moscow the journey will take 20 hours 35 minutes instead of 25 hours 56 minutes.

The manufacturer of the rolling stock is the Spanish Patentes Talgo. “The chosen name “Strizh” fully corresponds to the characteristics of the train - it is fast and agile,” Talgo told RIA Novosti. The train is capable of speeds of up to 200 km per hour.

"Swifts" flew

The Strizh train will depart on its first trip to Berlin on Saturday from Moscow's Kursky Station at 13.05 Moscow time. The first flight from Berlin will depart on December 18.

Next, the Strizh train will run twice a week, departing from Moscow's Kursky Station on Saturdays and Sundays at 13.05 Moscow time and arriving at Berlin Ostbahnhof station at 07.19 the next day (local time).

From Berlin (Berlin Ostbahnhof station) the train will depart on Sundays and Mondays at 18.50 (local time) and arrive at Kursky railway station Moscow at 17.25 Moscow time.

The train will make stops along the route at the stations of Smolensk, Orsha, Minsk, Brest, Terespol, Warsaw, Poznan, Rzepin, Frankfurt (Oder).

Ticket prices

The Strizh train consists of 20 carriages of different classes with a total capacity of 216 seats.

FPC announced discounts from 20 to 40% for the first flight. According to the company's website, for example, an adult ticket for this flight, depending on the class, costs from 148.6 to 495.5 euros. The price of the same ticket for the Swift from December 18 to January 13 will be from 169.5 to 667.5 euros, respectively, and from January 14 to March 28, 2017 - from 169.5 to 452.5 euros, respectively.

“The fare is indicated one way per passenger in euros. When purchasing a ticket, its cost is recalculated at the current rate and paid in rubles. Current price can be viewed when purchasing tickets on our website or at international box offices. All discounts are provided in addition to the fare," Russian Railways reported.

The high-speed train Strizh was launched on the route Moscow - Nizhny Novgorod on June 1, 2015. "Strizh" runs daily and makes up to 5 flights a day. Train travel time is from 3 hours 35 minutes.

The number of cars in the Strizh train is 18 passenger and 2 technical.

Train composition

What cars are there on the Strizh train:

1st class carriages with seats - carriage No. 8, No. 9 (No. 10, No. 11)*
2nd class carriages with seats - carriages No. 10-No. 18 (No. 12-No. 17)*
Coupe car with sleeping berths - car No. 18*
SV carriages with berths - carriages No. 1-No. 5
carriage - restaurant
buffet car

*The second version of the Strizh train

Comfort on the go

What equipment is in the carriages of the Strizh train Moscow - Nizhny Novgorod:

Air conditioning and heating system
- environmentally friendly toilet complexes

Entertainment and relaxation on the go

The Russian Railways company offers the following entertainment for relaxation while traveling on the Strizh train Moscow - Nizhny Novgorod:
- video monitors
- Wi-Fi along the entire route (paid service)
- individual audio systems

Meals on the go

Restaurant car on the Strizh train Moscow - Nizhny Novgorod

The Strizh train has a buffet car. A wide selection of hot dishes, snacks, salads, desserts, hot and cold drinks is at your service.

Additionally:
Provided along the way drinking water. At your service in each carriage: coffee, tea and confectionery products, printed publications, souvenirs and other goods (for a fee).

Characteristics of cars

Here are the characteristics of the carriages of the Strizh train Moscow - Nizhny Novgorod

Number of compartments: 5; number of seats: 10.

Each compartment consists of a rest room and a sanitary and hygienic room.

In each compartment:
- 2 sleeping places, the lower sleeping place can be transformed into 2 sitting places;
- safe, folding table;
- individual bathroom with shower and dry closet;
- TV with movie selection;
- 220V sockets;
- key cards for access to the compartment.

Service:
- nutrition;
- a set of bed linen and towels;

1st class carriage

Passenger seats have:

- audio system;
- 220V socket;
- adjustable headrest;
- adjustable footrest;

Service:
- nutrition;
- plaid;
- sanitary and hygienic set.

2nd class carriage

Number of seats: 20.

Passenger seats have:
- individual lighting system;
- audio system;
- 220V socket;
- adjustable backrest tilt;
- individual folding table.

Service:
- food and drinks (can be ordered from the conductor for a fee).

Safety

How the Strizh train works from a safety point of view:

Security on the train by security personnel or transport police. The operation of the carriage equipment is monitored using a satellite security and communication monitoring system. All carriages are equipped with fire alarms.

Transportation of animals

Carriage of small animals is free. Large dogs are not allowed.

To transport small animals, the entire compartment must be purchased. Carriage of small animals is free. To transport a large dog, the entire compartment must be purchased. You can only bring one large dog. Large dogs are free of charge.

To transport small animals, you do not need to purchase additional seats. There is a fee for transporting animals. Large dogs are not allowed.

other information

Attention! We ask passengers of the Strizh train to arrive at the station in advance due to the need to undergo inspection procedures.