Toilets in the high-speed train Swift. Russian Railways launch "swifts" to Berlin Swift train route
The first train in the history of domestic railways to change tracks in a matter of minutes, practically on the move. I took a ride in it with my daughter a month ago, and now I’ll share my impressions.
In principle, some of you have probably seen such trains. Swifts have been running from Moscow to Nizhny Novgorod for a long time, and there are also a number of their routes in Kazakhstan. But such a train with a quick track change function first appeared on post-Soviet space. Which, of course, is strange, given the peculiarities of our railway and the desire to integrate it with neighboring countries.. 
Due to the rapid passage of the border (instead of 3 hours it takes 15 minutes to change the track), as well as the acceleration of the schedule along almost the entire route, the route is very fast. Late in the morning at 11 o'clock you board in Moscow, and the next day early in the morning you arrive in Berlin. The train journey takes 22 hours in total. Therefore, by the way, it has some popularity in contrast to other similar trains.
The train has three classes of carriages: seated, compartment, luxury. The most popular, oddly enough, is the coupe! Of course, it’s only a thousand rubles more expensive than a seat, and the comfort is incomparable. As a result, seated carriages and SV carriages are empty, while life glimmers in the compartment carriages.
In fact, you can’t even call it wagons. More like "sections". Because they are all connected by open passages, and where one carriage begins and another ends is not easy to say. This is, of course, cool - these creepy, drafty passages between cars in ordinary trains are so scary. 
But there are many complaints about the train. It's cramped and low. 
Here, let's say, is a corridor. To see what is happening outside the window, you have to hunch over. 
Instead of many folding seats, there is only one at the end of the car, not near the window. 
Our compartment. It's also a bit cramped. 
Hooks for coats are located near the windows. Which impairs the view. 
Actually, in the previous photos there was a bed in a folded state. This is generally a feature of all such sleeper trains. I remember even in the Argentine SV there was the same principle.
After you’ve eaten, you call a guide (well, really, here you can do it yourself), and he opens a pre-made sleeping shelf for you from the wall. In general, I can’t say that it’s convenient. It is, of course, wide and spacious - my daughter and I fit well together. But constantly closing and opening it for every reason is not very happy. 
Table for food. What is by the window is not intended for it. If you want to eat like a human being, remove the special shelf from above from the luggage compartment, insert it into the fastenings on the seats, and voila. Anya really enjoyed this process, it was her only joy. Then you put the shelf back into a special holder. 
Here's the luggage. (on the left you can just see these removable tables for eating). Imagine - there were three of us traveling in a compartment: me and Anya and the woman Anastasia - a Ukrainian from Kharkov living in Potsdam. 
We were lucky that there was no one else. If there were passengers in the upper seats, I can’t imagine where we would have shoved all our things and generally turned around. Nothing fits under the seats at all - it was difficult to push the stroller there. I'm not even talking about the fact that when unfolding top shelf It’s no longer even possible to sit on the bottom one. 
And what seemed like a table was actually a sink. The only joy is that you don’t have to go to the other end of the carriage to brush your teeth, but do it on the spot. Well, all the dishes can be washed here too. 
Fortunately, the trip comes with a set of disposable toothbrush and toothpaste, as well as headphones. By the way, in the bed area there are buttons with a train radio, which you can listen to through these headphones. But there is not a lot of choice there. 
Toilet. Bio, of course. For some reason it was made with a twist. This is the first time I have come across such a system. 
Instead of traditional titans, there are neat water dispensers like in offices. 
Now you can pour some cold drinking water. My daughter loves these machines very much, she ran with a glass all the way here. 
Everywhere on the train there are signs in three languages. Russian, German, Polish. 
Why, according to this logic, there is no Belarusian and according to the normal logic of English (in which, by the way, all advertisements are duplicated) is not clear. 
But here it’s only in Russian. PID is not interested in the opinions of foreigners. 
Interestingly, almost all surfaces are decorated with logos of cities passed along the route. 
Even all the compartments are also dedicated to some cities along the route. 
For example, we were traveling in Minsk. 
Let's walk along the train 
The seating carriage is almost empty. Well, it’s logical: riding for that kind of money in a chair for a whole day is definitely a perversion. Then you can choose the plane. Although the seats are, of course, comfortable, they cannot be compared with airplane ones. If you drive for 5-7 hours, you can’t think of better transport. 
The train TV channel shows Mimino. "Chita-rita-chita-margarita-la!" 
Dining car. Prices are outrageous. 
Better than traditional chicken. Or buy potato pancakes from grandmothers at the station, as I did. 
Unused SV. 
As the conductor explained to me, this is a family-type compartment. Behind the door is another bedroom. Or a shower. Which, by the way, is available in some suites. 
There is Wi-Fi on the train. Yes Yes! And it works well. The header site, which opens when connected, shows the characteristics of the train: where exactly we are going, at what speed, what interesting places we are passing. You can watch and read about them. 
Tables with a running line. 
Technical section at the end of the lineup. No entry. 
Landing on Belorussky railway station. From one route passengers go to Kubinka, and from the other... a little further. 
The conductors lined up just like on Chinese trains. 
We wave to our mother, who is seeing us off. 
Well, let's get going. Let's wave to the new symbol of Moscow. 
The train does not make stops from Moscow to Smolensk. They ate, slept, and woke up to find the junction of the branch from Spas-Demensk to Dukhovskoy, and then the Bryansk-Roslavl-Smolensk highway. 
Traditional gateway to Europe. It’s really difficult for me to perceive this glorious city in any other capacity. 
The Smolensk Kremlin looms in the background. 
We only stand for 5 minutes. 
Well, another country has begun - Orsha. There is a change of crews, so we stand for a long time - 15 minutes. 
Grandmothers sell potato pancakes and apples from the garden. There is something about it - traveling on a fashionable train to bourgeois Europe and buying provisions from the grandmothers at the station. By the way, they accept any currency - both euros and Russian rubles. 
Actually, the brigade is in the process of changing. 
Minsk. Here our carriage has been significantly replenished. Still would! This express is generally very convenient for Minsk residents. Such night Train- at 9 pm you sit down, and at 7 am you are already in Berlin. 
Changing tires in Brest. A workshop with a traditional train can be seen in the background. Compared to ours, this fumbling around with carts already seems like something so dense and backward. 
I kept trying to catch the moment of changing the track. They wrote to me that there should be some kind of click. But no - absolutely nothing was heard! We drove into the workshop, walked through it, and stood up. We stood there for 5 minutes. Then we drove another 100-200 m and stood. And let's move on! There were no sounds or shocks even close. So it’s even somewhat boring - the traditional process of changing gauge looks much more interesting and spectacular (even if your car is lifted on jacks by a mechanic with wrenches in the middle of the night).
Border control is quick and unnoticeable. In Brest, border guards and customs officers enter the station. While the wheels are being changed, they quickly go around everyone, check them, collect passports, and stamp them. And then, near the border itself, the train stops at the border control office, where they get off. In Brest itself, parking is 15 minutes. But on the Polish side in Terespol everything is already traditional: a 40-minute stop, during which the border guards pass the train. 
In the morning we woke up when the train was already approaching Frankfurt. We just passed through Poland like a whirlwind. I just woke up in the middle of the night for a couple of minutes when we were standing on Warsaw-Wschodnia. And so, he still has a stop in Poznan. It’s also interesting that, having entered Poland, we quickly rushed off, accelerating to 155 km/h, despite the fact that in Russia and Belarus we were driving 110-120. I wonder why this is so? Why can’t we speed up traffic on the main line to similar speeds?
However, I didn’t think of taking a photo of the Frankfurt station, and it was still dark. But very soon we reached Berlin. Treptow-Park station, where a giant memorial dedicated to the Second World War is located. 
The main station in East Berlin in the past is Lichtenberg. According to the plan, we were not supposed to have a parking lot here, but due to repairs we stopped here. At this time, a passenger from the next compartment became ill, and we waited for the ambulance to arrive. We left here about 20 minutes later. A neighbor used the parking lot and got off here. From here it is a direct link to Potsdam, and from Ostbahnhof it is very inconvenient to move to other routes, since there are no elevators or escalators (which we later experienced). 
And here, there it was. 
General impressions. It's fun to go for a ride, of course. But nothing more. The experience of traveling to non-Russian Europe on such a fast train is certainly interesting. But, objectively, it is a little expensive and cramped, although it is quite comfortable. By plane, and especially with transfers in Brest or Grodno, it will be much cheaper.
The logistics of it, when you are amazed at how the same cars first travel between Pererva electric trains and Tatneft tanks, and then rub side by side with the S7 line of the Es-Bahn, after traveling on , are no longer so impressive. Then, whatever you say, it was huge.
However, I still plan to test “French” trains from Moscow. 
Well, and finally, I’ll answer a question that, of course, interests everyone.
12700 costs a compartment on this train for the entire route.
The top shelf is 700 rubles cheaper.
A sitter costs about 10 thousand,
luxury - about 18.
A ticket from Minsk will cost from 7 thousand.
In fact, it cost me twice as much. Children under 4(!) years old travel on international Russian Railways trains for free. And a plane ticket would cost almost full amount. So I took advantage of the elusive opportunity (Anya will be 4 years old in February). 
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The branded Strizh / Swift train offers passengers an increased level of comfort and service.
On December 17, 2016, the new high-speed train "Strizh" set off on its first flight on the Moscow-Berlin route.
This is the first Russian international train V Western Europe passing from the Russian gauge 1520 to the European gauge 1435 without rearranging wheel sets through an automatic transfer device in Brest.
The train departed from Kursky railway station Moscow
On the first flight, passengers were very interested and there were practically no empty seats on the train.
The head of the train reports on his readiness to depart on the first flight to the Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation and the President of Russian Railways
Twins were traveling on the train)
Thanks to critical comments from readers about the dullness of the drab interiors, a touch of color was introduced into the train. The interiors have become more interesting.
But there are practically no places for conductors on this train and it is very difficult to work here.
We observe a working moment - the head of the train gives instructions to the conductor.
For access to luxury compartments (with shower and toilet), passengers are issued key cards
The compartment for disabled people has a door twice as wide) Two cities fit in
And here is a restaurant, you can eat.
There are always a lot of people in the bistro car and I didn’t really want to shine the light on the faces of the passengers.
But in the carriage with seats there is plenty of space for children to run around.
This carriage was appreciated by passengers from Belarus because... it is very convenient for them to move to Poland and Germany
In the meantime, we'll have dinner.
Are we going to Germany?)))
Knuckle)
Dining car
Landing in Brest last passengers and... border.
The border from the Belarus/Russian Federation side is passed on the move during the operation of the gauge transfer device and the border and customs control doesn't take extra time
There were clearly more people even in the sitting area. Most of the passengers are from Belarus.
And there are simply no places in the compartments for a long time. Everything has been purchased.
Well, here comes Warsaw.
We dozed off and Berlin.
People meet and smile
Morning.
Official photo for representatives of the first flight - Russia, Germany, Spain.
As I said earlier and showed to some “railroad workers” with telescopic glasses, the train is driven to Germany by a Polish “Taurus”
Berlin - Ostbahnhoff
First flight crew.
Then the train leaves for maintenance at the Talgo depot.
Berlin
In the depot everything is almost like in Moscow, but a little older.
Here the conductors put the carriages in order for passengers traveling to Moscow
At 18:50 pm the train leaves Berlin Ostbanhoff for Moscow
There are many passengers to Moscow
And what beautiful conductors are on this train) There are no such conductors in Germany)
Interestingly, in border Frankfurt, many passengers gathered to board.
And outside there was the usual winter fog
Warsaw.
And again there are a lot of passengers hurrying home.
Now some impressions about the train:
Firstly, he can go faster and will obviously go faster over time. And there is a basis both in increasing the speed in Poland, and in the fact that now almost an hour is left in the schedule for the work of the Polish border guards and the parking lot in Terespol is unreasonably large, although on this flight they did not fit in it either - they slowly came to the train, then found fault with the passengers scanning fingerprints and eventually delayed the train 20 minutes from schedule.
The maximum recorded speed in Poland was 153 km/h, in Belarus - 135 km/h
Secondly, the Internet was previously promised to be free for passengers, but is currently paid, and costs from 250 rubles for 4 hours to 990 rubles for 24 hours
Thirdly, seat cars are very popular among citizens of Belarus. Half of the journey is covered sitting quite comfortably, but the entire journey from Moscow to Berlin is quite difficult.
Distribution of materials and reposts with indication of the source are welcome.
High-speed trains Strizh, which replaced the Sapsan on the Moscow-Nizhny Novgorod direction, cause very controversial opinions. Those who have seen Swift from the outside invariably note its “toy-like” appearance. appearance. Indeed, the train carriages are so miniature that they would rather be part of a children's railway train. However, after getting to know the train better, I realized that it really is a worthy replacement for the Sapsan, although it looks less respectable in appearance. To find out, I took a special ride on the Strizh train along the route Moscow - Nizhny Novgorod - Moscow. Here you will see my personal impressions, many photographs, and a review of the train.
High-speed train Strizh. Tickets and seats
Of course, tickets for the Strizh train, like for any other trains, must be purchased as early as possible. You probably already know that Russian Railways has a progressive fare tariff system. The closer to the departure day, the more expensive train tickets become. Therefore, here, as they say, whoever got up first paid cheaper.
For example, I bought tickets for the Strizh train two and a half weeks before departure. Ticket from Nizhny Novgorod to Moscow it cost me 1115 rubles, and for some reason the return trip was more expensive by the same date - 1249 rubles.
As they explained to me, the cost of tickets depends on the number of seats remaining. That is, the fewer tickets left for a given trip, the more expensive they become.
So be as prudent as possible and buy your Swift tickets at the right time. You can save a little.
In addition, you probably already know that the Strizh train has carriages of different classes. I took tickets to the “lowest” class. They cost much less, but for solving my specific task - writing a review about the train - this class was quite enough.
There are first class seats, double compartments with lie-flat seats. Their cost is correspondingly more expensive than in a simple seated second class.
The most interesting thing is that a passenger who wants to travel in a compartment buys it in full, even if he is traveling alone. That is, if you want to go completely alone, pay about 6,000 rubles and you will be the absolute owner of a two-seater coupe. If you want to travel alone with your wife, pay the same amount and you will get the same two-seater coupe. In principle, based on one passenger with double accommodation, it is not so expensive.
Thus, you cannot have random companions in a two-seater compartment. In principle, this is reasonable and convenient.
image taken from Russian Railways website
True, the compartments on the Strizh train are, of course, a bit cramped, as in all other trains. If two ordinary people of average build are traveling there, then it will still be possible to live. But if some respectable passenger travels, accompanied by an equally respectable fellow traveler, then only a short trip will save them from extreme discomfort.
Important point about tickets and seats
Everyone who travels to Moscow on the Strizh train must know one subtlety. It will help you choose places more wisely.
For example, I, considering myself an experienced traveler, took a ticket for a second-class seated carriage in seat number 9. I liked it because it was located by the window, and precisely by the window, and not by the wall between the windows. In addition, in my opinion, the sun should not interfere with me at this place if the weather turned out to be clear.
image taken from Russian Railways website
I took everything into account except one thing: when train Swift coming from Nizhny Novgorod to Moscow, then you will have to drive backwards. The seats in the carriages are facing towards Nizhny Novgorod. So in my ninth place I was riding backwards on the sunny side. That is, the worst thing that could happen happened. Thank God, there were other free seats and we managed to move to the shade.
Therefore, when you buy tickets for the morning Strizh train, keep in mind that you need to buy tickets for seats not in the right, but in the left row.
If you are driving an evening Swift from Moscow to Nizhny Novgorod, then the right lane will be preferable.
If you are categorically against traveling backwards, you should buy tickets for seats at the very beginning of carriage No. 33-36. True, at the same time you will be looking at the passengers sitting opposite you all the way. Decide for yourself what is more important to you.
On the platform before the departure of the Strizh train
photo from the Internet
When I arrived at the platform 40 minutes before the train departed, there were almost no passengers there. This was part of my plan: I wanted to photograph the train at the platform before it was surrounded by departing people and mourners.
But my plans were not destined to come true. On the platform, strict women in uniform paraded at a walking pace. All my exhortations and requests were countered with the indisputable: “Go to the station master, if he allows it, then you can take as many photographs as you want.”
In my naivety, I even went to the boss, but the time was still very early - only 7:10 in the morning. At this time, no self-respecting station manager burdens himself with official duties, so after “kissing” the locked door, I went to the station duty officer.
Neither the badge nor the title of editor-in-chief of an independent media could induce him to violate his official duty. I was never allowed to film on the platform. Therefore, I will have to “treat” you with photographs taken from the Internet, accompanying them with my comments.
photo from the Internet
What I liked most on the platform was standing by the dining car. And not at all because delicious food was prepared there.
It’s just that the dining car is located right between the seated and compartment cars. Externally, the carriages themselves look exactly the same. Without looking out the window, it is hardly possible to distinguish them by appearance.
A striking difference was observed on the platform opposite these and other cars.
A crowd of passengers was swaying where the first and second class carriages were located. There were all sorts of people, some with backpacks, others with business briefcases. There were several families with children in strollers. But overall there were quite a lot of people.
If you look in the other direction, you could see just a dozen or two passengers walking sedately and importantly along the compartment cars. It seemed to me that these were mainly business trips. And not ordinary engineers or employees of planning departments, but people at the level of directors or deputies.
One look at their respectable calm, sedateness and leisurely gestures indicated that they do not count money and prefer to spend three and a half hours of travel in a comfortable compartment than to be jostled in general seated carriage.
This is the contrast that appeared to my eyes at the moment when the train doors opened and passengers were asked inside.
Boarding the Strizh train
Despite the fact that the train had been standing at the platform for a long time and the conductors were constantly entering and exiting the cars, passengers were invited to board 20 minutes before departure.
The landing took place without haste, since there was enough time. In addition, the fact that approximately 20 people were traveling in each carriage (in fact, the carriages can accommodate more than 30, but not all seats were occupied) also played an important role.
That's why huge queues to the doors, the rush, the nervousness that usually accompanies landing, for example, with the same Sapsan or, especially the Swallow, was not there. Passengers calmly, almost solemnly entered the carriage and took their seats.
The impeccability of the landing procedure, however, was somewhat spoiled by this. The fact is that Strizh train carriages noticeably narrower (in the sense of not wider) than the carriages of ordinary trains. As a result, a gap about half a meter wide appeared between the car and the platform. It can be easily seen in the previous photo. Moreover, the train stood at the low first platform. Those who were at the Nizhny Novgorod station and saw the first platform will not let you lie. This platform is only slightly higher than the level of the rails.
photo from the Internet
Of course, the carriages of the Strizh high-speed train have a folding step, but its height will still create difficulties for elderly passengers. In my presence, one grandmother could not lift her leg onto a step, and the conductor helped her.
It is also not very convenient to drag strollers and large bags into the carriage. The carriage doors are still quite narrow. So, if you are traveling on the Strizh train with a child, ask one of your fellow travelers to help you with the stroller in advance, or wait until all the passengers have entered the carriage and carry the stroller in without haste with the help of the conductor.
Cars of the high-speed train Strizh
Therefore, this part of the article will be of interest mainly to those of you who do not mind traveling by boat. train Strizh in first and second class seated carriages.
As I already wrote, the first thing that slightly “stung” was the relatively narrow doors of the carriage. Compared to Sapsan, they are really narrower. Therefore, some passengers at the entrance had problems lifting large, heavy bags on board.
The second unpleasant surprise awaited these same passengers when they saw what the space for large luggage looked like. Unfortunately, there are not so many bags you can put there, as for example in Sapsan. True, there are not so many passengers in the Swift carriage, but if most of them go on vacation with large suitcases, then there will not be enough space in the luggage compartment for everyone. Some passengers even had to place their large travel suitcases in the aisle between the seats. This, of course, did not create any big problems, but it did make walking around the carriage a little difficult.
The situation is somewhat saved by luggage racks above the seats. They are quite roomy and can accommodate even small suitcases. The best part is that these luggage racks are quite deep. So deep that they allow you to place a small travel suitcase not “along”, but “across” - as if deep into it.
That is, in theory there should be enough space for everyone’s bags.
True, it is not entirely clear what weight these shelves are designed for, so we can only hope that the designers Talgo trains(aka Swift) provided for the luggage racks to be fully loaded with heavy suitcases of Russian tourists.
Seat car seats
I would like to write about this in more detail, since the carriage seat is the very place where you will spend most of the trip. Based on experience of traveling on high-speed trains Sapsan And Martin I can say that a comfortable seat is perhaps the most important thing for a passenger.
I remember how on the Swallow train I wanted to get up and walk around half an hour after departure. The seats on the Strizh train are much more comfortable.
Firstly, they are more ergonomic - that is, they more accurately follow the curve of the back.
Secondly, the seat itself is made in such a way that it is comfortable to sit. It's just convenient and that's all. Two hours have already passed since departure (and I’m writing this text while sitting on the train), and I still don’t feel the desire to get up and warm up.
Thirdly, the distance between the seats is quite large. I could be wrong, but it is the same, or even more, than in Sapsan. Even I, not the shortest person in the world (186 cm), can freely cross my legs while sitting in a chair without resorting to balancing act.
It is important that the seats are quite spacious. For example, during the entire trip my travel companion and I never touched each other’s elbows.
In addition, it is worth noting such pleasant little things as a folding footrest and a small folding table in the back of the chair in front. It also has a mesh pocket. It contains a brochure about high speed train Swift, disposable headphones, posters with instructions in case of evacuation.
Unfortunately, you won’t be able to use the folding table to work with a computer: the back of the seat is in the way—the screen of a large laptop won’t open:
Each pair of chairs has individual lighting.
After carefully reviewing the information for passengers, I found out that the seats turn out to be reclining. Of course, not so much that you can lie down to sleep, but it’s quite possible to tilt the back slightly. The most valuable thing is that the passenger sitting in the back does not suffer. The seat of the chair simply moves forward and the backrest tilts. It's comfortable.
On the car windows there are fabric curtains that fold like an accordion and, when folded, do not take up so much space as to interfere with looking out the window.
There are hooks for clothes in the spaces between the windows on the wall. In summer they are practically not used, but if in winter you hang padded jackets on them, then the passenger sitting by the window may experience some inconvenience.
Still, in Sapsan this issue is resolved much more intelligently than in Lastochka and Swift: there is a wardrobe in the middle of the car where passengers can hang their outerwear.
The armrests of the chairs are simple. They can be removed if they are in the way, or lowered if you need to put your hands somewhere. The only armrest that cannot be removed is located right next to the window. For many passengers this is a very insignificant fact. But it really bothered me personally when I was writing this text on the computer.
It’s good that there were free seats in the carriage and I moved to another free pair of seats.
Each seat has a headphone jack. You can listen to the radio or the soundtrack of films shown on TVs under the ceiling.
Disposable wipes are glued to the seat headrests. On the one hand, this seems to have been done from a hygiene point of view, but by and large, most likely so that passengers do not dirty the headrests with their greasy bald heads :)
The carriage is air conditioned and from time to time they carry airplane food carts. However, remembering the cost of similar pleasures on other high-speed trains, I refrained from ordering.
And one more thing: if you decide to travel in a first-class seated carriage, keep in mind that the seating arrangement is 1 + 2. That is, there is one seat on the left side, and two on the right.
Of course, the first impulse will be to buy a ticket for a single seat. But in this case, people will constantly walk past you, carry carts with food, and you will certainly be touched...
Therefore, for myself personally, I would buy a ticket for a double seat by the window. The chairs are wide enough, you and your neighbor will not interfere with each other, and the flow of the staggering public will pass far from you and will not bother you.
Impressions from a trip on the Swift
The mourners were asked to leave the train ten minutes before departure. Two minutes before departure the doors closed. So those who like to be late for the train and arrive “right on time” may be in for a “pleasant” surprise.
It's always interesting how the movement starts. For example, in Sapsan this is such an elusive moment that if you don’t look out the window, you can easily miss the moment the train departs.
High-speed train Strizh moves off with a noticeable jerk. Even somehow strange. I double-checked myself once again when the train pulled out from the Dzerzhinsk and Vladimir stations. Yes, the locomotive really pulls the train.
In fact, this is, of course, “not a running gear.” You will not fall when starting to move, even if you stand in the aisle without holding the handrails. In the worst case, you will take a couple of steps on the floor :)
It’s just very unexpected for a train that can reach speeds of up to 200 kilometers per hour while moving.
Speaking of speed. It seems we never reached the 180 kilometers per hour that the driver promised us. The maximum I noticed on the scoreboard was 171 km/h. True, I didn't look there all the time. Maybe I missed the “fastest moment”.
The smooth running of a train is a very ambiguous thing and depends on the condition of the railway track. In some sections we were indeed driving very fast, but somehow it didn’t feel like it. On others, the speed was lower, and the fingers could barely hit the keys due to shaking.
It seems to me that the Sapsan train is running more smoothly and steadily. I can’t say anything about Swallow – I don’t remember. I rode it only once (and never again!).
The sound of wheels clattering was very unusual. The fact is that the trailers Strizh trains very small, so each carriage has only two wheels. That is, one wheel pair is located between two cars. In the heavier carriages of the Sapsan and Lastochka trains there are usually two pairs of wheels, on each side of each carriage.
Therefore, when we travel on a regular train, the sound of wheels on the joints of the rails sounds like “knock-knock - pause - knock-knock - pause, etc.
The Swift high-speed train has a very unusual sound of wheels - I have never heard this before. The swift knocks according to the pattern “knock - pause - knock - pause, etc.).
This is especially felt closer to the ends of the cars. I had just such a place, so the whole time I was traveling I heard this damned knock-knock-knock-knock... On some stretches, where the rails were assembled from short pieces, this constant knock, to be honest, was already starting to get boring.
Just try to say it after that. That this text was written by a person who has never ridden a Swift! You can't guess such a nuance. It can only be noticed while traveling.
The carriages are separated from each other by vestibules with glass doors that open on their own as soon as you approach. It's worth mentioning here that the aisle between the seats is wide enough to walk past a grocery cart. For example, this cannot be done on an airplane. And in Swift, it’s true that you walk sideways, but you still walk quite freely. True, the width of the passage between the cars is quite small. The person, of course, will pass, but the bag will have to be carried in front or behind him.
Toilets in the high-speed train Strizh
I decided to highlight this topic especially. Those who have ever ridden will easily understand my action. The fact is that there are very few toilets in Swallow. As in Vysotsky’s song – “there is only one restroom for forty-eight rooms”
So in Lastochka there are only two of these restrooms for the entire train. At least that’s how it was about a year ago, when I carelessly decided to take it for a ride. Perhaps something has changed now.
This is completely in order on the Swift train. There is a toilet in every carriage. True, there is only one, but the trailers are quite small. There are about 30 passengers in total. So I didn’t find any queues to the toilets on the Strizh train. But in Lastochka...
The room itself is very small. In principle, there is enough space, but for obese passengers and those with physical disabilities, visiting such a toilet may cause negative emotions.
In principle, there is everything you need, even liquid soap and paper hand towels, not to mention toilet paper.
By the way, while we were standing at the station and waiting for the train to depart, the smell of the toilet was felt quite clearly in the carriage. When we drove and the air conditioning started, the smell disappeared.
Free WiFi Internet on the Strizh train (only a month after launch)
Unlike other high-speed trains - Sapsan and Lastochka - in the Strizh train had free WiFi internet. And not only in first class carriages, but also in second class ones. Unfortunately, I have to write about it in the past tense, because after a month this service became paid - 59 rubles per hour. In principle - not that expensive.
In addition to the Internet itself, the train's internal network allows you to watch some movies for free. The list is quite extensive, but... it’s a miracle, I never found a film that I wanted to watch :) Maybe I’m being picky?
It is possible to see exactly where the train is currently located on the map and find out how much time is left before arrival.
What do they feed on the Strizh train?
You need to start with the fact that you can have a snack right in your place. Every now and then they carry carts around the carriage and offer some simple snacks: tea, coffee, juice, nuts, sandwiches, etc.
The prices are quite steep. For example, a glass of regular coffee costs 50 rubles. I didn’t even know about the rest.
If the assortment of carts does not satisfy you, you can go to the buffet car or the restaurant car. By leaving from 500 to... rubles there, you can have a fairly hearty and tasty snack. In a word, you won’t die of hunger :)
General conclusion
Having experience of traveling on other high-speed trains, not to mention regular ones, I can safely say that a trip on high-speed train Strizh left a fairly positive impression. Now there are only about 20 minutes left before arriving in Moscow, it’s time to finish my story.
I'll say it briefly. When I found out that instead Sapsanov will walk Swifts, at first I was very upset. I once thought that such a “toy”-sized train would hardly be able to provide a similar level of comfort. Now, having ridden the new train, I also feel sorry for Sapsan, but this is most likely just nostalgia. The Strizh high-speed train really seemed like a good, worthy replacement to me.
PS: I now boarded the Strizh train again to go back. Now everything is in order: the same 12th carriage, the same 9th place, but now we will go facing forward and the sun will not blind our eyes.
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