Despite the decline in airfare, rail travel is still very popular with Russians. Service "specially for" Lenta.ru "has collected life hacks, tricks and tricks for those who love the romance of a reserved seat or the comfort of SV-carriages, which will help to save money and make travel on trains more enjoyable.

Choosing the best seats in the carriage

On all trains, the bottom bins are odd seats, and the top bins are even. On old trains without air conditioning, do not take the 3rd and 6th compartments, as you will not be able to open the window there. In the reserved seat, it is better not to take places from 37th to 54th - these are the sides, and 37th and 38th are the sides of the toilet. The best places are by the conductor's compartment, there is a socket nearby.

We save on the purchase of train tickets

The earlier you buy your ticket, the cheaper it will be. For domestic trains, tickets are sold 45 days before departure, and for international (and some Russian) tickets - 60 days. The discount can be up to 50 percent - for example, you can buy a ticket in a compartment at the price of a reserved seat. There are seasonal coefficients - on holidays and in summer, tickets are about 10-20 percent more expensive.

Discounts on the upper bunk in the compartment

If usually the discount on the upper bunks in a compartment is 10-20 percent, then for a special offer it can go up to 40 percent, approaching the cost of a reserved seat. As a rule, the discount is valid for interregional trains; there are separate floating tariffs for the St. Petersburg and Moscow directions.

Photo: Vitaly Belousov / RIA Novosti

How to properly charge your phone on a train

It seems that the reserved seat has only one socket at the toilet and it is always busy, but this is not so. Additional sockets are located near the boiler, in compartments 2 and 8 (seats 39-40 and 51-52). In the compartment car, the sockets are located between the 3rd and 4th compartments, as well as between the 7th and 8th compartments in the corridor. Modern trains have sockets in every compartment.

Take a tee with you, then you can connect your gadget to the outlet, avoiding disputes with neighbors. The voltage in the car is unstable, and there is a risk of burning the charger or even the phone itself. To avoid this, it is worth purchasing a surge protector with an extension cord (also called a "pilot"). It has a fuse that will protect the phone from overloading.

Bed linen must be covered by the conductor

In the reserved seat, the conductor is obliged to make bed linen for the disabled, the elderly, pregnant women and passengers with children. The bed is already made in the compartment. The blanket can be requested at any time of the year - it is included in the bedding set. Also, the conductor can replace the old linen with a new set for a fee.

You do not need to hand over your laundry

Yes, many conductors require all passengers to turn in their linen half an hour before the train arrives at the terminal station. However, passengers should not do this. It is the responsibility of the conductor to monitor the safety of the kits, as well as to collect them and hand them over to the laundry.

How to transport a bike on a train

On a long-distance train, a bicycle can be carried as baggage - only disassembled, and its size in the sum of three dimensions should not exceed 180 centimeters. In the reserved seat, it is more convenient to use the third shelf, four bicycles can be placed there at once. You can also carry an iron horse in a baggage car, but then you will have to arrive in advance and check it in your baggage.

Free on the train

In the compartment and reserved seat carriages, at the request of the passenger, the conductor must give out free of charge: a glass in a cup holder and a spoon, a sewing kit (needles and threads and scissors), a first-aid kit and board games (chess, checkers, dominoes). Although in a particular carriage some items from this set may not be enough. In addition, a travel kit (toothbrush and paste, soap, wet wipes), newspapers and magazines are free on the branded train.

Photo: Oksana Alyoshina / Photobank Lori

Take a break from your trip

The passenger has the right to make a stopover for a period not exceeding 10 days and extend the validity of the ticket. To do this, you need to present a ticket to the station administration no later than 4 hours from the moment of arrival. But when the movement resumes on another train, you will have to pay again for a reserved seat (the cost of a seat in the carriage). This is about half the price of the entire ticket.

What to do if you are behind the train

If it suddenly happened that you got off at the station and did not have time to catch your train, and things remained in the carriage, you do not need to panic. It is necessary to contact the head of the station, he will notify colleagues at the nearest stop along the route of the train. There your things will be removed from the train. You are obliged to take the next train to this station free of charge and extend the validity of your ticket free of charge.

Don't rip off the stopcock

Tearing off the stop valve is allowed only in exceptional cases: to prevent a crash, accident, derailment of rolling stock, human casualties. According to the current rules, the lag of the passenger from the train is not a valid reason for disrupting the stop valve. Now a fine of three to five thousand rubles is imposed for this.

On the train - dry law

The consumption of alcoholic beverages on trains is prohibited. Previously, beer was allowed on trains, and strong alcoholic drinks were allowed in restaurant cars. However, now the Code of Administrative Offenses (CAO) completely prohibits the use of alcohol. Passengers caught drinking are fined: beer lovers will pay from 100 to 300 rubles, and connoisseurs of stronger drinks - from 500 to 700 rubles.

The sale of strong alcohol in train carriages is prohibited. In the dining car, according to the current legislation, one can buy “alcoholic products with an ethyl alcohol content of no more than 16.5 percent,” that is, beer and wine.

Russia is the biggest country in the world. It is not always possible to move through its open spaces with complete comfort. As a rule, the most convenient air travel is the most expensive, and not everyone has their own car. There remains the only available and convenient option - rail transport. But are there sockets on the trains? This issue is very important for a comfortable journey, because in the age of development of technology and personal gadgets, we need a source of constant power.

Old and new trains

Most of the rolling stock in Russia and the CIS countries is the legacy of the Soviet Union. These are mainly old cars. Perhaps they seem to someone to be comfortable and pleasant, but their time has already passed. The equipment of old cars does not meet modern requirements. In the most "ancient" sockets can be found only in the toilet and at the conductors.

However, there is no reason for joy, because it is not recommended to use such power sources. Firstly, constant power surges can completely break a gadget that is being recharged. Secondly, most often the voltage is not 220 volts, but 110 volts. This is great for old electric shavers, but not for the rest.

Are there sockets on newer trains? In fact, the answer to this question is not so easy. It all depends on the age of the carriage. Of course, the newest carriages have power supplies for charging gadgets. Moreover, the electronic systems of the cars were specially designed with the expectation of the presence of such outlets. The voltage in them does not sag, and the danger of being left without phones or laptops is completely absent.

What about Sapsans?

Many passengers are worried about whether there are sockets in trains of the Sapsan or Strizh model. High-speed long-distance trains, formed mainly of sit-down cars, can also be attributed to this group of trains.

These trains are fairly new. During the design, they provided for the placement of power supplies. Regardless of the comfort class, sockets are available. Some of them are located in the conductor's compartment and near the toilets. Economy class cars have one socket for each row of passenger seats.

Most often, a row means 2 armchairs from a window on each side. In other words, it is possible to charge gadgets with a neighbor one by one. If the comfort class is higher, then problems should not arise at all. Each passenger will have one separate socket. Some carriages will have two of them.

Electric trains

Are there sockets on commuter trains? In this case, their presence is the exception rather than the rule. Power supplies can be found only in high-speed "Swallows". They are located in intermediate cars, and as a rule, there are a lot of them.

Matrices and ordinary electric trains are not equipped with power supplies for passengers. They lack a compartment of conductors and often lack even sockets for electric razors. In newer electric trains, you should also not look for a place where you can recharge your phone. Even there it is not provided.

Cheap wagons

Not everyone has enough money to buy tickets in a compartment. Are there sockets on trains in reserved seat cars? Of course! In old cars, they are only in the conductor's compartment, in newer cars there are sockets right in the 49th and 41st sides. Also, sockets are available in "compartments" 2 and 9.

It is important to understand that a reserved seat carriage will not have a free power source at all. Do not expect to find a new carriage. In some modern trains, even cheap seats are equipped with outlets. However, the chances of buying such a ticket are rather small. Based on this, it is best to take with you on a trip the so-called powerbank - a portable source of energy. It weighs a little and is quite capable of fully charging the phone 2 to 7 times.

Modern, large, two-story!

There are very few such compositions in Russia. Mostly they go to the south. Does the double-decker train have sockets? Yes, they are there. And in this case, there is always where to charge the phone. There are no old double-deck cars.

Absolutely every compartment is equipped with two sockets, regardless of the floor. There are also power supplies in the hallways, toilets and at the conductors. The power system of a double-deck car is modern and does not allow sudden voltage drops or other instability in the network.

Long distance trains

The further you go, the more important it is to be able to recharge your phone or player. Are there sockets on long-distance trains? It all depends on what kind of cars the rolling stock is formed from. It is equally important whether it is a branded train or not. There are always sockets in the seated cars, in the "suites" and "SV" too. However, in ordinary compartment and second-class carriages, sockets may or may not be present at all.

Compartment cars

If reserved seat seats are considered the worst and cheapest, and their passengers cannot count on special comfort, then the situation is different with the coupe. Even in the Soviet Union, compartments have always been very comfortable. Is there a 220 volt socket in the train compartment? If the passenger is lucky, that is. Most often, there are no outlets at all. They can only be found in modern carriages.

However, at least 2 power supplies can be found in the center aisle. There is also a socket at the conductors and in the toilet. What will be the most important here? So that there are no selfish people in the carriage who connect their laptops to the source and do not disconnect until the very end of the trip. Such passengers behave selfishly and create scandals if you try to unplug their device.

Folk way

If there are no outlets in the compartment, but there is an urgent need for them, there is a folk way. This requires a special socket that can be powered by a shade. Then you can simply remove the cover from the light bulb designed for night lighting or for reading books, unscrew the light bulb, screw in the socket and use your own power source. However, precautions must be strictly followed. Conductors do not like it when passengers do this. Of course, you can ask permission, but most likely no one will give it.

In the eighties of the last century, the maximum of electrical devices that required connection to the network on the train was an electric razor. Therefore, when a passenger asks if trains have sockets, there is every reason to fear their absence. However, not everything is so sad, in fact, it is possible to charge a smartphone, tablet and even a laptop in almost any train, although this can not be done everywhere simply and without loss.

Sockets in a reserved seat carriage

In the old sockets there are conductors near the compartment and near the toilet. Initially, they were intended specifically for an electric shaver, and do not imply other functions. If you are wondering if there are sockets on the train, the reserved seat is perhaps the most inconvenient option. Firstly, conductors warn against switching on recharging mobile phones, smartphones and other devices and in advance disclaim responsibility for the safety of sensitive equipment. Secondly, in some cars, these sockets are either faulty or disabled.

If passengers are interested in whether trains have sockets, Russian Railways usually answers this question positively. Indeed, there is a power source. So far, few people can vouch for the quality. However, if the conductor prevents you from plugging your device into an outlet, then this is against the rules, as well as trying to charge for it.

Sockets in compartment and SV

The best conditions are given to those passengers who prefer to travel in a higher class. Therefore, in most cases, there is no need to worry about whether there are sockets in the train compartment - they are, but depending on the novelty of the carriage, they can be located in the compartment itself or in the corridor.

So, in old cars, sockets are traditionally located in the corridor, between the third and fourth compartments, and also between the seventh and eighth, on the opposite wall. And in the new cars in each compartment there is an electrical outlet, and according to the norms of Russian Railways, it must be working.

As for SV cars, there should be no question of convenience in them - a high level of comfort is implied, as is the presence of sockets.

Branded trains

If we are talking about branded trains, then you don't have to ask if there are sockets in the train compartment - they really are. According to passenger reviews, the newer the train, the better it meets all the needs of the traveler.

For example, if you are interested in the question of whether there are sockets in the compartment of the train "Russia", then the special status of this train comes into force here. Branded train "Russia" is called the main train of the country for a reason. The Vladivostok-Moscow train has been on the road for almost six days, and it is difficult to find another option to be in touch, except for recharging mobile devices through the train's internal power grid.

In addition to the usual connection to an outlet, the Rossiya branded train offers a full range of services that increase travel comfort. Of course, the reserved seat carriage is somewhat curtailed in its capabilities, but it is worth remembering that the passenger has the right to use electricity on the train.

How to defend your passenger rights?

Often there are indignant complaints from passengers in which they set out the following problem: the sockets in the carriage are missing or disabled. In an attempt to find access to the power grid, conductors offer help - for a certain fee, of course. Sometimes you have to go around several cars to charge your phone. Hence, a completely legitimate question arises: are there sockets on long-distance trains, and what rights does the passenger have to them?

The official response of Russian Railways is rather original. The passenger really has the right to use the electrical outlet, and without any additional charge, and the conductor has no right to interfere with him. But there is a reservation in the rules: provided that only those devices that are provided for in the design of the car's electrical network will be connected to the network. Of course, it is impossible to get acquainted with the list, and by default only the aforementioned electric shavers are connected to the outlet.

If the conductor interferes with the connection to the outlet or requires money for this, then there is no point in causing a scandal. It is better to redirect the question of whether trains have sockets and on what basis they are prohibited from using them to the head of the train. The conductor is obliged to provide the passenger with information about which carriage he is in and call him on demand. In addition, Russian Railways gives passengers the opportunity to send an electronic complaint, you can use this to discipline a conductor who is abusing his official position.

How to save battery

Since it is not always possible to solve the problem and charge a mobile device on the road, it is possible to envisage options with which the question of whether there are sockets on trains will become irrelevant. Short trips, within ten to twelve hours, in most cases do not require an additional connection to the mains.

Searching for a connection usually requires more power from the smartphone, so it is advisable to disable this function on the road. Switching to airplane mode will significantly save battery power, and music lovers would be better off using a separate MP3 player. Multiple mobile devices instead of one is a really working way to significantly reduce battery consumption.

Own socket in the train

You can inquire in advance if there is an outlet on the 419e train if you are going to travel with this particular train, but there is another way to take some electricity with you in reserve. Compact rechargeable batteries designed specifically for recharging mobile devices have different capacities, but even the simplest and cheapest battery is enough to replenish the smartphone's charge by a third. But the capacity of 10,000 mAh is quite enough to fully charge the smartphone 3-5 times.

Staying in touch at all times is not a whim, but sometimes an urgent need, therefore, defend your right to use an outlet on the train, while using alternative ways to keep your mobile devices in working order as a safety net. Travel should be comfortable!

The reserved seat takes the third place in terms of comfort, behind the coupe and SV. One such carriage is designed for 54 passengers, each of which has an individual shelf. It can be top, bottom or side - each category has 18 seats. A section of 2 upper and 2 lower seats forms a separate compartment that does not have a door. Side shelves are located opposite each such opening.

Advice. Remember that the lower shelves are assigned odd numbers (1,3,5, etc.), the upper ones are even (2,4,6, etc.). Seats 37 to 54 are side seats.

It should be borne in mind that some reserved seat seats have features:

1. Each carriage has a so-called. "Emergency" sections, the windows in which cannot be opened. There are seats from 9 to 12 and from 21 to 24, as well as 43, 44, 49, 50. And if in a compartment carriage, where in similar rooms (compartments No. 3 and No. 6) exactly the same closed windows are provided, but you can use air conditioning, there is no such service in the reserved seat.
2. In order to have constant access to the outlet, without making a request to the conductor, you need to choose the 2nd or penultimate section of the reserved seat car. These are places 5-8, 29-31, as well as 39, 40, 51 and 52.
3. Each reserved seat has 4 shelves, which are shorter than the others by about 15 cm. These are places under No. 1, 2, 35, 36.
4. Place 36 is considered one of the most unfortunate for a number of reasons. Firstly, there is a toilet behind the wall, and secondly, a partition is installed there, against which the passenger's legs rest (in other cases, they protrude into the passage). In addition, this is the upper place, but there is no partition that helps to climb.
5. The luggage compartments of the sections that are in the immediate vicinity of the conductors may be filled with charcoal or blankets. In the "risk zone" the first places (1-4), as well as lateral 53 and 54.

It is quite logical that the choice of the most convenient seat depends on the personal preferences of each passenger. For example, someone loves to ride only on the lower shelves. In particular, these seats are convenient for the elderly, obese passengers, mothers with young children, who occupy one shelf for two. Some people buy for these seats, fearing that during a sharp deceleration of the train, they could fall from the top shelf. In addition, it is always available to use the table - behind the scenes it is passengers from the lower seats who most often consider it “theirs”. However, you still have to yield to the neighbors from above: you may be asked to move over to have a snack or just sit.

It is more comfortable for another category of people to ride upstairs: none of the fellow travelers will encroach on these places. You can calmly lie down, turn away to the wall, read or take a nap. In addition, such places are slightly cheaper than the lower ones. Some passengers prefer the top bunk when traveling alone, traveling by night train, or short distances.

Advice. If a neighbor from the lower shelf does not let you in to the table or simply does not allow you to sit in your place, contact the conductor. In case of emergency, call the train master.

There is no clause in the transportation rules that forces passengers to "share" the bottom shelf, but at the same time there is a principle that limits each person in the abuse of their rights. In any case, try to negotiate peacefully.

Side seats are considered by many passengers to be the most uncomfortable. If in the section it is somehow possible to organize personal space, then here the person is located practically in the corridor, where someone is constantly walking. However, some find advantages here too. For example, a table is not designed for 4 people, but only for two. True, in this case, the owner of the lower side seat will have to transform his shelf so that the neighbor can have lunch.

If you are still hesitant about which seats to prefer, the reviews and recommendations of passengers will help you decide:

• seats 35-38 are located next to the toilet, so if you are worried that an unpleasant smell will ruin your trip, do not take tickets for them;
• it is quite comfortable to ride in a section located not far from the conductor: the toilet is not far away, and there is no smell, and tea can be arranged at any time (buy or make yourself - titanium is also close to heating water);
• in winter, it is better to take seats closer to the center of the carriage, since at each stop passengers will come and go, letting in the cold;
• the seats in the middle are also good for those who do not like it when people scurry past: to the toilet or to the vestibule to smoke;
• places from 29 to 31 are located near the toilet, but the smell is not felt here. But you can always see if there is a line of people who want to wash. It is also convenient if you need to take out a baby potty (so as not to carry it along the entire corridor);
• if you are traveling together, it is convenient to occupy the upper and lower bunk in one compartment or even on the side. Then strangers will not encroach on your places.

Advice. If you are afraid of falling off the shelf when the train is braking, take tickets for the seats that are closer to the head carriage.

Platzkart car: video

The problem of finding an available power supply point in a train becomes more and more urgent with an increase in the travel time of a train. In order not to face a similar task during a long journey, you should know well the location of the sockets in a reserved seat carriage. It will also be nice to have an idea of ​​where the sockets are in the compartment carriage, since the points of their location may differ in carriages of different types.

Sockets in the compartment carriage - location and seat selection

If you are traveling in a still Soviet-style carriage, then, according to the layout of the seats, the sockets can be found between the third and fourth compartments, as well as in the corridor between the seventh and eighth compartments. The best places in a compartment carriage, according to the placement of sockets on trains, are the following:

• 3 compartments - 9 and 11 below, 10 and 12 above;
• 4 compartments - 13 and 15 below, 14 and 16 above;
• Compartment 7 - 25 and 27 below, 26 and 28 above;
• Coupe 8 - 29 and 31 below, 30 and 32 above.

Since the food points are located closer to the fourth and eighth compartments, it is recommended to choose the 13th, 15th, 29th and 31st places as the most convenient. The next most ranked are the top 14th, 16th, 30th and 32nd places.

The eighth compartment, according to many passengers, is considered the best - close to the vestibule, but there is no big fuss and walking, so try to choose seats there.

In modern-style compartment cars, there are sockets in almost every compartment.

Where are the sockets in the reserved seat carriage?

When traveling in old second-class carriages of the last century, remember that priority should be given to the following seat numbers:

• below - 51, 39, 5, 7, 29, 31;
• at the top - 52, 40, 6, 8, 30, 32.

Rooms are presented in descending order of convenience rating. It is near these places that you can find sockets in a reserved seat carriage.

You can find two more 220 V sockets in the old-style reserved seat in the toilets at both ends of the car. In the past, they were mainly intended for connecting electric shavers. Since these second-class cars have been in operation for quite a long time, the sockets in their toilets usually turn out to be either out of order, or are simply disconnected.

If you need to charge your phone, you can do it at the conductor. It is recommended to turn it off before charging.

Some conductors refuse to charge smartphones and laptops due to the instability of the electric current on the train, so it may be advisable to take a battery with you. With the simplest and cheapest model with a capacity of 10,000 mAh, you can recharge your smartphone several times.

Try to take an extension cord of at least 2 m with you on a long train trip, as there may be quite a lot of people who want to connect to the outlet.

In new cars, there is no need to find out where there are sockets in the reserved seat - they are in almost every compartment.

Do not be surprised that the voltage in a nearby electrical outlet may be less than the usual 220 V. The fact is that earlier in trains power supplies were not intended for charging gadgets, so the voltage in the outlet could be 54, 110 and 220 V.

The power supplies in the toilet were 220 V, while the others were 110 and 54 V. So it's no surprise that a phone plugged into a nearby outlet can take much longer to charge. The instability of the voltage on the trains should also be taken into account.

Most chargers are designed to be plugged into 110-volt outlets, but it can be tricky trying to plug them into 54-volt outlets. True, many argue that Chinese chargers can cope with not such a problem. But just in case, it's better to take a portable external battery with you for recharging.

• after connecting the device, watch the charging process for a few minutes;
• do not leave the gadget unattended;
• when charging is over, it is necessary to disconnect the device from the mains;
• select the "airplane" mode in your mobile device, turn off all power-consuming applications before charging;
• in case of connection problems, contact the train manager.

Useful life hacks if you could not connect to the outlet in the reserved seat

Sometimes even knowing the location of outlets in a reserved seat carriage of Russian Railways may not help due to a malfunction of the available power points.

Then you will have no choice but to connect to the lamp. To do this, you will need:

• screwdriver;
• pliers;
• knowledge of safety precautions.

So, you need, of course, unnoticed from the conductor, remove the glass cover and the lamp, and then connect the adapter for the socket to the contacts of the lamp. Some "craftsmen" even take a lamp with a charging wire with them, then quietly connect it so that the conductor does not even notice - and there is light in the compartment, and the gadgets are working.

But it should be warned that if "caught at the scene of a crime," they may be dropped off the train for this, so this should not be done unless absolutely necessary.

In modern trains, there are electrical outlets in every compartment and compartment, but still you should not connect a laptop to them - the risk of its failure is too great. And most importantly, the voltage of 220 V is life-threatening, be careful.

In the next video, you can see not only where you can find sockets in a reserved seat carriage, but also get a lot of other interesting information from there.