Rating of the best sites for buying railway tickets for 2022

The surrounding world is so diverse and interesting that travel remains a dream of the vast majority of people, regardless of their age, income level, or any other characteristics or qualities. There are many ways to make these dreams come true. You can go on a trip by car, especially if you have to cover a short distance. You can cross a huge piece of the globe in a matter of hours by plane. Hiking is now a rarity, but there are even such enthusiasts, especially if the walk looks like a hiking trip with backpacks, tents and other romance inherent in this type of leisure.

But traveling by rail has its own idiosyncrasies. This is also nostalgia, because many of us adored the “piece of iron” when we were children, and any trip became a real holiday with an ocean of emotions. This is also an incredible sense of calm, which is born from the rhythmic clatter of wheels on rails and takes possession of almost everyone who gets into the car.These are unexpected interesting meetings, and acquaintances with random fellow travelers, who also add bright colors to life. This is an opportunity to calmly, without haste and fuss, without having to control the road in order to avoid an accident, admire the landscapes smoothly changing outside the window and once again make sure how beautiful our planet is. It is most convenient to buy railway tickets on special sites.

Trains are a real godsend for those who are afraid of heights, and for this reason do not fly on airplanes. The statistics of fatal accidents on rail transport is much lower than on airplanes or cars, so rail travel can be considered the safest form of travel.

Types and classes of seats in railway transport

For rail transport, the same rule applies as for any other: the more comfortable, the more expensive. The class of the wagon must be indicated.

"Sapsan". The fastest rail transport that currently exists in our country. Its maximum speed is 250 km/h. All carriages are equipped with split systems.There are several classes of seats: a meeting room equipped with maximum comfort, 1st class, business class, economy class, "Economic +" carriages. There is also a bistro car in which meals are provided.

"Strizh". The cars are equipped with air conditioners, drinking water installations and dry closets. Accompanied by a guard. A video monitor system has been installed. There are the following classes of seats: double compartment, sitting cars of 1st and 2nd class.

The cars in the trains that are familiar to everyone, traveling around the cities and towns of the country, are divided into the following types.

1. Shared wagon. Outwardly, it does not differ from the reserved seat, but not one ticket is sold per shelf, but three. As a rule, they have a primitive toilet and are not equipped with split systems.
2. Seated car. Equipped with individual chairs. The availability of amenities and the layout of wagons can vary greatly.
3. Platzkart wagons. Number of seats - 52 or 54. Correspond to the third class. You can reserve the upper and lower shelves. In cars of this type, you can find dry closets, air conditioning systems and sockets for the telephone. Travel kit and bed linen may be provided as additional services.
4. Coupe. It is a closed four-seater compartments, 8-10 in each car. Belongs to the second class. Bed linen is included in the price.
5. Suite or sleeping car. In each of the 8–10 compartments of this first-class carriage there are two soft shelves. There is an air conditioning system.
6. Soft wagon. These are also 1st class carriages, but more comfortable than luxury carriages. Consists of 8-12 compartments.
7. RIC cars. They are found in international long-distance trains and differ in a fundamentally different device. Coupes are made for two or three seats.

The higher the comfort class of the carriage, the more additional services it provides for adult passengers and children.

Top Carriers

At first glance, one might get the impression that there is only one carrier in Russia - Russian Railways. But in fact, as in the field of air transportation, there are a fairly large number of enterprises offering their services to passengers. In world practice, the German company Deutsche Bahn is considered the best railway company with a turnover of 48.12 billion dollars a year. In second place is the French company SNCF with a turnover of 38.43 billion dollars a year. Our JSC "RZD" ranks third in the world ranking of carriers, its annual turnover is 32.91 billion dollars.

Among the Russian carrier companies, in addition to the above-mentioned Russian Railways, the following can be noted.

1. CJSC TC "Grand Service Express". The first private transport company in Russia, operating since 2002. It has its own branded trains that run between Moscow and St. Petersburg, and also carries out transportation to Adler, Samara, Kazan and the Crimea.
2. TKS (JSC TransClassService) is a private company that started transportation in 2006. Starting from 2022, it offers its passengers travel in personal Silver Suite, Gold Suite, Imperial Suite and Imperial Suite carriages.
3. Tver Express. Branded trains of this company, which are not inferior in comfort to the trains of Russian Railways, travel from St. Petersburg to Moscow and back.

Among the foreign carriers whose routes pass through the territory of the Russian Federation, the following companies can be noted:

• "Ukrzaliznytsia" - the carrier of Ukraine;
• "BCh" - the state carrier of Belarus;
• "ChFM" - Railway of Moldova;
• "LDZ" - Latvian Railway;
• "LG" - Lithuanian Railways;
• Elron is an Estonian carrier;
• "AZ" - Azerbaijan Railways;
• "KTZ" - the carrier of Kyrgyzstan;
• "TRD" - Tajik railway;
• "UTI" - Uzbekistan Railways.

Travel on the trains of these companies, just like in Russian ones, can be paid at ticket offices or online.

Rating of the best sites for buying railway tickets

This selection contains the most popular and reliable services for choosing a trip.

Rating of the best sites for buying railway tickets in Russia and other countries

The companies on this list represent a wide range of travel options in Russia, as well as to some other countries.

infobus

On this service you can buy tickets for high-speed trains, as well as for planes and buses. There is a convenient mobile application, which receives all the relevant information. It is possible to compare the prices of different carriers.

• simple and understandable search system;
• complete information about the flight;
• possibility of free change of date;
• economic cost;
• round the clock technical support;
• convenient mobile application;
• accumulative bonus program.

• relatively small selection of directions;
• Refunds for cancellations take a long time;
• loss of part of the funds upon return.

OneTwoTrip

This company provides an opportunity to purchase tickets not only to Russian cities, but also to Warsaw, Berlin, Nice, Prague, Paris and Helsinki.

• a large selection of destinations;
• discount system;
• personal bonus loyalty program;
• the option "Refund of 100% of the cost of tickets" allows you to get back the entire amount, provided that the return is issued no later than 1 hour.

• a service fee is charged upon registration;
• tickets to different countries are issued in different currencies (Swiss franc and euro);
• failures occur in the technical part of the site;
• refund period - up to 2 months;
• Not all directions are presented in the mobile application.

OZON.travel

A very popular service not only for buying various things, but also in choosing tours and ordering tickets. At the same time, you can find a hotel and book a place in it, as well as take out insurance, including for traveling abroad.

• bonus system;
• many payment options;
• full encryption of information, excluding data leakage;
• in case of a refund, the money will be received on the same day;
• there is no need to get a paper version of the ticket at the box office;
• reminder a day before sending;
• installment purchase available;
• 5% of the cost can be returned in the form of cashback to the Ozon Card;
• the return is not subject to penalties or commission.

• return is possible no later than 4 hours before departure;
• a service fee and payment by Russian Railways for registration are deducted from the refund amount;
• poor technical support;
• incomplete information is provided;
• Difficulties may arise when exchanging or making changes.

Poezd.Ru

This is one of the most popular services, not only due to the economical cost of travel, but also because of the high quality and a wide range of additional services provided. A very popular feature is Catch a Ticket, which keeps track of all possible options on the required route, and thanks to it you can get the opportunity to find out about the cancellation or refund. Very well thought out functionality.You can independently find the required option by cost or other criteria, or you can enter your wishes into the search engine, and all suitable options will be shown in a moment.

• notifications by SMS and e-mail about all actions;
• a large number of different payment methods;
• the final price is shown immediately, taking into account all additional commissions and fees;
• the possibility of ordering an electronic ticket at the required address;
• assistance in obtaining a passport;
• you can buy tickets not only for the train, but also for the plane;
• automatic tracking;
• a wide range of additional services.

• the price is higher than at the ticket office of the station;
• no mobile app.

RZD.RU

The undisputed leader in the sale of railway tickets in Russia. It also provides the opportunity to purchase travel on international routes to a number of countries: Lithuania, Finland, China, Poland, Italy, North Korea, etc. A system of discounts and bonuses has been developed, and various promotions are being held.

• the largest Russian carrier;
• simple and understandable search and order form;
• return flight discounts;
• bonus system: 1 point for every 3.34 rubles;
• the ability to pay for travel in places of various levels of comfort.

• from time to time there is instability of the site;
• inconvenient navigation;
• a sufficiently long time to solve problem situations of various kinds;
• sometimes there is an automatic change in the entered data, which requires careful verification of them at each stage of registration.

Tickets.ru

On this service you can buy tickets not only for trains, but also for planes, buses and aeroexpresses. The company cooperates with a large number of European carriers.You can pay with Visa or MasterCard.

• many different flights, including Europe;
• it is possible to book hotels and arrange insurance;
• the ability to book tickets for both Russian and European trains;
• bonus system;
• good customer service work.

• the price is tied to the exchange rate and can change significantly;
• high price;
• return difficulties.

Tutu.ru

A site that breaks all records for attendance. On it you can book tickets not only for trains and electric trains, but also for planes and buses. Visitors are assisted in choosing tours and hotels, here they can arrange a trip on a business trip and even book seats on Aeroexpress trains that run in Moscow between metro stations and airports.

• many additional services;
• 17 years of excellent work;
• positive customer feedback;
• there is a special mailing about the availability of seats on the required flight;
• full refund upon return, regardless of its reason;
• the estimated rating of each route is indicated.

• a fairly large service fee is taken for registration: from 20 to 500 rubles;
• the list of transport companies does not include Crimean Railways and Yakutia Railways;
• problems with the return process.

UFS travel

This company provides the possibility of booking more than 700 trains plying not only in Russia, but also in countries near and far abroad. Cooperation with the largest Russian carrier JSC Russian Railways allows you to earn bonus points for purchased tickets on the Russian Railways bonus card.

• a huge selection of routes;
• system of discounts and bonuses, including seasonal discounts;
• installment purchase is possible.

• a 10% brokerage fee is charged;
• Difficulties in obtaining money for a refund.
• if you enter incorrect data, you will have to issue a refund of the ticket and buy a new one;
• Reimbursements are not refunded immediately.

TicketsPlus

This rather popular site allows you to quickly select economical options for routes in Russia, not only by train, plane, bus and minibus, but even by hitchhiking. There are hotel reservation options. Payment is made using a bank card.

• a large selection of destinations;
• the ticket is sent by e-mail;
• intuitive interface.

• not found.

Svyaznoy Travel

With the help of this service, you can easily plan your vacation and choose suitable travel options. A well-thought-out filter system will allow you to remove all unnecessary and show only suitable travel options.

• detailed information about the rules of return and exchange;
• booking is made without commission;
• you can find many profitable offers;
• there are gift certificates;
• fast money back;
• good technical support;
• installment purchase is possible.

• all the problems that have arisen can only be solved by directly contacting the company's management;
• the cost is much higher than that of Russian Railways.

Tinkoff Travel

The main difference from competitors is a cashback of 7%, subject to the presence of a special client card. Intuitive user-friendly interface and fast operation of the site without failures and freezes make it popular among customers.

• you can set up daily automatic notifications about the search for the right options;
• cashback is credited immediately after payment;
• a large number of different directions;
• no commission;
• secure payment system.

• there may be misunderstandings in the issue of the amount of cashback accrued.

Rating of the best sites for buying railway tickets to Europe and Asia

This section presents services that provide an opportunity to pay for travel by rail in Europe and Asia.

12go Asia

With this service, you can book seats on a train, plane or ferry in Southeast Asia. Tours to countries such as Thailand, India, Vietnam, Singapore are always popular among tourists.

• a large number of cost-effective options;
• simplicity of the process of registration and purchase;
• you can buy tickets with transfers to various modes of transport;
• you can order a taxi or rent a car.

• the need to visit the office of a transport company in some Asian countries in order to get a ticket that gives you the right to board;
• almost the entire interface is in English;
• transport delays are possible.

ACPRail

On this site, you can easily arrange a trip to Europe, China, Japan, Australia, Canada and the United States. It also provides information on various interesting tours, attractions and activities.

• clear interface;
• convenient delivery by postal service;
• information about the amount of the service fee is available until the payment of the cost.

• when canceling a booking, you will have to return tickets directly at the sales office, either by coming there in person or by sending them by mail;
• cancellation fee is 15% of the price;
• lack of a full-fledged Russian-language interface.

Omio

This service provides an opportunity to buy tickets not only for trains, but also for planes, buses and ferries. 15 countries of the world are available.It is very easy to choose the most economical travel option here. A huge amount of information coming from 45 sources will satisfy the most unexpected requests.

• a huge selection of options;
• large geography of routes;
• cooperates with the aggregator Booking.com, which gives a wide choice in matters of hotel booking;
• There is a mobile application with the most up-to-date information.

• big commission;
• Poor call center performance.

RailEurope.com

This service is the leader in booking seats on European trains. Provides access to information from more than fifty carriers. You can book directly on the site or through a travel agent.

• clear interface;
• a large selection of flights;
• convenient search and booking system.

• not found.

How to buy tickets online

In order to conveniently and safely use the online purchase service, it is necessary not only to study which directions tickets are sold on it, but also pay attention to the reliability of the site. The following factors may be of concern:

• absence of a public offer agreement;
• lack of registration number or TIN or their discrepancy;
• no request for consent to data processing;
• lack of company details;
• lack of a feedback form;
• a large number of negative reviews.

The characteristics listed above are often found on fraudulent sites, so when issuing tickets, you must carefully study all the information and contact only trusted companies.

It is worth paying special attention to services that have a mobile version and the ability to download the application on the App Store.This will allow you to quickly receive and track all the necessary information.

If there is a possibility of canceling the trip, it is necessary to study the conditions and time of return. When traveling with a family or a group of several people, it is worth giving preference to those sites that provide discounts or bonuses when buying several places at the same time.

A competent and attentive approach to buying tickets will allow you to avoid troubles and get the most out of your trip.