Many believe that in the twenty-first century there should no longer be second-class carriages, since the requirements for comfort are now completely different than even twenty or thirty years ago. In some ways, they are really right, but there are reasons why Russia has not yet been able to completely move to a new level in this matter.
1. A reserved seat that has no alternative
If we delve into the history of the development of railway transport in different countries of the world, we will see that reserved seat cars existed mainly in the former republics of the Soviet Union. Something similar can still be seen in China and India. Although there are quite a few such cars left in China, as the country has rapidly switched to high-speed trains.
As for European countries, there, to a greater extent, transportation is carried out by trains, the carriages of which have exclusively seats. But there trips over long distances, such as in Russia, are not provided. Of course, seated cars would be more profitable for Russian Railways, since their capacity is an order of magnitude higher. If the reserved seat is designed for 54 passengers, then in the "Sapsan" there are already 66 seats, and in the "Swallow" their number can exceed one hundred. The problem is that in principle this option is not suitable for Russia. People will simply stop riding trains. If it is quite normal to drive sitting for three or four hours, then there will definitely not be anyone who wants to go in this position for a day.
Therefore, the task of Russian Railways is to be able to transport as many people as possible in recumbent places. There are few options - only two. It can be a reserved seat car with 54 passenger seats, or a two-storey compartment car with 64 passenger seats.
2. State subsidies and other nuances
Probably, a two-story version of a compartment car is much more convenient and comfortable than a reserved seat car, but not everything is as simple as it seems. First of all, he is not able to drive everywhere. The second point is that the number of cars of this type is small. Thirdly, special locomotives and special services are needed. But for some reason, state subsidies are provided only for reserved seat transportation. Until the policy changes and the reserved seat will exist.
At this stage, Russian Railways has one way out of the situation - to modernize the cars together with their manufacturers. In general, they do it quite well. The Tver plant has already produced a more modern version of the cars, which have a presentable appearance and are more comfortable for passengers: an individual lamp, sockets, excellent ventilation and a shower cabin in all wagons. People here feel almost like in a compartment.
There are also reserved seats with installed curtains. They were created on the basis of old-type cars. It's just that the content is changing. In the updated version of the car, traveling is also quite convenient. There is another point that affects the fact that the reserved seat does not go anywhere in the life of Russians. Not all citizens of our country are able to purchase tickets in a compartment.
3. Development of new variants
Over the past few years, Russian Railways has been looking for options to gradually move away from reserved seats, but at the same time be able to carry at least 54 passengers in one car in recumbent seats. A trial version with a column-wardrobe by the window in a reserved seat car did not arouse much approval, so there are no such models on the routes.
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This year, another novelty was introduced - with capsules. In this car, there are places for passengers, and all of them, side and recumbent. If you need to travel at night, then the option is ideal, but if it is more than a day, and even with children, then it is not very convenient.
Continue reading on the topic how a Chinese reserved seat car works, and why it may seem like paradise to Russians.
A source: https://novate.ru/blogs/151021/60894/