The Trains

There are many trains operating in Russia, the higher the number the better the standards and the faster the train, in general. We chose the trains in Russia that have the best timetables for the various stops along the way, and generally the train will start in the City where you board the train, rather than getting on a train that passes through a station.

Train	Beijing	UB	Ulan Ude	Irkutsk	Ekater	Moscow
3	Wednesday D 07:45 L	Thursday A 13:20 L D 13:50 L		Friday A 10:31+5 D 10:56+5	Sunday A 11:36+2 D 11:59+2	Monday A 14:28 L
19	Saturday D 22:56 L			Tuesday A 13:40+5 D 14:05+5	Thursday A 15:37+2 D 16:00+2	Friday A 18:13 L
23 Chi until 16-05-09	Saturday D 07:45 L	Sunday A 13:20 L
23 Mon from May 2009	Saturday D 07:45 L	Sunday A 13:20 L
5 Mon		Friday D 13:50 L		Saturday A 10:31+5 D 10:56+5	Monday A11:36+2 D11:59+2	Tuesday A 14:28 L
5 Rus		Tuesday D 13:50 L		Wednesday A 10:31+5 D 10:56+5	Friday A11:36+2 D11:59+2	Saturday A 14:28 L
263/361		Daily D 21:10 L	2nd Day A 16:05+5 D 16:55+5	3rd Day A 02:20*+5
9				Odd D 11:10*+5	3rd Day A13:53+2 D14:16+2	5th Day A 16:58 L
15					Daily D 07:19*+2	2nd Day A 09:23 L
Train	Vladivostok		Ulan Ude	Irkutsk	EKA	Moscow
1	1,3,5,8,10,etc D 15:00*+7		3rd Day A 05:06+2 D 05:31+2	3rd Day A 12:26+5 D 12:49+5	5th Day A15:28+2 D15:51+2	6th Day A 17:58 L
7	2,4,7,9,11,etc D 15:00*+7		3rd Day A 05:06+2 D 05:31+2	3rd Day A 12:26*+5

Train	Moscow	EKA	Irkutsk	Ulan Ude	UB	Beijing
4	Tuesday D 21:35 L	Wednesday A 23:30+2 D 23:53+2	Saturday A 23:43 +5 D 00:13+5	Saturday A08:00+5 D08:30+5	Sunday A 07:30 L D 08:05 L	Monday A 14:04 L
20	Friday D 23:55 L	Sunday A 02:13+2 D 02:36+2	Tuesday A 03:09+5 D 03:39+5	Tuesday A 10:45+2 D 11:10+2		Friday A 05:31 L
6 RUS	Wednesday D 21:35 L	Thursday A 23:30+2 D 23:53+2	Sunday A 23:43+5 D 00:13+5	Sunday A 08:00+2 D 08:30+2	Monday A 07:30 L
6 MON	Thursday D 21:35 L	Friday A 23:30+2 D 23:53+2	Monday A 23:43+5 D 00:13+5	Monday A 08:00+2 D 08:30+2	Tuesday A 07:30 L
10	Even D 23:25 L	3rd Day A 01:55+2 D 02:18+2	5th Day A 04:07*+5
16	Daily D 16:08 L	2nd Day A 17:45*+2
362/264			Daily D 16:35*+5	2nd Day A 01:15+2 D 01:55+2	3rd Day A 06:10 L
24 Chi Until 20-05-09					Thursday D 08:05 L	Friday A 14:53 L
24 Mon from May 2009					Thursday D 08:05 L	Friday A 14:53 L

D = Depart A = Arrive * = Moscow time +1 = Local time L = Local time
updated 06-08-2008

Notes:

Train #23 Beijing to Ulaanbaatar departs on Saturday days until 27th May 2009 and is run by Chinese Railways. From May 2009 train #23 switches departure to Tuesdays and is run by Mongolian railways. It is likely that Chinese Railways will operate an extra service departing Beijing on Mondays during the peak summer months but this won’t be confirmed until late April.
Train #263 Ulaanbaatar to Irkutsk has second class carriages only with 4 beds per cabin. It is possible for couples to buy an extra berth each to give two people sole occupancy of a second class compartment.
Upgrades to first class are heavily dependent on availability and can only be confirmed earliest 30 days prior to departure. Confirmation in the busy summer months is sometimes only given a week before departure, as government & diplomats get priority!
If we cannot obtain first class tickets we can usually get sole occupancy of a 4- berth cabin for 2 passengers instead of first class.
Train #3 (Wednesday) is a direct service to Moscow. The railway authorities do not sell tickets for journeys less than Krasnoyarsk in Russia. Instead train #23 (Tuesday / Saturday) is a special service from Beijing to Ulaanbaatar.
We do not arrange 'ticket only' services and specialise in stop-over tours on the trans siberian route. This means you need to book the tours with us at the stop-overs as well.
Train #263 does not have a first class carriage. Instead you can ask us to book the entire second class four berth cabin so you can ensure your privacy if you are travelling as a couple
International train tickets in China can only be purchased for the journey starting in Beijing. Although the train does pass through Harbin, you can not officially board the train there. If you do not get on board in Beijing, the conductor may relinquish your berth to another passenger by the time the train pulls into Harbin.
On the trains there is normally a plug on the corridor (so the provodnitsa can vacuum the carpet!) and in first class there may be a plug in your cabin. Electricity is 220 v AC voltage. You will need a European type power plug with two round pins (similar to the two pin round plug in China as well).
Often the power on the train is switched off and we have heard of entrepreneurial conductors charging portable devices in their cabin overnight, for a price.

First Class / Second Class

Standard second class has four comfortable berths per cabin, with 36 people in each carriage. There are communal toilets and wash-basin at both ends of each carriage. In first Class there are just two berths per cabin and only 18 beds in each carriage, the toilet facilities are the same. On train #3 and Chinese train #23 out of Beijing there is also a first class deluxe carriage, with a shower room shared between two cabins. Second class tends to be very social with cabin doors left open during the day and people chatting in the corridors, whereas in first class there is a little more space in the cabin and so you tend to keep the door closed. The advantage of first class apart from the extra privacy if you are travelling as a couple, will be less queues for the toilet in the morning and you are closer to the dining car!

See more about the trains on our Frequently Asked Questions page