Third-class Russian rail travel is about to get a lot more comfortable

Travel
RUSSIA BEYOND
An upgrade is long overdue, the toilets will even have bidets.

Russian Railways has released pictures showing how the company’s new third-class (“platskart”) carriages will look, while also unveiling some new features.

Traditionally, third-class Russian rail travel has been a communal affair, with open plan carriages stuffed with bunks, so you get to know your neighbor in the most intimate fashion…for better or for worse. However, the new interiors will be decked out with partitions, so you’ll no longer have to hang a blanket up for privacy.

Each bed space will have its own power and USB sockets and the most dreaded corners of any Russian train, the lavatories, will be upgraded with changing tables and bidets. The changes are expected to come into effect at the start of next year.