The train is one of the most popular forms of transport for long-distance travel within Russia. Moreover, if the type of train is familiar to everyone who often travels in this way, then a train ticket today may look different.
Regular ticket
The ordinary train ticket, which can be purchased at the ticket office, has not changed much in its appearance over the past decades. It is traditionally printed on a special letterhead, the color of which, depending on the printing house where it was published, can range from pinkish to almost orange. In the upper left part of the form there is an inscription “RZD 20”, and then to the right of it there is a holographic emblem with an image of a train, as well as the inscriptions “ACS Express” and “Travel document”. In the upper right part of the ticket is its identification number, which is a unique code for a specific travel document.
The header below indicates what information the line below it contains. In particular, the number of the train, the date and time of its departure, the number and type of carriage are indicated here. In addition, this line contains the cost of the ticket itself and the reserved seat, which together will constitute the total price to be paid, as well as the number of passengers who can travel on this ticket and the type of fare.
The rest of the ticket contains additional information about the route and the ticket holder: departure and arrival stations, places, surname and initials of the passenger, total cost and the list of services included in it. The last line of the ticket indicates at what time the departure and arrival of the train is recorded; at the same time, Moscow time is most often used on the territory of Russia.
E-ticket
Russian railways strive to meet the requirements of the time, so today you can buy an electronic ticket for almost any domestic or international train directly on the website https://rzd.ru/, paying for it with a bank card. After choosing and paying for the required route, the form of the purchased ticket will appear on the passenger's personal account on the website.
It is an A4 form with an inscription “Electronic ticket (number)” at the top, which is duplicated below in English, as well as the actual number of this ticket. The following is the same information as a standard travel document, but it is grouped in a slightly different order. So, the main data about the route are given in the table, which is located immediately under the ticket number, and additional, such as the name of the carrier, the date of issue of the ticket, and others - under this table.
The key point to look out for when using an electronic travel document is the "Electronic ticket status" line, located directly below the table with basic travel data. If there is a mark “Electronic check-in completed” here, you can go to boarding with a printout of your ticket and passport. If there is no such line in this place, you must first apply with a printout to the ticket office in order to receive a standard document there.
