“We will start transportation in an accessible segment for passengers”: the price of tickets for trains to Crimea is named

The sale of tickets for passenger trains to the Crimea will begin on November 8, the operator of the railway transportation to the peninsula, Grand Service Express, said.

It will be possible to choose and pay for tickets at railway ticket offices and via the Internet. The company also reports that in December passenger transportation will begin on two key routes in the Crimean direction: Moscow — Simferopol and St. Petersburg — Sevastopol.

The initial cost of a train ticket from Moscow to Simferopol will be 2966 rubles, from St. Petersburg to Sevastopol - from 3500 rubles. The price will be formed dynamically depending on demand, seasonality and other factors.

“The fare from Moscow to Simferopol in a compartment car starts from 2966 rubles, travel to NE costs from 9952 rubles. The cost of tickets from St. Petersburg in the reserved seat is from 3,500 rubles, in a compartment - from 3,906 rubles, ”the company explained.

“We studied demand in advance, formed financial and economic forecasts and decided in winter to start work on two routes in the direction of the peninsula. In December, after the opening of the Crimean bridge, we will begin transportation in the budget segment accessible to passengers, but with a high level of service and comfort, ”said Alexander Ganov, Director General of Grand Service Express.

It is noteworthy that at the time of writing the carrier’s website was intermittent from the influx of visitors.

According to the Grand Service Express, four double-deckers with compartment cars and SV will follow from Moscow to Simferopol. The start in this direction will be held December 24 at 23:45. In 33 hours on the way, the train will cover the distance of 2009 km.

In turn, five one-story trains consisting of compartment and reserved seats wagons will run from St. Petersburg to Sevastopol. The first train will go on this route on December 23 at 14:00 Moscow time. A train will travel a distance of 2741 km in 43.5 hours.

It should be noted that the selection of the operator of passenger rail transportation became known on November 1. The Ministry of Transport of Russia said that the company itself took the initiative.

Grand Service Express was established in 2002 and specializes in railway passenger transportation of increased comfort, including one of the most popular Moscow-St. Petersburg routes in Russia. It meets all the requirements for companies of a similar profile, ”the agency’s website reports.

Commenting on the upcoming launch of trains to Crimea, State Duma deputy from Sevastopol Dmitry Belik noted that for the transport system to work properly, it should have railways.

“This is important for the transportation of goods, and for a comfortable, affordable transportation of passengers,” the parliamentarian said in an interview with RT.

In addition, he mentioned the political aspect of the successful work of the route to the Crimea, recalling the position of Ukraine in relation to the bridge.

“We all remember how much Ukrainian media wrote that the bridge does not exist, it is drawn, it will fall apart or cracks have already appeared. We have shown to all critics and skeptics what Russia is capable of, ”the parliamentarian concluded.

“This is fundamentally changing logistics”

The railway part of the bridge to the Crimea is in the final stages of construction. At the end of October, it became known that the heavy load tests of the railway part of the structure started at the crossing.

The essence of the check is that along the tracks they launch special trains consisting of a locomotive and 23 hopper cars with crushed stone. The total weight of the composition is 2.4 thousand tons. As part of the tests, different scenarios of movement are used: freight trains are accelerated, they sharply or smoothly brake, or the trains are left motionless for 15 minutes.

Against the background of this process, special sensors take readings from the supports and spans, and then transfer this information to an automated system for processing and storage. The data obtained during the tests are compared with the indicators laid down during the design.

The automotive part of the bridge, in turn, was opened back in May 2018. For a year and a half of work on it drove 8 million cars. The most intense traffic on the bridge was recorded on August 12, 2019. Then 35 989 vehicles drove along the highway in 24 hours.

At the same time, the flow of tourists is growing. Since the beginning of 2019, 6.87 million tourists have arrived in Crimea, which is 10% more than for the same period last year, the head of the region, Sergei Aksyonov, said in late October.

According to him, most of the guests come to the peninsula from Moscow and the Moscow region, St. Petersburg, the Volga and Ural federal districts.

As Crimean political scientist Vladislav Ganzhara noted in an interview with RT, the opening of the railway part of the bridge is a long-awaited event for residents of the peninsula. The expert is sure that it will significantly affect the transport situation in Crimea.

“This fundamentally changes the logistics that are now on the peninsula. We understand that the infrastructural changes that have occurred in recent years have helped the Crimea to completely change. The completion of the logistics hub around the peninsula will be the opening of the railway part of the bridge, ”said Ganzhara.

He expressed the opinion that now those who could not come to Crimea earlier can use the railway and visit the peninsula. In turn, the residents of the Crimea will be easier to visit other regions of Russia.

“This is the final of a grandiose project, which finally puts an end to the issue of integration of the peninsula into Russia. I am convinced that with the opening of the railway bridge the tourist flow will only increase and can break historical records, ”the expert concluded.