The first double-decker cars in Russia were created at the Tver Carriage Works back in 1905.
The history of modern Russian double-decker cars began on June 16, 2009. It was then that OJSC Russian railways» approved the technical specifications for the model range of locomotive-hauled double-decker passenger cars - compartment, SV and staff. The project is being implemented by the Tver Carriage Works.
Serial production of double-decker passenger cars began at TVZ in 2011.
On this moment double-decker cars run on the following routes:
- Moscow – Kazan as part branded train No. 23/24 - launch date - June 1, 2015.
- Moscow - St. Petersburg as part of the branded train No. 5/6 - launch date - February 1, 2015.
- Moscow - St. Petersburg as part of the branded train No. 7/8 - launch date - February 1, 2016.
- Moscow - Adler as part of the branded train No. 103/104 - launch date - October 30, 2013.
- Moscow - Voronezh as part of the branded train No. 45/46 - launch date - July 31, 2015.
- Moscow - Samara as part of passenger train No. 49/50 - launch date - December 3, 2015.
- St. Petersburg - Adler as part of the branded train No. 35/36 - launch date - May 28, 2016.
- Moscow-Yaroslavl - planned to launch in 2016.
Characteristics of 2-decker cars
Compartment carriage: 64 berths (instead of 36).
SV carriage: 30 seats (instead of 18).
Staff compartment carriage: 50 seats (instead of 18-24).
Dining car: 44-48 people in the dining room.
The carriages consist of 4-seater or 2-seater insulated compartments located on 2 floors.
Each compartment has: a table, places to lie, ladders for climbing top place, mirrors, lamps, shelves for small items. The compartments are glazed with double-glazed windows.
The compartments are equipped with 2 sockets for connecting electric shavers, mobile and other devices with a power of no more than 100 W.
In 2-seater compartments (SV), each seat is equipped with an LCD display for viewing video programs.
Access to compartments is based on individual magnetic key cards.
All carriages are equipped with:
- three dry closets that can be used during stops;
- air conditioning and heating systems, which ensure a comfortable microclimate;
- energy-saving LED lamps;
- comfortable stairs with handrails;
- compartment for people with disabilities and a wheelchair lift (in the staff car);
- rigid sealed inter-car passages;
- video surveillance system, control system, access control and security of a passenger train.
The energy supply is provided by an electric locomotive, which ensures that the train is environmentally friendly.
The staff car is equipped with satellite communications and navigation equipment (GLONASS).
Advantages of 2-decker cars
- Reducing the cost of travel in compartment and SV carriages by increasing the number of seats in the carriage.
- convenient schedule and shortest travel time for a larger number of passengers;
- environmentally friendly operation (cars are created using new technologies, equipment and materials).
- The composition has become more comfortable for people with disabilities. They have a number of amenities that are not available on regular trains.
- Each compartment is equipped with electrical outlets (two per compartment).
Disadvantages of 2-decker cars
- no luggage rack
- The ceiling height in the compartment of a double-decker car is lower than in a single-decker, so you won’t even be able to sit on the top bunk.
Double decker train photos
I express my gratitude to Russian Railways!!! The best, attentive, neat, polite, responsive, fast, sociable, clear, well-coordinated and many many other positive qualities. Sincerely, Dmitry Alexandrovich Varyukhin
We traveled on February 26 in carriage 12. We were pleasantly surprised by the cleanliness of the carriage and toilets. Young conductors with a modern and sensitive attitude. There were coolers with cold and hot water in the carriage. A vending machine with coffee, tea and hot chocolate. We hope that one day such trains will be launched and in other directions.
Great train and carriages, wonderful staff. I use it regularly (once every two to three months).
We arrived well. The train is cool. Polite conductor. Purely. The audience is decent. Inexpensive. The linen is clean. There is a machine with coffee and all sorts of snacks (chocolates, chips). They give you hot food. I didn’t like the following points - it’s a little stuffy on the top shelf, and the wire from the sockets under the table doesn’t reach up. Another minus is that during the trip a girl comes around and offers to order breakfast. I took pancakes - 400₽. They arrived 40 minutes late and were cold. Plus - after I ate, the plates were not removed, and the conductor, in principle, agreed to take them, but recommended leaving them so that they could be picked up by the dining car, which did not take them. I traveled with dirty dishes so as not to bother anyone. Summary - if you eat, it is better to go to the dining car.
Comfortable and clean train. Polite guides. The linen is clean, hygiene supplies in stock. no wifi.
The journey was comfortable, everything was fine, many thanks to all the employees!
The first impression when you enter the carriage is the most positive. And cleanliness and design, and friendly, attentive guides. But! Due to the lack of tickets (I bought them less than 24 hours in advance), I had to settle for the top shelf of the compartment. And it turned out to be a terrible ordeal!!! Impossible to SIT! Just scramble as if through a gap. It’s better to have a seat than a lying one! You can’t just lie down for a day. You can’t get dressed or undressed in your place. Let the architects of this structure themselves ride for two or three days on the upper shelves with a completely filled compartment!
Very polite conductor
After the first stop, sand was dragged in the corridor and nothing was removed for several hours.
On February 1, a new double-decker train was launched; it will run every day on the route “St. Petersburg - Moscow” and in the opposite direction.
The train will depart at 22:50 and arrive at 6:47. Travel time is about 8 hours.
Ticket prices will be floating, as in air travel: the fewer tickets left, the more expensive they are. The minimum cost is 1,299 rubles, at this price approximately 200 seats will be sold, then about 300 seats at 1,699 rubles - and so on in increasing order. Dearest, last ticket will cost 3,299 rubles.
The train has 13 passenger cars and a dining car. There are only “coupes” here - there will be no reserved seat or SV. Each carriage has 64 seats, which is twice as many as a single-deck carriage.
By the way, double-decker cars are made in Russia, at the Tver Carriage Plant.
The conductor's service room - here is the car control panel, a very interesting thing.
Like on an airplane: control of the carriage’s power system, climate control, administration of the magnetic access system in the compartment (okay, the latter is not present on the airplane).
Video surveillance of the carriage.
All compartments are opened with a magnetic key.
Here, in fact, is the compartment itself, this is the second floor.
Individual lighting, 220 V socket.
The carriage has a radio and air conditioning system. The radio volume can be adjusted.
First floor compartment.
The bathroom is like on an airplane.
The composition includes a staff car, there are only 50 seats, but there are compartments for disabled people and their accompanying people. It costs the same as a regular coupe, but beneficiaries ride for free.
Pictograms are duplicated for the visually impaired.
There is a specially equipped bathroom for disabled people.
There is a bar and it is separate from the dining car.
This is a separate topic. Today, on trains, dishes no worse than those in a restaurant are available; a huge room on the first floor of the dining car has been equipped for this purpose. And all the food is sent to the dining room by elevator, which can be seen in this photo
And here is the hall itself (or, more precisely, only half of the hall is shown in the photo).
This is how food and food are delivered to the second floor.
I couldn't help but look at the prices on the menu.
Gradually, such cars will replace reserved seats on most long-distance routes. This will happen no earlier than 2020.
The train was impressive. In different ways. I didn’t leave anyone indifferent, that’s for sure. A kind of armored train made of tin foil and with plastic inside. I would like it to be made more carefully, especially since this is the first “exhibition” copy. But maybe everything has its time. And the time for truly beautiful and high-quality trains has not yet come. At least this train is better in every sense than a regular train, with the exception of one important nuance - there is very, very little space for luggage in the compartment. But first things first.
Externally, the train looks a little gloomy. Gray bunker on wheels.
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Maximum speed 160km/h. It would be very interesting to ride it at such a speed. 
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The locomotive is ordinary. It is lower than the carriages and it looks unaesthetic (I had no desire to specifically show this, but you can see this difference a little better).
I think some kind of fairing between the locomotive and the carriage would improve appearance. And in general, the locomotive needs to match such a train, at least in color. 
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Clearly something is missing in the design of the carriages. Yes, it’s cheaper, but it still looks ugly. 
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Let's get into the carriage. 
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It looks nicer from the inside than from the outside. 
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This is a regular coupe. The ceiling is unusually low. And there is clearly not enough space under the lower luggage racks. Only a small photo case would fit there in height, but a large one would not fit. In general, it is designed for travelers with small suitcases. And it is advisable that there should be no more than 1 small suitcase per person, otherwise there will be nowhere to put your luggage. 
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Actually, it's nice. 
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Let's look at the 2nd floor. 
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The compartment is on the 1st floor. 
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Toilet on the 1st floor. Quite neat, not like the old trains. True, there is not much ventilation there, and there are no windows. And very stuffy. However, the entire carriage was very stuffy. Maybe the air will be fresher while driving. On the other hand, remembering the old trains, it is impossible not to shudder - there is generally a gas chamber there in the summer. 
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While we were examining the carriages from the inside, the official part of the event took place outside. 
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Then they started handing out gift calendars. At first there was just a crush. And then it almost turned into a real fight. I felt sorry for the worker handing out calendars and ashamed for the people pushing and snatching calendars greedily, as if it were an unprecedented value without which they could not live. 
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Here, a little later, it was possible to forge gift commemorative coins. 
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There are places for disabled people on the train. More precisely, 1 place for 1 disabled person. But everything seems to have been thought out. There is even a lift. 
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This is the lift, as seen from the carriage. 
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Compartment for a disabled person and an accompanying person. 
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It's the same from a different angle. 
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The toilet is quite spacious, with special grab bars. 
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There is a shower. 
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And this is the compartment of the SV carriage. 
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There is even an ironing board. There is another shower in the background. 
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We are in the dining car. On the 1st floor. There is a bar, a kitchen and office space. 
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Let's look into the service room in the dining car. 
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Refrigerator. 
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The restaurant itself is located on the second floor. 
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The impression from the train is twofold. It seems to be clearly better than the old trains. But it doesn’t cause delight either.