Russia's new, swanky bi-level trains started their regular runs between Moscow and Adler, with the first double-decker having departed from the capital's Kazansky station with Sochi Olympic Games volunteers and vacationers with young children on board.
The train will make a stop at Sochi before reaching Adler, another Black Sea resort. In all, there will be 10 stops on a 25-hour run, Rossiiskaya Gazeta reported Friday.
The bi-level carriages, built in the city of Tver, boasts features that are unheard of on regular Russian trains, such as access to wireless internet, air conditioning and shower rooms. Compartments are also equipped with call buttons to alert train attendants.
The trains' toilets can be accessed throughout the entire journey, a welcome departure from toilets in older trains where access is barred at stops in order to dump the facilities' contents on the tracks.
Ticket prices start at 3,206 rubles ($100), one-third less than the lowest ticket price of 4,530 rubles on other trains to Adler, since double-deckers can carry about twice as many passengers as ordinary trains.
Russian Railroads, which has been trying to modernize routes and improve its image in recent years, said it hoped the new trains would help provide smooth travel for an increased flow of passengers ahead of the Winter Olympics.
