Russia’s two capitals are well connected by an efficiently run and rather quick railway network. There are a great variety of Moscow to St. Petersburg trains to meet everyone's needs. The choice ranges from the elegant Grand Express and Russia’s most famous train, the Red Arrow (Krasnaya Strelya) to the ultra-new, high speed Sapsan trains and the recently introduced Double-Decker trains that offer great value for your money. Express to Russia’s specialists have over 15 years of experience in issuing Moscow to St. Petersburg train tickets. We are able to issue electronic tickets for almost every train on Moscow to St. Petersburg route (with very rare exceptions). To search for Russian train tickets and train schedules, just use our train ticket search engine at the top of this page.
Below is a list of the most popular and well-known St. Petersburg to Moscow trains. There are day trains with airline type seating and also quite nice overnight sleeper trains. Most trains come with restaurant and/or club carriages which make the trip between Moscow and St. Petersburg all the more comfortable and entertaining. To browse specific trains, please see the information on individual Moscow to St Petersburg trains below.
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The Double-Decker is an overnight train running daily and making only one stop during its journey.
Both 1st and 2nd class tickets are available. A cabin for disabled passengers and persons accompanying them is equipped in the staff car. Each carriage is equipped with air conditioning and heating systems, energy-saving LED lights, a video surveillance system and 3 WCs at the end of the car. The restaurant car offers a wide range of meals that passengers can purchase with cash or credit card.
The Express Train (N 003/004) is a daily, overnight train running between Moscow and St. Petersburg. It departs from both Moscow and St. Petersburg at 23.30 and arrives 9 hours later at 08.30. The train has VIP first-class, first-class and second-class carriages.
The Grand Express train (N053/054) is the most luxurious train operating between Moscow and Saint Petersburg. It is a daily overnight train run by “Grand Service Express,” a private company.
The train has 6 types of carriages offering different levels of comfort. All types of carriages are equipped with TV and DVD players, 220V sockets and free Wi-Fi.
The train has a restaurant car with a wide range of main courses, salads, desserts and soft and alcoholic drinks. Passengers can enjoy a meal either in the restaurant car or order it to their cabin.
Lastochka trains are high-speed electric trains produced by Siemens Transportation Systems.
Lastochka trains are equipped with a modern safety system and offer a high level of comfort both for passengers and staff. The train's maximum speed is 160 km/h.
The train can accommodate 443 passengers and consists of 5 carriages with 2nd class seats including 4 seats for disabled passengers and 30 fold-out seats. Trains operating at busy times and servicing popular destinations may have up to 10 carriages.
The Moscow to St. Petersburg Megapolis train (N019/020) is a daily overnight train run by “Tverskoy Express,” a private company. The travel time between Moscow and St. Petersburg is approximately 8 hours and the train stops in Tver for only 1 minute.
The train runs with modern first-class and second-class carriages built by Tver Carriage Works, the largest train manufacturer in Europe.
The high-speed Nevsky Express Train (N 747/748) running on the Moscow to St. Petersburg route doesn’t make any stops and has a maximum speed of 200 km/h, making for a quick travel time of 4 hours 5 minutes.
The Nevsky Express has only Economy class carriages with each car accommodating 48 passengers. Seats are arranged in separate cabins for 6 people each.
The Red Arrow (Krasnaya Strela) is the oldest and most famous Russian train. The train is famous for shuttling the communist elite between Leningrad and Moscow in Soviet times. Today, it is still one of the most popular and modern trains operating between Moscow and St. Petersburg.
The train has a VIP first-class car, 9 regular first-class cars and five second-class carriages. There is also a very nice dining car that serves good meals. The staff car has a cabin for disabled passengers and the people accompanying them.
The high-speed Sapsan train is Russia’s fastest. It is capable of speeds up to 250 km/h. The Sapsan operates on the Moscow to St. Petersburg and St. Petersburg to Nizhny Novgorod routes.
There are several trains daily; the trip from Moscow to St. Petersburg takes 4 hours. The train consists of 10 or 20 carriages of different classes: First class, Business class and Economy class.
The Smena train was launched in 1984 and was named in honor of the 65th anniversary of the popular Russian youth magazine - Smena. The train travels overnight with travel time from St. Petersburg to Moscow taking approximately 8 hours.
Double-Decker carriages were introduced in December 2017. Each carriage is equipped with air conditioning and heating systems, energy-saving LED lights, a video surveillance system and 3 WCs at the end of the car.
There are high speed and overnight trains available on this route. The fastest train called Sapsan takes 3.5 - 4 hours, regular overnight trains take 8 - 10 hours. There are several overnight trains offering different levels of comfort including the famous Grand Express and Red Arrow trains.
In St Petersburg, the Sapsan arrives and departs from Moscovsky Train Station, Nevsky Prospect 85, Metro Ploshad Vosstania.
In Moscow, for all Sapsan trains running between Moscow and St Petersburg it is Leningradsky Train Station, located at Komsomolskaya Ploshad 3, Metro Komsomolskaya. Sapsan trains operating on the Nizhny Novgorod to St Petersburg route arrive and depart from Kursky Train Station, Zemlyanoi Val, 29, Metro Kurskaya.
Each 2nd and 3rd class passenger is allowed to bring up to 36 kg of hand luggage. 1st class passengers can carry up to 50 kg. The sum of the hand luggage's three dimensions should not exceed 180 cm. Children under 4 travelling on a free ticket (without a separate seat) are not granted a separate piece of luggage.
No, there's no WiFi on Russian trains.
Though the price and time on board is almost the same when you travel by air or by train, traveling by a high speed Sapsan train is considered to be the most convenient and fastest way to travel from Moscow to St Petersburg. Train stations in both cities are in the city center so the travel time is significantly shorter when compared to traveling by plane which includes airport check-in and traveling to and from the airport. Another advantage to the train is that passengers can bring up to 36 kg of hand luggage without paying anything extra. Sapsan seats are much more comfortable than airplane seats and you can also enjoy a nice meal at a reasonable price on board.
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