Trans-Siberian Railway
Summary timetable . . .
Trans-Siberian RailwaySummary timetable . . . |
|
|
Home Site map Search site Links Railpasses Buy train tickets Buy ferry tickets Book a hotel What's new About me E-mail Guestbook |
|
Africa
Middle East
Asia
America Australasia
London to China & Japan by Trans-Siberian Railway or silk route London to India overland London to Australia without flying London to New York by Queen Mary 2 European & overseas Railpasses Explore Europe with InterRail Taking your car: Motorail Non-flying Holidays by train London to Paris by Eurostar All about the real Orient Express The luxury Venice Simplon Orient Express The scenic Swiss Glacier Express Auckland-Wellington on The Overlander NZ's most scenic train: The TranzAlpine Canada's Rockies on the Rocky Mountaineer Bridge over the River Kwai Britain's most scenic train ride The West Highland Line Scotland's cruise train The Royal Scotsman Buy train tickets & passes online at the Seat 61 Rail Shop Buy ferry tickets online at the Seat 61 Ferry Shop Book hotels online at the Seat 61 Hotel Shop Resident in France? Try www.seat61.fr Comments? Feedback? Need more help? Email the Man in Seat Sixty-One! Sign the guestbook Important note about the information on this site. Webhosting by Hostroute Thank you for visiting my site...
|
On this page...On this page you'll find a summary timetable for the most important Trans-Siberian trains linking Moscow, Irkutsk, Vladivostok, Ulan Bator & Beijing. You can check all Russian and Trans-Siberian train times using the online enquiry system at the bottom of this page. Only key trains are shown, you can find a complete timetable in the Thomas Cook Overseas Timetable. Slower lower-quality trains such as train 340 Moscow-Irkutsk or slow train 904 Moscow-Vladivostok aren't shown here, although the online timetable at the bottom of this page can find these trains as well as the key ones. Trans-Siberian Railway summary timetable, eastbound Trans-Siberian Railway summary timetable, westbound Vladivostok-Japan ferry service Online Trans-Siberian timetable & tickets
On other pages... How to plan & book a trip on the Trans-Siberian Railway. Ferry links China to Japan. Train connections in China. Trans-Siberian picture gallery. Time zones...All trains run to Moscow time whilst in Russia, even though local time can be up to 7 hours ahead of Moscow. So the times shown below are Moscow time except for Ulan Bator, Erlian, Harbin & Beijing where they are local time. So for example the Rossiya reaches Irkutsk at 02:33 in the timetable, but Irkutsk is 5 hours ahead of Moscow, so arrival is really 07:33 local time. Mongolia & China have no daylight saving time, so they're 4 hours ahead of Moscow in summer, 5 hours ahead in winter. Trains normally stop at each station for 5 to 15 minutes, a bit longer at the more important stations. Trans-Siberian trains generally keep very good time (on time or only a few minutes late) when in Russia, but any train crossing an international border can be delayed. The trains from Moscow to Beijing are often 1 to 3 hours late arriving after their 6-night journey from Moscow, for example. Eastbound timetable...
Note A: 'Rossiya'. 'Firmeny' quality train. Runs every second day, leaving Moscow on odd-number dates (1st, 3rd, 5th etc.), except 31st of the month. 2-berth spalny vagon, 4-berth kupé, platskartny berths & restaurant car. Check days of operation using the online system. Note B: Moscow-Beijing express via the Trans-Mongolian route. Leaves Moscow every Tuesday. Chinese coaches. 1st class 2-berth, 1st class 4-berth, 2nd class 4-berth. Restaurant car (Russian in Russia, then Mongolian, then Chinese). Note C: Runs from Moscow on Wednesdays, also Thursdays in summer, check using the online system. 2-berth & 4-berth sleepers & restaurant car. Russian and Mongolian coaches. Note D: 'Vostok' Trans-Manchurian Moscow-Beijing express. Leaves Moscow every Friday. Russian coaches. 2-berth spalny vagon, 4-berth kupé. Russian restaurant car in Russia, Chinese restaurant in China. Note E: 'Baikal'. 'Firmeny' quality train. Runs from St Petersburg on odd-number dates (1st, 3rd, 5th etc., but not the 31st). 2-berth & 4-berth sleepers, platskartny sleepers & restaurant car. Check days of running using the online system. The 'Baikal' used to run from Moscow, it was diverted to start from St Petersburg as of June 2010. Note F: This is a slower, cheaper, lower-quality alternative to the top-quality 'Rossiya' and 'Baikal' for journeys within Russia. 2-berth spalny vagon, 4-berth kupé and platskartny. Train number is 340 on some dates, 350 on others. Note G: Runs daily. 4-berth kupé and platskartny sleepers from Irkutsk to Ulan Bator. Note H: Runs from Ulan Bator to Beijing on Thursdays all year round. Please double-check days of running when you book as Chinese Railways have changed the days several times over the last few years. Soft class 2-berth & 4-berth sleepers and hard class 4-berth sleepers. This link may help check days, times and fares for this train. There are alternative, less convenient but more frequent ways to get from Ulan Bator to Beijing, with changes of train, click here for details. Trains 4, 6 & 20 from Moscow to Ulan Bator & Beijing can generally only be used by passengers making an international journey (for example, Moscow to Beijing, Irkutsk to Beijing or Moscow to Ulan Bator), not for internal journeys within Russia (for example, Moscow to Irkutsk), where there are plenty of domestic trains available. So if you want to stop off at Irkutsk (for example), you will need to take a Russian internal train (the 'Rossiya' or the 'Baikal') between Moscow and Irkutsk. * Moscow-Beijing is 7,622 km (4,735 miles) via Ulan Bator or 8,986 km (5,623 miles) via Harbin. There are many other slower trains not shown here, including a daily slow train (Train 904) from Moscow to Vladivostok taking 9 days compared to the Rossiya's 7 days. Simply use the Real Russia online system or www.poezda.net to find train times. Westbound timetable...
Note J: 'Rossiya'. 'Firmeny' quality train. Runs from Vladivostok on even-numbered dates from the 8th of each month onwards, plus the 2nd, 4th, 6th of March, May, July, October, December, and the 1st, 3rd, 5th of other months. You can check dates using the online system. 2-berth spalny vagon, 4-berth kupé, platskartny berths & restaurant car. Note K: Beijing-Moscow express, via the trans-Mongolian train. Chinese coaches. 1st class 2-berth (deluxe soft class), 1st class 4-berth (soft class), 2nd class 4-berth (hard class). Chinese restaurant car in China, Russian restaurant car in Russia. Note L: Runs from Ulan Bator Tuesdays, also Thursdays in summer, check dates using the online system. 2-berth spalny vagon & 4-berth kupé & restaurant car. Russian & Mongolian coaches. Note M: 'Vostok'. Trans-Manchurian route. Russian coaches. 2-berth spalny vagon, 4-berth kupé. Chinese restaurant car in China, Russian restaurant car in Russia. Note N: 'Baikal'. 'Firmeny' quality train. Runs from Irkutsk on odd dates (1st, 3rd, 5th etc., but not the 31st). 2-berth & 4-berth sleepers & restaurant car. Check days of running using the online system. Note P: Runs from Beijing to Ulan Bator on Tuesdays, or maybe Saturdays. Please double-check days of running when you book as Chinese Railways can't make up their mind what day(s) to run it and it has changed seasonally over the last few years. The train has deluxe 2-berth, soft class 4-berth & hard class 4-berth. There are alternative, less convenient but more frequent ways to get from Beijing to Ulan Bator, with changes of train, click here for details. This link may help check days, times and fares for this train. Note Q: 4-berth kupé and platskartny bunks from Ulan Bator to Irkutsk. Note R: This is a slightly slower, cheaper, lower-quality alternative to top-quality 'Rossiya' and 'Baikal' for journeys within Russia. Train number is 339 on some dates, 349 on others. Trains 3, 5 & 19 from Beijing & Ulan Bator to Moscow can usually only be used for international journeys rather than internal journeys wholly within Russia. If you want to stop off at Irkutsk (for example), book a Russian internal train (for example the 'Rossiya' or the 'Baikal') for the journey between Irkutsk and Moscow. Train 3 may also not take passengers from Beijing to Ulan Bator, at least in the peak summer season, as it is largely reserved for passengers going through to Russia. Beijing-UB passengers should take train 23 instead. Have you visited the seat61 Trans-Siberian picture gallery? Alternatives between Ulan Bator & Beijing...If you're trying to do the Trans-Mongolian route flexibly, buying tickets as you go, there are a daily trains between Moscow, Irkutsk and even Ulan Bator making this section relatively easy without pre-booking. However, the weak point is between Ulan Bator and Beijing where there are just two weekly trains, one a through train from Moscow (so there are limited berths available for passengers joining at UB), the other a weekly train that Chinese Railways keep changing the day of running from one year to the next so no-one's quite sure. However, there are alternatives, so you're unlikely to be completely stuck. There is a hard class sleeper train from UB to Hohot 2 to 4 times a week, leaving UB around 20:00 and arriving Jining Nan (Jining South) around 19:00 next day. There are several daily trains from Jining Nan to Beijing, journey 9 hours, fare about $7 with soft class seat. There may also be a daily overnight train from UB to Saynshand, 40km from the Chinese frontier at Erlian, local buses or taxis available, then daily trains Erlian to Jining Nan (Jining South) and a number of daily trains from Jining Nan to Beijing. www.chinahighlights.com/china-trains/ will confirm train times for any journey within China (click 'trains between 2 of all stations', this system recognises 'Jining South', not 'Jining Nan', beware that trains 3, 4, 23, 24 aren't daily). There is no way to check Mongolian train times online. If you have more information on this alternative UB-Beijing journey, please e-mail me!
Ferry "Eastern Dream" Vladivostok - Donghae (South Korea) - Sakaiminato (Japan)The time-honoured weekly ferry run by Russia's Far East Shipping Company (FESCO) fell victim to the recession in late 2009. FESCO no longer operate, but a new year-round weekly ferry from Vladivostok to South Korea & Japan started in 2009. The 'Eastern Dream' is a good modern ship, built in 1993. Their official website is www.dbsferry.com/02_ticket/ticket03.asp. Vladivostok ► Donghae (Korea) ► Sakaiminato (Japan)The Eastern Dream sails from Vladivostok every Wednesday at 15:00, arriving Donghae at 12:00 on Thursdays and Sakaiminato at 09:00 on Fridays. You can confirm sailing times and days at www.dbsferry.com/02_ticket/ticket03.asp. Sakaiminato (Japan) ► Donghae (Korea) ► VladivostokThe Eastern Dream sails from Sakaiminato at 19:00 on Sunday, sailing from Donghae at 15:00 on Monday, arriving Vladivostok at 12:00 Tuesdays. You can confirm sailing times and days at www.dbsferry.com/02_ticket/ticket03.asp. Fares & how to buy ticketsThe cheapest fare from Vladivostok to Japan is US$235 one-way or $435 return, that's in economy class with a berth in a shared open-plan sleeping area. Sharing a 2-berth cabin the fare rises to $485 one-way or $825. Deluxe suites also available. You can book the ferry through their website www.dbsferry.com/02_ticket/ticket03.asp or various agencies including The Russia Experience (www.trans-siberian.co.uk). Alternatively, perhaps the easiest way to book is to give them a call on 00 82 2 5485502. Ask for an English speaker, reserve your place by phone, and collect and pay for the tickets at the ferry terminal in Vladivostok. Train connections in Japan & KoreaYou can check train times from Sakaiminato to any station in Japan at www.hyperdia.com (English button upper left). You are unlikely to have any problems buying a train ticket to Tokyo when you arrive in Japan, though unfortunately Sakaiminato is not a Japan Rail Pass exchange office, which means that you can't start using a Japan Rail Pass there even if you've pre-purchased one. For more information about train travel in Japan, see the Japan page. In Korea, trains link Donghae with Seoul (Seoul Cheongnyangi station, not Seoul main Station) 6 times a day, journey time around 5 hours 55 minutes, see www.korail.go.kr (Tip for finding train times: Use 'Cheongnyangi' as your origin/destination, not 'Seoul').
You may prefer to reach Japan by travelling to Beijing and taking a connecting train across China to Shanghai. From Shanghai, two companies sail weekly year-round to either Kobe or Osaka in Japan - See the China page for details.
For information about train travel in China, see the China page.
Click the images to buy online...
If you
haven't already got them, these two guides to planning, booking and making a
Trans-Siberian journey are the ones to buy. Bryn Thomas' Trans-Siberian
Handbook has a mile-by-mile guide to what you will see from the train, making
sure you get the most from your trip.
Page last updated: 11 March 2010. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
