FPC at a Glance

The Company’s route network includes several domestic routes, which have no other alternative modes of transport.

Types of Activities

Competitive advantages of long‑distance trains

1. Security
2. Environmental friendliness
3. Extensive route network
4. Over 97% train punctuality
5. Travelling in any weather
6. Comfortable conditions on train
7. Possibility of transporting impaired passengers
8. Growth in the share of the new fleet
9. High carry‑on baggage allowance (up to 36 kg, in first‑class sleeping carriages – up to 50 kg)
10. Free travel for children under five years of age
11. No long check‑in procedure and proximity of train stations to city centres and other localities

From carriage operator to integrated mobility provider

2023 Key Developments

Key achievements

• The number of passengers carried by FPC trains reached 106 million, an absolute record since the Company was established. This is 5% more than in 2019 and 13% more than in 2022.
• More than 770.000 children were transported as organised groups (+52.5% vs. 2022).
• JSC FPC joined the Anti‑Corruption Charter of Russian Business and took part in the Anti‑Corruption Rating of Russian Business. The Company was assigned the AAA+ grade (an organisation with maximum level of anti‑corruption).
• The Strategy of Digital Transformation until 2024 was approved. JSC FPC was the first subsidiary of the parent company to successfully approve the Digital Transformation Strategy, having agreed it with the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation.
• The Company received the Digital Leaders Award 2023 in the Transformation of the Year category with the project on Formation and implementation of FPC’s Digital Transformation Strategy until 2024.
• Important agreements were signed at the XXVI‑th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum:
  • Memorandum on joint work on replacing foreign software with domestic software solutions
  • Agreement on co‑operation for creating new passenger services
  • Memorandum on expanding co‑operation on improving the combined transport (plane + train) project
  • Co‑operation agreement to provide long‑distance train passengers with access to the best multimedia entertainment content en route – with online cinema
  • Memorandum on development of co‑branded cards within the Loyalty Programme
• Following the results of the certification audit of the corporate quality management system (CQMS), a certificate of compliance of the CQMS with the requirements of ISO 9001:2015 was obtained.
• The import substituted models of double‑deck carriages 61‑4465.08/09, 61-4472.04, 61-4473.04 were designed completed and put into operation.
• First‑class sleeping carriages of 61‑4174 model with vertical shelves were designed, overhauled (KR‑2 scope) with interior renovation and commissioned.
• JSC FPC won the All‑Russian Contest “Leaders of Russian Business: Dynamics, Responsibility, Sustainability – 2022” in the category “For Achievements in Occupational Health and Safety”.
• The Company’s occupational health and safety specialists won individual prizes in the All‑Russian Contest “Best Occupational Health and Safety Specialist” and in the IV Open Interregional Contest “Best Occupational Health and Safety Specialist of the Urals –2023”.
• A charitable donation agreement was concluded with Pochet Charitable Foundation and an agreement was signed between JSC FPC, the parent company and Pochet Charitable Foundation for the Company to officially join the parent company’s corporate volunteering programme.
• The NPS HR project to promote internal customer‑oriented approach was recognised as the winner of the parent company’s first award in HR management in the “Creating an Atmosphere” category.
• The three‑storey building of the passenger technical station of the Ulyanovsk carriage station of the Kuibyshev branch of JSC FPC and the four‑storey building of the technical inspection point (attendant pool) of the Vladivostok passenger railroad depot of the Far Eastern branch of JSC FPC were overhauled to improve sanitary and living conditions.
• As part of the International Exhibition and Forum RUSSIA EXPO at the VDNKh, JSC FPC is presenting two modern double‑decker second‑class sleeping carriages and bistro carriages. A full‑size model of an updated first‑class sleeping carriage with vertical seats manufactured by JSC Vagonremmash (JSC VRM).
• 1 November marked 10 years since double‑decker train scheduled service was lunched. In honour of this event, a function and a photo exhibition dedicated to the history of double‑decker trains in Russia were held at Moscow’s Kazansky Railway Station. In total, double‑decker trains carried around 54 million passengers over 10 years, including more than 10 million people in 2023.
• Vladimir Pyastolov, General Director of JSC FPC, received the X All‑Russian Tourist Award titled “Route of the Year 2023” (as part of a special nomination by the award’s Board of Trustees) for his significant personal contribution to the development of interregional railway tourism.
• The tourist train called the Pearl of the Caucasus won in the Best Excursion Tourist Route category of the Russian Traveller Awards.
• In 2023, the Red Arrow premium‑service train became the winner of the annual National Customer Confidence Award called “Brand No. 1 in Russia”. The train received a quality mark in the Services and Facilities category (passenger service (railway transport).
• Premium‑service train No. 3/4 Express, Moscow – St. Petersburg, turned 50 years old. It was launched on 27 December 1973. For 50 years, it has carried over 10 million passengers.
• JSC FPC became the winner of the XIV Annual Award titled “Quality of Service and Consumer Rights” in the “Service of the Year for Catering on Transport. Railway Transport” nomination in the Retail Services category for new catering concept for passengers.
• JSC FPC became the winner of the competition titled “Transport BPM‑project of the year” at Russian University of Transport (MIIT) in nomination called Special Jury Prize for Customer Focus with project on improving customer experience through better passenger service processes in long‑distance trains

Public regulation and reforms

• New Rules for the Carriage of Passengers, Baggage and Cargo Luggage by Rail came into force on 1 September 2023 No. 352 of the Ministry of Transport of Russia dated 5 September 2022), which regulates the procedure for carrying passengers, hand luggage, baggage and cargo luggage by rail. To align the carriage of cargo luggage with the proposal of JSC FPC, the Rules establish separate conditions for carriage of cargo luggage in carriages owned and not owned by the carrier.
• For the first time since the beginning of carriage business of JSC FPC, the federal budget provided for the stated amount of subsidies, which fully covers the Company’s revenue losses from usage of third‑class open sleeping carriages and fourth‑class seating carriages.

Business development

• Since the foundation of JSC FPC and up to present day, the share of electronic sales of travel documents and services has been continuously growing (from 5.5% in 2010 to 80.7% in December 2023).
• To improve the quality of passenger service, the take‑a‑number‑systems were put in place at 15 railway stations across the Russian Federation.
• It is now possible to remotely obtain a certificate of travel fare /luggage allowance. Since the launch, more than 9,000 passengers have make use of this option.
• The “Poputchik” local infotainment system was updated and is now available on 102 trains. It features new films, music, cartoons and books for children, as well as content from online cinema.
• As part of the implementation of the Russian Government’s directives in the digital economy on the transition of companies to the predominant use of domestic software, equipment included in the Unified Register of Russian Radioelectronic Products was purchased for issuing tickets and services on trains and for entraining.
• To improve the quality of passenger service and increase the make customer interaction more efficient, an automated system was put in place for assessing and building ratings of personnel, carriages and trains based on the individual customer assessments.
• The software of the Express‑3 automated seat reservation management system was updated:
  • When buying a ticket, a passenger can find out about the location of seats on Lastochka electric trains (looking forward or backwards) and choose the most comfortable seats.
  • It is now possible to display transfer services and comfort lounges in the form of pictograms on the travel document.
  • There is an option now to book the transportation of motorcycles and power products in car‑carriers.
• The Passenger Identification and Service System of JSC FPC added an information section for a passenger carriage attendant on a mobile data collection terminal, namely:
  • Requests for accompanying support and assistance to passengers with reduced mobility received from the Mobility Assistance Centre of the parent company
  • Numbers of train carriages stopping within the passenger platform on the entire train route, where the timetable indicates a stop, for safe entraining/detraining
  • Data on the geolocation of the train while en route to prevent the yearly detraining of passengers in case of train delay
  • Other features that improve the user experience
• Double-decker trains were added on the routes: No. 357/358 Ufa/Samara – Imeretinsky Resort, No. 571/571 Samara – Anapa, No. 151/151 Moscow – St.Petersburg, No. 549/550 Adler – Togliatti.
• In December, the automated emergency management system at JSC FPC was put into commercial operation. It automates the analysis of data required for making management decisions in abnormal situations.
• The Company offers 10 year‑round fare plans with travel discounts. These have been used by about 16 million passengers.
• On the eve of the 80th anniversary of the full liberation of Leningrad from the Nazi blockade, since 1 December JSC FPC granted free travel to persons awarded with the Resident of Blockaded Leningrad badge and one accompanying person in fourth‑class seating carriages, third‑class open sleeping carriages, second‑class sleeping carriages and first‑class sleeping carriages, as well as in carriages with seats in long‑distance trains of all categories (without limitation on the number of trips).
• Kuibyshev Branch completed design & survey and construction & installation works to equip the passenger train preparation point of the Ulyanovsk carriage station for launching double‑decker trains on the Ulyanovsk –Moscow route.
• Since 1 April, the Company has switched to a new tariff policy for organised groups of passengers (OGP) for domestic service. According to the new policy, special fixed fares are available on trains of the special range, which includes 21 routes (47 pairs of scheduled trains), as well as the majority of JSC FPC’s tourist trains, in second‑class sleeping carriages and second‑class carriages with seats on high‑speed trains offer special fixed fares that do not depend on the dynamic pricing. On trains outside this range, there is a discount system of up to 25%, depending on the number of people in the OGP, the number of days before train departure and the travel dates. The special offer for OGP is available to all travel organisers, including tour operators.
• As of year‑end 2023, the number of trains with the new catering concept was increased to 26 (in 47 bistro cars).
• The Company launched a project on passenger service allowing to order heat‑and‑serve hot meals. The projects involves the use of upgraded staff carriages with kitchens equipped with special equipment for storing and warming up heat‑and‑serve meals, as well as washer and dishwasher.
• The initiative to use FPC’s own resources to provide catering services has been underway since March. As of Q4 2023, catering services are provided by employees of three catering units housed by the Moscow, Kuibyshev and Volga branches.
• More than 21,000 passengers used the Food Delivery to Train service. So far, it includes 100 catering companies at 67 stations. The project engaged large chain projects such as Burger King fast food restaurant chain, Sicily and Tanuki restaurant chains, BlinBerry fast food café chain, Milti, JSC Vkusvill and others.
• The loyalty programme is 11 years old and has over 9.9 million people signed up.
• The Travellers Club sub‑programme was launched, allowing passengers of tourist trains to save up tourist points and tourist medals, and then exchange them for trips and souvenirs. More than 30,000 people have already joined the club.
• Scheduled service covers 27 tourist trains, including 10 new ones called To the Vineyards by the Sea, To Northern Lights, Along the Golden Ring, Taste of the Era, Russian North. To Veliky Ustyug, To the Lotus Valley, Grushinsky Express, Along the Oldenburgsk Road, as well as regional routes such as Weekend in Dombay and To the Mountains and Thermal Springs for residents and guests of the Rostov Region and the Krasnodar Territory. Another new multi‑modal tourist project was organised covering Ritsa – Cherepovets – Sochi Airport – Rosa Khutor – Gagra – Sukhum – Sochi – Sochi Airport – Cherepovets. New themed carriages have also started running as part of JSC FPC trains. These are the CultSamara carriage in the Zhiguli train, themed carriages dedicated to the work of sculptor, Stepan Nefyodov‑Erizi, in the Mordovia train, as well as carriages dedicated to the Orenburg Region in the Orsk – Moscow and Orenburg – St. Petersburg trains.
• Two FPC premium‑service trains were given names:
  • In August, special day trains No. 101/102, No. 103/104 and No. 105/106 from Yaroslavl to Moscow were named after V. M. Predybaylov, the honourable railroadman who headed the Northern Railway for about 20 years.
  • On 6 September, a function was held at the railway station in Rostov‑on‑Don to mark the return of the historic name – Tikhiy Don – to the premium‑service train No. 19/20. With the return of the historic name, the interior of the carriages also refreshed. Thus, one of the trains was decorated in a theme inspired by Sholokhov’s life. Colourful posters with landscapes of the Don region and quotes of the writer brighten the walls in deluxe carriages, second‑class sleeping carriages and third‑class open sleeping carriages.
• On 7 December, the first‑class sleeping carriage with renewed interior was unveiled at the Vladivostok railway station. Such carriages started its Vladivostok – Khabarovsk scheduled service in the premium train No. 5/6 called Ocean. The carriage seat arrangements were significantly altered; they are now vertical. The width of the shelves increased to 90 cm, the carriage now has a sink, a folding chair and a cubicle for belongings. The concept of a family carriage was also put in practice. According to the concept, two compartments can be combined for accommodate large company.
• A luggage porter service was introduced, which is now available at more than 40 stations.

Redirecting passenger traffic in southern Russia

Due to the closure of airports in southern Russia and restrictions on flights, JSC FPC satisfied market demand with maximum flexibility and adapted its resources to ensure uninterrupted and comfortable transport services. The Company significantly increased the supply and scheduled additional trains (over and above the normal schedule).

During peak periods, up to 550 long‑distance trains departed from stations all over the country every day. Over 4,600 trains, including about 1,900 trains heading to the south of the country, ran in addition to the regular trains throughout the summer holiday time.

Thanks to the hard efforts of it personnel, the Company organised the uninterrupted carriage of 54 million people during the summer period, up 6.8% year‑on‑year. For summer holidays, more than 11 million people opted to travel by rail to places along the Black Sea coast and in the North Caucasus.