OREANDA-NEWS. May 16, 2008. About 50,000 passengers have bought long-distance train tickets on the Internet since Russian Railways introduced an online system a year ago, reported the press-centre of Russian Railways.

The online service is most popular among passengers between the ages of 26 to 35 (49,2%), followed by those aged between 18 to 25 (25,9%) and 36 to 45 years (17,8%). The most active users of electronic systems are men, who make up 67% of those buying train tickets on the Internet.

From May 14, 2007 to May 13, 2008, 165 536 online orders were placed for 234,942 seats on long-distance trains. The most popular journeys purchased on the Internet were Moscow - St. Petersburg - Moscow, Moscow - Nizhny Novgorod - Moscow, Moscow - Kazan – Moscow and Moscow - Kiev - Moscow.

Train tickets can now be bought on the Internet for all long-distance trains within Russia and to international destinations excluding the Kaliningrad region.

To use the service, all that is required is access to a computer and a bank card that allows payments on the Internet. Simply enter Russian Railways’ official site, select your route, time and date of departure, train number and seat. After confirmation of the order, enter the bank card details and pay for the ticket.

Tickets can then be obtained at any counter of Russian Railways by telling the cashier your passport details and order number. If you print the order beforehand, the already rapid procedure is even quicker because the machine simply scans it and enters the bar code in the system.

Should the ticket be returned unused, your money is transferred to your bank account.

The e-ticket service costs an additional fee of 143 roubles per seat.