OREANDA-NEWS. April 09, 2012. Michael Akulov, Vice-President of Russian Railways and Managing Director of the First Passenger Company, spoke at an international forum on introducing new technology to sell tickets on long-distance passenger trains, reported the press-centre of Russian Railways. 

The forum is being organised by the First Passenger Company, a subsidiary of Russian Railways, and is taking place in Rostov-on-Don from 3 to 5 April 2012. In attendance are representatives from the railway administrations of the CIS countries, Baltic States and France.

Participants will discuss the possibilities for cooperation in applying modern technologies used in selling tickets, as well as the elimination of technical, administrative and legal barriers which hinder passengers using transport services in Europe and Asia.

In addition, the forum plans to discuss:

the integration of traffic management information systems in different countries (compiling timetables, online booking, the management of e-tickets and other systems);

providing passengers with full information about routes and prices, including during the trip;

the possibility of buying tickets for foreign trains;

ensuring common standards of service quality and safety;

joint implementation of innovation and smart mobile services etc.

Nowadays, passengers can buy tickets for all long-distance trains in Russia on the Internet, as well as on international services to Finland, Germany, the Czech Republic and France.

Passengers can register online on international train services to Latvia.

Experts from Russian Railways, the First Passenger Company and Finnish railways are currently working together to organise travel on electronic tickets on services between Finland and Russia.
On 2 April 2012, a pilot project was launched to monitor passengers boarding the "Leo Tolstoy" service between Moscow - Vyborg - Moscow using specialised equipment which inspects tickets to ensure they are valid. This is yet another step in developing simple and affordable services to passengers buying international tickets.