OREANDA-NEWS. May 17, 2012. During the May 2012 holidays, Federal Passenger Company, a subsidiary of Russian Railways, carried over 3.5 million passengers on long-distance services, an increase of 6% on the same period in 2011, reported the press-centre of RZD.

Federal Passenger Company laid on an additional 204 trains which made 413 runs in order to meet the increased demand for long-distance passenger services during the May holidays.

The biggest increase in passenger numbers during this holiday period is usually in the central part of Russia, so 139 additional trains were laid on from Moscow which made 297 runs, including 24 trains which made 70 runs connecting Moscow and St. Petersburg, with the remaining runs linking the capital with Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Cheboksary, Belgorod, Tambov, Penza, Stary Oskol and other cities.

When high-speed services between Moscow and St. Petersburg are included, a record number of passengers were carried during this years’ peak holiday dates.

On 5 May, 35 trains left Moscow for St. Petersburg and transported 20,628 passengers, while on 9 May 34 trains departed from St. Petersburg for Moscow with 18,716 passengers.

During the holiday period, St. Petersburg is particularly popular with tourists, so First Passenger Company laid on an additional 23 scheduled trains to complete 51 runs between the northern capital and other Russian cities, such as Veliky Luki, Murmansk, Arkhangelsk and Petrozavodsk.

In addition, 141 carriages were added to 107 runs in addition to those indicated in the standard timetable in order to meet fully the demand for long-distance services.

During the May holidays, a large number of additional trains were also laid on between Russia and the CIS countries, including 26 additional trains making 41 runs to Ukraine and Belarus, with 16 extra trains to Ukraine making 26 runs between Moscow - Kiev, Moscow – Kharkov and Moscow - Odessa etc. and 10 trains making 15 runs to Belarus between Moscow - Minsk, Moscow - Brest and Moscow - Baranovichi.

In addition, an additional train was laid on between Moscow and the Moldovan capital Chisinau.