St. Petersburg, Russia – 09/04 The Train Tickets

(Michelle) We started the day by trying to get train tickets for our journey through Russia. Based on research we had done in advance for buying tickets in Russia, we were aware of the fact that there was no chance we would encounter anyone who spoke English, so we wrote out in Russian exactly what we were looking for. We entered the building to find about 20 different windows, all with long lines, and we couldn’t find anything that distinguished one line from the next… How do we know what line to stand in? The only sign that had any English on it at all was the information line, so we thought that might be a good place to start. After waiting in line for about 15 minutes (and experiencing our first line cutters… this would be a constant theme throughout the country) we got to the window and handed her our paper (which had written in Russian “do you know where we can buy the following train tickets….”). The woman said nothing and just shook her head no. ???? Ok. So we backed away to reassess. There were two information windows so we sneakily got into the other line while sort of hiding from scary info woman number one. We handed this woman our paper and she used hand gestures to (what we thought) indicate that we had to go downstairs to by these tickets… Now we are getting somewhere. So TJ and I walk around the building looking in every corner for a way to get downstairs. We soon realized that there was no downstairs. So perhaps her hand gesture was really just Russian for buzz off. We reassessed again. Looking in our guidebook for any possible assistance, it mentioned that there is usually a separate office that will charge a few more dollars per ticket but you avoid the lines and sometimes they can speak English…. Interesting.. We see a room that appears to be this place. There was one person inside who spoke a little English, but she just pointed us to another woman who didn’t and then she ignored us. This new woman was able to help us purchase tickets by taking what we wrote and pointing to various things on her computer screen – like times of departure and seat type. She could only sell us the first leg of the train trip, St. Petersburg to Moscow, but at least we got that.

(TJ) After a while you just had to laugh at the situation for buying the train tickets. You wait in these long lines and people are talking to the ticket agents for 25-30 minutes, what in the hell are they talking about. Meanwhile you’re eyeing the customers around you suspiciously waiting for someone to try to cut in front of you. Then you start thinking about why you are waiting again. Where is the person currently at the front of the line going such that it takes 30 minutes to buy a ticket? It’s A to B; here are the options ….pick! It is the worst ticketing system that I have seen anywhere. Added to the wait time is the nice trick of when the ticket attendants would take 15 minute breaks and just disappear while there is 40 some people in line for their window or they would just close up shop with 40 people in front of their window. Sorry tuff sh*t you chose your line unwisely. The customer service does not stop there; it just begins when you get to the front of the line. You could write anything in Russian and they just look at you and tell you to go screw yourself. The real question is how they are going to do it when you get to the front of the line. Are they A.) going to look at your paper and point in a general direction, typically the wrong location but sometimes the correct direction with a hint of condescension B.) going to pretend that you do not exist and look for the customer behind you, or C.) will start to communicate and someone else will rush up, cut in front of you, curse you and just start shouting at the ticket agent before you cold cock that person and proceed to buy your ticket. This is pretty much standard operating procedure for Russian train ticket booths. Generally it you will go through all three (A through C) before you are able to make your purchase. By the end you immediately purchase a bottle of vodka and begin drinking before you leave the store.