RussianTrain is the agency I use and recommend for buying train tickets in Russia from abroad. Since 2022 the official RZD website has been rejecting cards issued outside Russia and is also blocked across much of Europe, so you need an authorized subagent that sells you the same RZD e-ticket but charges it to your regular Visa or Mastercard. That’s exactly what RussianTrain does.
On this page I’ll walk you through exactly how it works, which routes it covers, how much extra you pay for using it, and why I recommend it for anyone who wants to sort the whole thing out in ten minutes without getting into technicalities.
The problem: why you can’t buy on rzd.ru anymore
If you ever booked a Russian train before 2022, you’ll remember it was easy: you’d go to the RZD website, pick your schedule, pay with your card and get the ticket in your inbox. That process broke with the sanctions.
Today, from outside Russia, you run into two hurdles:
- rzd.ru blocks all foreign cards. Even if the site loads, the final payment step rejects any Visa or Mastercard issued outside Russia. It only accepts cards from the Russian MIR system.
- On top of that, the site doesn’t load from many European countries. To reach it you need a VPN that simulates a connection from Russia.
Combining the two (getting a MIR card + using a VPN) is doable, but it makes little sense if all you want is to buy a ticket. The practical route is to use an authorized intermediary that charges the booking to a foreign card and delivers the same RZD e-ticket you would have bought directly.
What RussianTrain is and why I recommend it
RussianTrain is the trading name of Anyday Travel LLC, a Russia-based company that operates as an authorized RZD subagent (Russian Railways). That means the ticket you buy through their platform is the same official e-ticket that would come out of rzd.ru: same car number, same seat, same place reserved in the central system. It’s not a voucher or a middleman receipt: it’s the real ticket.
What RussianTrain gives you in exchange for a commission:
- Interface in English (also Spanish, French, German, Italian and Portuguese). You can search by city names (Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Yekaterinburg) without having to transliterate them into Russian.
- Payment with foreign Visa or Mastercard. No MIR card needed, no Russian bank account, nothing of the sort.
- No VPN required. The website loads normally from any European country.
- E-ticket delivered by email, as a PDF ready to print or show on your phone.
- Customer support in English via email for any issue before your trip.
How it works step by step
The whole process takes between five and ten minutes if you already know your route and dates.
1. Search your route and date
Go to RussianTrain, switch the language to English at the top right, and enter the origin city, destination and date. You can type city names in English (Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kazan, Sochi) and the search engine recognizes them without issue.
2. Pick your train and wagon class
The platform shows you every train running that day between the two cities, with departure and arrival time, duration and price for each wagon class available: shared berth in platskart, compartment in kupé, first class SV, or Sapsan / Lastochka if the route is high-speed.
3. Enter passenger details
First and last name as they appear in your passport (in Latin characters), date of birth, nationality and passport number. For foreign travelers these details are mandatory because RZD prints them on the ticket and you have to present them when boarding the train.
4. Pay with your card
Direct payment with a foreign Visa, Mastercard, Maestro or American Express. The transaction is processed as a normal international purchase: no prior arrangement with your bank required. Some banks may ask you for 3D Secure confirmation, just like any online purchase.
5. Get your e-ticket by email
Within a few minutes you receive the e-ticket as a PDF. It carries a 14-digit reference number (RZD’s “electronic code”) which you can also use to verify the booking on rzd.ru itself if you connect with a VPN, as an extra check.
What routes and trains you can book
Pretty much any route in the Russian railway system is available on RussianTrain. These are the ones most international travelers search for:
Moscow – Saint Petersburg (Sapsan and overnight trains)
This is the most popular and best-served route. You can choose between the high-speed Sapsan trains (four hours, departures every one or two hours from 5:30 AM) or traditional overnight trains such as the Krasnaya Strela (Red Arrow), Megapolis or Grand Express (sleeper cabins, depart at night, arrive at dawn).
Trans-Siberian
All sections of the Trans-Siberian and Trans-Mongolian routes are available: Moscow–Yekaterinburg, Yekaterinburg–Irkutsk, Irkutsk–Ulan-Ude, Ulan-Ude–Vladivostok, or the Mongolian branch down to Ulaanbaatar. You can book segment by segment. To plan the full itinerary, you can read the step-by-step Trans-Siberian guide.
Overnight and long-distance trains
Moscow–Kazan, Moscow–Nizhny Novgorod, Moscow–Sochi, Saint Petersburg–Murmansk, Moscow–Volgograd and the rest of long-distance routes. In all of them you can pick wagon type (SV, kupé, platskart) and see which seats are free in each before paying.
Regional services and Lastochka
For short hops within the Moscow ring or regional journeys, the Lastochka trains are also on the platform.
A practical note before you buy: in Moscow each route departs from a different station (Leningradsky, Kazansky, Yaroslavsky…) depending on the destination. Make sure you know which one your train leaves from before heading out.
The commission: what you pay on top
Let’s be honest: RussianTrain is not the cheapest option on the market. Like any intermediary, it adds a percentage on top of what the official Russian website would charge.
What you get in exchange is concrete too: a website in English that works the first time, a payment process with no surprises, the confidence of buying from an authorized RZD subagent, and support if anything goes wrong. If you value your time and want to sort out the booking in ten minutes from your sofa, the extra cost pays for itself.
If you’re looking to save on the booking and don’t mind a bit of extra legwork (English interface with transliterated names, or Russian website with an auto-translator), my comparison guide to buying train tickets in Russia explains the cheaper alternatives and what you give up with each.
Why I recommend it
I’ve been recommending RussianTrain for years to Russiable readers who write in asking me how to sort out the ticket question. After 2022 I tried every alternative out there, and it’s the only one that ticks three boxes at the same time: it speaks your language, accepts your card, and doesn’t force you to set up a technical workaround before booking. Travelers who have used it come back to tell me they received the ticket without issues, boarded the train, and that was that. No further mystery.
Prefer to see every option before deciding? Read the comparison guide to buying train tickets in Russia.
Frequently asked questions
Is RussianTrain safe to buy from?
Yes. It’s a registered company (Anyday Travel LLC) that operates as an official RZD subagent and has been selling to international travelers for years. Card payment is processed with standard encryption and they never ask for more data than what’s needed to issue the ticket.
Is the ticket I receive the same one that would come from rzd.ru?
Yes. It’s the official Russian Railways e-ticket, with its 14-digit reference number. When boarding, the conductor scans the code and your seat is registered in RZD’s system.
What happens if my train is cancelled?
If RZD or the operator cancels the train (rare), RussianTrain processes the full refund without penalty to the same card you paid with. For the opposite case —when you are the one cancelling— see the next question.
Can I cancel and get my money back?
Yes, and you know this before paying. Russian domestic tickets follow RZD’s standard policy: they are cancellable from your profile on the website, with a penalty that grows as you approach the departure date. The only tickets that are never refunded are the international segments of the Trans-Siberian, Trans-Mongolian and Trans-Manchurian with departure from Mongolia or China, and RussianTrain flags this clearly before charging you. To cancel, you log into your profile with the email and password you received when booking, click the ‘Cancel’ button next to the ticket, and the refund goes back to the same card you used to pay.
What languages is the website in?
English, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Portuguese. Email support also replies in these languages.
What cards does it accept?
Visa, Mastercard, Maestro and American Express, issued in any country (except where specific issuer sanctions apply). You don’t need a MIR card or a Russian bank account.
When do I receive the e-ticket?
Normally between five and thirty minutes after payment. On some trains with manual validation it may take a few hours. It arrives as a PDF at the email address you provide when booking.