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TRANS-SIBERIAN CHANGES: From July 9, Moscow-Vladivostok train 2, the famous "Rossiya" goes daily (prev. every 2 days) & gets new rolling stock with USB ports, personal combination-safes & hot shower in every car - but is slowed down from 6d0h22m (7 nights) to 6d22h39m (8 nights).
Rossiya's slower schedule is the one formerly used by train 100, which is discontinued. The Rossiya will have platskartny & kupé (2nd class 4-berth) only, losing spalny vagon (1st class 2-berth), poss. temporarily (but can buy 4 tickets for sole occupancy for 1, 2 or 3 people).
A new Moscow-Vladivostok train is introduced, train 62, unnamed, still good rolling stock, every 2 days, adopting the faster 6d0h (7 night) schedule formerly used by Rossiya.
This leaves Trans-Siberian travellers with a quandry: Take the famous "Rossiya", train 1 westbound, train 2 eastbound, best facilities, daily, but now takes an extra night & day? Or take nameless train 61/62, older cars, but faster, saving a day & night?
To my knowledge, this is the first time in history that the famous Rossiya (the "Russia") hasn't been the fastest train between Moscow and the Pacific. I'll update schedules & info at https://www.seat61.com/Trans-Siberian.htm when the RZD website stops being 'down'.
Here are (I believe) the new type of sleeping-cars which will run from July on the "Rossiya": http://www.tvz.ru/catalog/passenger/item_detail.php?ELEMENT_ID=1374
