I'm planning a trip next year which would include taking the train from Helsinki (FI)
to St. Petersburg (RU). I've done my online research and know that there are two
trains, the Finnish Sibelius in the morning, and the Russian Repin in the afternoon,
both taking 5hrs30 more or less.

Has anyone travelled on either of these trains? Any comments about comfort, on-board
catering, and so on? Is there a big difference between the Finnish and Russian trains
in this regard? And finally, *why* does the Russian afternoon train have
sleeping-cars in 1st class?

Thanks in advance

Peter

I am planning the same trip in April - how was the train service ? which one didi you take ?

gpmillard wrote:
    > I am planning the same trip in April - how was the train service ? which
    > one didi you take ?

Two trains a day, see http://www.vr.fi/heo/english/ita/ita.htm
I have travelled both and I find the Russian one more comfortable and
it has much better restaurant car. Sibelius is a standard Finnish
long distance train, but it does run more convenient times than
Repin.

We did the trip last May and June. Plan for a very unexciting train trip.
Also plan for some boring waits at the border for currency exchange and
passport/visa control. The Finish train (Sibelius) is far nicer than the
Russian train (Repin) and has a generally more usable schedule. I believe
the Finish train has both 1st. and 2nd. class whereas the Russian train is
2nd. class only. The station in St. Petersburg is a stinkhole as is the
area immediately adjacent to it. Once you get away from the station you'll
find that St. Petersburg is a fantastic city.

--
Voyager



"gpmillard" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > I am planning the same trip in April - how was the train service ? which
    > one didi you take ?
    > --
    > Posted via http://britishexpats.com

voyager wrote:

    > We did the trip last May and June. Plan for a very unexciting train trip.
    > Also plan for some boring waits at the border for currency exchange and
    > passport/visa control.

Hmmm.

The relevant page on the Finnish rail website

http://www.vr.fi/heo/english/ita/ita.htm

claims

'The Finnish morning train Sibelius and the Russian afternoon train
Repin take you safely and punctually to Vyborg and St. Petersburg.'

(note _punctually_) and goes on to say that

'The border formalities, currency exchange and tax-free refunding are
smoothly operated on the running train.'

(note 'the _running_ train')

Maybe you were just unlucky, to be travelling on a day when there was
some sort of extraordinary problem which caused your delay?

cheers,

Henry

our family did this trip some 10 or 12 years ago at night in a sleeper. it
was pretty uneventful except for being awakened for passports at the border
and the much bumpier ride inside russia. i also remember being served tea
from a samovar in the morning.

"voyager" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > We did the trip last May and June. Plan for a very unexciting train trip.
    > Also plan for some boring waits at the border for currency exchange and
    > passport/visa control. The Finish train (Sibelius) is far nicer than the
    > Russian train (Repin) and has a generally more usable schedule. I believe
    > the Finish train has both 1st. and 2nd. class whereas the Russian train is
    > 2nd. class only. The station in St. Petersburg is a stinkhole as is the
    > area immediately adjacent to it. Once you get away from the station
you'll
    > find that St. Petersburg is a fantastic city.
    > --
    > Voyager
    > "gpmillard" wrote in message
    > news:[email protected]...
    > >
    > > I am planning the same trip in April - how was the train service ? which
    > > one didi you take ?
    > >
    > > --
    > > Posted via http://britishexpats.com

Henry wrote:
    : voyager wrote:
    :> We did the trip last May and June. Plan for a very unexciting train trip.

Quite true. If you're willing to sacrifice a smidgen of comfort and
speed for quite a bit of money, you may want to take the bus instead.
There are a gazillion operators, and if you manage to score seats
on a Russian one they can be ludicrously cheap.

    :> Also plan for some boring waits at the border for currency exchange and
    :> passport/visa control.

    : The relevant page on the Finnish rail website
    : http://www.vr.fi/heo/english/ita/ita.htm
    : claims

    : 'The Finnish morning train Sibelius and the Russian afternoon train
    : Repin take you safely and punctually to Vyborg and St. Petersburg.'
    : (note _punctually_) and goes on to say that

Yes, the waits are (mostly) scheduled. It's still boring to twiddle your
thumbs in a motionless train.

    : 'The border formalities, currency exchange and tax-free refunding are
    : smoothly operated on the running train.'
    : (note 'the _running_ train')

This means that you do not have to get out of the train, but the train
does stop on both sides of the border. Currency exchange, however, is
handled by a little bank-on-a-cart pushed through the train (and
their rates were quite reasonable at last check).

    : Maybe you were just unlucky, to be travelling on a day when there was
    : some sort of extraordinary problem which caused your delay?

Alas, Russia being Russia, delays are far from extraordinary.

(And a grain of salt for the above -- it's been 5 years since my last
HEL-SPB-HEL trip by train.)

Cheers,
--
Jani Patokallio >0._, unction of my function. urge. urging of my purging.
[email protected] `..' nip. nip of my snip. now. now. now of my enow. NOW.

hobart xaxinojo schrieb:
    >
    > our family did this trip some 10 or 12 years ago at night in a sleeper. it
    > was pretty uneventful except for being awakened for passports at the border
    > and the much bumpier ride inside russia. i also remember being served tea
    > from a samovar in the morning.
    >
    > "voyager" wrote in message
    > news:[email protected]...
    > > We did the trip last May and June. Plan for a very unexciting train trip.
    > > Also plan for some boring waits at the border for currency exchange and
    > > passport/visa control. The Finish train (Sibelius) is far nicer than the
    > > Russian train (Repin) and has a generally more usable schedule. I believe
    > > the Finish train has both 1st. and 2nd. class whereas the Russian train is
    > > 2nd. class only. The station in St. Petersburg is a stinkhole as is the
    > > area immediately adjacent to it. Once you get away from the station
    > you'll
    > > find that St. Petersburg is a fantastic city.
    > >
    > > --
    > > Voyager
    > >
    > >
    > >
    > > "gpmillard" wrote in message
    > > news:[email protected]...
    > > >
    > > > I am planning the same trip in April - how was the train service ? which
    > > > one didi you take ?

Errr, don't remember any Helsinki - St. Pete overnighter. There might be
sleeper compartmentws even in the Russian daytrain, and overnight
service between Helsinki and Moscow.

Regards, ULF

"Ulf Kutzner" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > hobart xaxinojo schrieb:
    > >
    > > our family did this trip some 10 or 12 years ago at night in a sleeper.
it
    > > was pretty uneventful except for being awakened for passports at the
border
    > > and the much bumpier ride inside russia. i also remember being served
tea
    > > from a samovar in the morning.
    > Errr, don't remember any Helsinki - St. Pete overnighter. There might be
    > sleeper compartmentws even in the Russian daytrain, and overnight
    > service between Helsinki and Moscow.
    > Regards, ULF

The overnight train service between Helsinki and St. Pete run by SZD was
stopped at the same time as the day-time Repin and Sibelius were introduced.
That happened sometime around 1980. Taking the train at that time was pure
torture, because of the long stops for formalities making sleeping
impossible. Now the day-trains are quite nice and do run on time most of the
time.

The terminus in St. Petersburg for trains to and from Helsinki is going to
be changed from Finlyanski station to brand-new Ladozhski in May. Schedules
will not be affected.

tv