European Railroad Discussion > Travel in the USSR in 1944-45 period.

A family friend of my wife sent her a question to ask me,"the train expert".  Sadly I haven't the faintest clue what the answer is.  I know nothing about railways in the USSR during the Second World War.   Here is the question.

"For my current book sequel to the previous one, I need to find out the approximate cost of a train trip, in rubles, from Novosibirsk to Moscow around 1944 or 1945.  I have read that there were two classes of travel -- the 'soft train' (first class) and the 'hard train' (hard wooden benches and berths). My characters are in the more comfortable 'soft train'...even a very approximate amount would be helpful."

My questions:

Would a trip like this be possible in a sleeper or even in coach?   By whom?   For what reasons?  What were the wartime restriction that the common folk faced?  What was the rate per kilometer for a 2800 km trip?

Any recommendation on where to look for any information?  Any books on rail travel in the USSR? I found a railway museum in St Petersburg but they are closed and I can't find a email address.

Thank-you in advance.

Gerry Gaugl
Ottawa Canada

You could try "Soviet Railways Today" by JN Westwood, published in 1963.  Some info on wartime services, but don't think it gets as detailed as fares. 

These folks could likely help out:  Novosibirsk Museum of the Railway Technology

The TripAdvisor article notes that Russian trains of the era had first class, second class, third class, and prisoner class accommodations

I have no clue on how to determine the cost, but if I understand correctly, under the Soviet era "internal passport" system, you couldn't just go down to the station and buy a ticket for such a trip.  The actual cost may be irrelevant. 

All I know about the subject comes from, back in the1980s, having a Russian expat girlfriend whose mom was quite vocal on how awful the system was, (despite the fact that she WAS allowed to travel, because of her role in the propaganda film industry.)

And even without the tyranny, at this time, the war was still going on, with immense hardship for everybody. 

It was wartime and the railways were already overwhelmed with all of the traffic they were moving.
Unless they were travelling on "government business" I don't think they would even be able to get tickets much less make the trip.
 

So, the character would need a reason to request travel.

Posted from Android

Your author friend might do more research on life in the USSR in 1944.  

10 million soldiers had already been killed in the war.  1 to 2 million citizens had starved to death in Leningrad due to the Nazi blockade.  All production efforts were dedicated to the war machine to move Nazi German forces back to the west.  

I think very few citizens were thinking about anything other than the most meager needs for actual survival.  

If the character in the book was indeed making the 3000+ km journey to Moscow, then they were likely military, or of an elite class that had enough priviledge to worry about something other than whether or not their household would receive any bread in the upcoming week.  

If you can get past these issues, you may find how train tickets were distributed, and what the cost, if any, would be.  

Best!  I know very little about the former USSR, but I know enough to appreciate that the was effort gripped the country much more than in the USA, and that the loss of life was incredibly high.  



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/26/21 03:22 by gobbl3gook.