Upgrading the carriages
In addition to the purchase of new rolling stock, FPC focuses on upgrading and improving the equipment of carriages built earlier.
The new third-class open sleeping carriage concept, developed by Vagonremmash, has been implemented in a pilot batch of carriages converted from existing mass-produced carriages trough overhauls with service life extension.
The main difference from the existing design is the personal space optionality offered to each passenger by using partitions installed along the aisle and individual curtains.
The upgraded carriage has more comfortable sofas with headrests, individual lights, power sockets, and USB ports. Upholstery is made of materials that meet fire safety regulations and are resistant to abrasion and other fabrics dyeing. The passengers on the upper berths now have an extra table.
The refreshed third-class open sleeping carriage provides for a modular replacement of interior elements, which will help reduce repair time and costs and also enable changes to the interior over the service life of the carriage.
The Company operates 11,554 carriages with power sockets for device charging, with the share of such carriages in the total fleet at 72.2%.
FPC has completed the project to equip its branded trains with high-speed data lines, with a total of 5,765 carriages equipped with this new feature. The data line is used to provide passengers with access to the Poputchik (Fellow Passenger) multimedia portal, as well as for technical purposes – the operation of the carriage equipment monitoring and diagnostics system, the CCTV system, and the passenger boarding control system. The Company also plans to use the data line for providing voice communication for the train crew and for deploying the software to replace legacy equipment used in the passenger train security and communication monitoring and control system.
Water and air sanitisers are also being installed, with the percentage of carriages already equipped with them standing at 26% and 36%, respectively.