Good. I'm surprised how unique we are. One has only to raise a little in welfare and economy, immediately pulls towards luxury. The justification for spending, the lack of efficiency, the comicality of the result and general degradation do not matter. Draws to palaces and that's it. When you try to explain what efficiency and rationalism are, they immediately protect the swamp. With or without money, he doesn't care. By the way, the Poles were especially successful. How skillfully they defend their ineffective and non-European infrastructure, if you only knew. Okay, Ashgabat, but this is happening even with fraternal countries.
Belarus. From dirt to Kings. Cities strive to do better, send specialists to adopt the experience of the housing and communal services in Germany, everything is clean and logical, they are putting things in order. In a previous article, one of the readers gave an example of a photo of a road to the border with the Russian Federation. Now there is a re-equipment of Belarusian railways with the latest high-tech class electric trains, built best factory in the world for their production by the Swiss, the lines are electrified, keeping environment green.
It would seem, what else to dream of? They launched trains that carry the richest Swiss, who are bought up by Germans, Americans, Finns, Norwegians, Estonians and half the world. The Americans are generally shocked, having bought up licenses for the Swiss military-industrial complex, dreaming of getting more transport technologies, Stadler is among the top priorities.
But not all of us have read the tale of the fisherman and the fish, they do not remember about the broken trough. Recently, an entertaining post about what "bad trains Stadler" flashed like lightning in the top of LJ. As you can imagine, I could not pass aside and joined the discussion.
I remember that my opponents simply relied on boiling water due to the fact that the Stadlers from Minsk cost an impressive order of magnitude cheaper than our Aeroexpress, even taking into account the second floor. Now, passengers in a country without free super profits from raw materials are proving that they don't care about the price, they are worried about other things. "This is not a business class!" - passengers make noise. This is going to be a hot article!
tut.by link with photos
Collected all the claims that were published in the post and comments by real or "cardboard" passengers of the Belarusian Stadler. By the way, they write that the train is temporary, only as a substitute for residents who are accustomed to good things. Then it will be replaced by a more comfortable Stadler. But nevertheless, it is interesting to analyze the discontent of passengers with this train.
1. Low speed.
2. The trains are equipped with uncomfortable hard chairs without armrests, with headrests, and no tables.
3. There are no hooks for clothes on the train (I must say right away, there are hooks, the author was just inattentively looking for them. They are in her photographs. But a photo from the exhibition by Varlamov, look for a photo with hooks http://varlamov.ru/454211.html )
4. “There is no coffee or tea, it is impossible to have a snack. Water can be bought from the guide. There is 1 conductor for several cars, whom we saw 3 times during the whole trip. She offered water, yes. "
5. This is not business class!
1. A unique situation when a person complains about a low speed after the launch of new trains with a reduction in time by as much as an hour out of four. The Stadler can easily reach 160 km / h. The best thing that went along the route was the DR1B (series 500), which is essentially a copy of the 63-year-old model. DR1 was produced right up to the end of the 90s, then it was cut out of production. But in 2005 nothing better was found and they put it into series again. In 2011 they drank again. Its speed is 120 km / h.
2. Salon DR1 500 looks something like this. 2nd grade. (The first one is not much different):
And now they change it to this one: "Red, quiet, fashionable, but without bicycle seats." These are the words budgawl from the reportage, where cyclists compare electric trains... By the way, they placed the bicycles well. In fact, his younger brother is "red", as our hero of blue color... Here is the new EPr Stadler.
www.rw.by
Headrests are vital. They save lives in the event of an accident.
3 ... They found out by the hooks, they are, it can be seen even in the photo in the same article. According to the sockets: "there are not enough sockets in the train, but they, in contrast to the ES1" Lastochka "electric train, are located in a convenient and familiar place."
Even from the point of view of the logic of the layman, it is clear that with huge cars and trunks it is more convenient to get out and in exactly in Stadler, and not to wipe off the dirty vestibules.
4 ... Lack of cookies is the main problem of the train, I readily believe. Conscience does not allow taking an apple or a banana with you on the road. As a matter of principle, I never bought snacks on Swiss trains. All from the store. Why pay double the price if I can buy something cooler than hardware for it, or just save money. But the fact that there was only 3 conductor and only 3 times during the whole trip is a "tragedy".
People do not understand that the economy is not able to pull on the cashier at every station, 10 conductors who are on duty in every car "what will you please?"
Believe it or not, I have never seen in my life how money is taken from outlets in Switzerland, I have not even seen special vehicles! Never! How do they do it? But every day in Khamovniki I see how cash-in-transit vehicles cut into the sidewalk, scaring away passers-by, and stop right in front of the entrance. They smoke with diesel engines, release and admit three fellows. They just shout: "We have money, a lot of money!" It is hard for people to realize that Switzerland cannot be built with such an approach. They, like Omsk road workers, argue that such an approach is correct and that "it just needs more money." Many times more. And they give us ... Oh, how they will do it!
Okay, ok, for 3-4 hours of travel you need a legal cart from transport company with drinks and cookies. But more than 1-2 conductors are not required. The real job of a conductor in Switzerland is to check and validate tickets. Therefore, rabbits in SBB are 0. You can drive rabbits in NOT, on a piece of iron in any way, if it is not a narrow-gauge railway.
From the entire list of claims to the train, except for the seats, and then those shabby and terrible chairs like Tu 134, on which they suddenly dry up only in this post and comments, these are not chairs. But this only suggests that they ordered the simplest train in a simplified configuration in order to make it as affordable as possible.
On the other hand, guys, it should be somehow more modest. They brought you high-tech. You, back in the 90s, "swam" like we do in hopelessness and ruins. This is still unattainable for Ukraine and the Russian Federation. For Switzerland itself, something like that is quite the norm, at least on hourly trips, for sure.
Do you want to know, my roads, counts and countesses, how the richest people in Europe traveled by train in Switzerland for 3-4 hours or more, until the trains were changed not so long ago? See for yourself, these are my photos. There are only one or two such photos on the network and that's it:
There was a newer option: 
To be honest, it was very comfortable. The seats are normal. After our boards on the trains, it was cool. But I was especially pleased with the total silence and smoothness.
Then the Swiss lost the tender and won the Bombardier. 
These are the chairs and salons on trains for several hours. But today everything has changed again and Bombardier lost to the Swiss, Stadler is already starting to produce the world's first low-floor high-speed trains EC250. This time, Stadler's designers were able to make a product that is unique in its technology and convenience, raising the bar even higher. In the meantime, "imported" ones are still driving. In quotes, because Bombardier has his own factories and a huge applied research center, where future technologies for rolling stock are being created. Do you understand, yes? Not in Canada, Cyprus or Lithuania and Poland. And in Switzerland. 
And these are ours. Moscow-Kaluga. 3 hours 15 minutes. And the neighbors are not happy with the Stadlers. But not so long ago we went to dostochki. 
And this is a train for the Aeroexpress for trips at all times. Top-end configuration:
Giant, spacious and light economy. Even Bombardier looks like a dark European garbage against his background ... 
Business is generally cooler than Airbus ... .
5. "This train is not business class!"
No guys, this train is just business class. This is a play on words. Not the decoration, but the train itself, do you understand? For clarity, I want to demonstrate the European mentality in this regard. There is business class car platform... On the example of the Germans, this is a Mercedes E or a BMW 5. It doesn't matter. Exists various equipment that the buyer chooses.
For Europe, the most basic simple interior with hard seats upholstered in coarse fabric... By the way, if earlier it was soft velor, as in modern buses and electric trains, today it is precisely a rough and uncomfortable fabric. Well, like in some Hyundai. The car is empty, there is nothing... But she is still business class... For Germany, the norm to buy luxury car as standard. Here's a similar story. You won't find such a car here.
Only in the post-Soviet space they do not understand this, or rather do not accept this mentality... The Germans know this, so we have basic configuration just not available. They know that we, having earned some money, definitely want to spend everything and shout about it to the whole world, including our neighbors. Like, I earned it. And the fact that half of the options will never be used, and the velor interior is actually more comfortable than ordinary leather, this does not bother anyone. Therefore, for us it is the skin or very good skin. But Mercedes official website in Germany... Here's what I "put together" in the constructor as an example:
Basic salon for Germany. Upholstered in fabric with inserts. Hard seats. 
And this is another option with options for a comfortable cabin. Really luxurious and comfortable seating. In practice, the difference is even more impressive than in the pictures. 
Stadler. Luxurious equipment with comfortable seats. Sitting here is cooler than on an airplane or in newest Mercedes, I appreciated it well. 
Thus, Stadler is in any case business class, since it carries fundamentally different platform, ultramodern units and assemblies, fundamentally different materials and approaches. Each Stadler car is minus 10 tons compared to a standard carriage, as it is made of aluminum. This in turn makes the train absolutely silent, it does not crap with vibration and noise within a radius typical of a conventional diesel engine or electric train. For Switzerland, this is part of the strategy " society 2000 watts».
The minimum weight does not give such wear and tear on components and assemblies (including wear brake system and excessive dust formation), on railway tracks and infrastructure. The work of the driver in such a machine is minimized in terms of health hazards. Metro drivers will understand what I mean especially well, where dustiness seriously affects their health. It is more than obvious that this is one of the reasons why Stadler trains were chosen for the metro in Berlin.
All devices of the Stadler train train work as harmoniously as possible as a single organism. You don't have the feeling that the different parts of the train are living their own lives. Train carts are also highly effective in solving problems in terms of noise, consistency and comfort.
The design allows make panoramic windows and admire your land... By the way, there were special orders for trains with monolithic windows, "Going" to the roof.
Conclusions.
We see that the Belarusian Railway has purchased high-quality and cool trains, which are purchased in the most expensive countries. They only went wrong with the seats, but this train is only temporary for this line. It was necessary to take it as for Norway. And speaking of "if", it is worth recalling once again that the capabilities of this model are almost twice restrained by sections of the railway, which, due to their backwardness, do not allow to drive 160 km / h (the old smoking and roaring diesel engines have a potential of 120). That is, you need to invest in infrastructure.
These trains regardless of the configuration belong to the class of business trains. The total equipping of the Stadlers, in conjunction with the Swiss approach to infrastructure, is the main status element of a powerful, successful and prosperous state... The introduction of these trains has the most positive effect on the development of the national economy, even in the case of direct imports. Including for investors, cities and regions that can build up land with comfortable housing along the railway lines using the Swiss development strategy.
In case of deployment full production in Russia or partial localization together with Belarus, the benefits are even greater in all areas. This is a fundamental moment for me.
For those who directly buy equipment, the conclusion is even more obvious. There is no need to save on trains. The salons do not need gold and chrome trinkets, carpets, etc. other Middle Ages. But the seats need to be ordered commensurate with the distances with all your needs in the form of sockets and reclining armrests. The segmentation of the cabin is extremely important, that is, its visual division to more private areas, various options for the arrangement of seats in one car.
Any disputes about how to save money on the train should be stopped. Otherwise, you will be saving on the economy, country and lives on a fantastic scale, when the process of automobilization will finally turn into an uncontrollable channel.
Remember, mobility is the foundation of a successful economy. All questions on this thesis to the professors of ETH. There is "their own way", immediately to them, they are in constant scientific and applied search, the gratitude of "discoveries" will have no boundaries.
Best regards, Alexander Mostovoy
The first train of 25 double-deck trains from the Stadler company for the Aeroexpress arrived in Moscow. Yesterday, it was presented to journalists and the mayor of the capital. And soon the train leaves for the VNIIZhT test ring in Shcherbinka, where it will face the most serious tests in the next 8 months. Only by next autumn, having received all the necessary certificates of conformity, the train will delight the first passengers of the Aeroexpress with its comfort and spaciousness.
For now, I can show you how it works.
This is a two-story train with six or four carriages. It was named "Eurasia". New trains for Aeroexpress are being built on the proven platform of the KISS model. The size of the wagons manufactured for Russia is larger than all the KISS trains that Stadler has ever produced. Our 1520 mm track gauge allows us to produce cars with a width of 3400 mm. The Western European gauge is 1435 mm and trains for Western Europe are 2800 mm wide. The train for Aeroexpress is made in the maximum possible width dimension - "T". He also has the maximum possible height - 5240 mm. This is the largest train in width and height that Stadler has made, and it is larger than all trains of the same family. The carriages are made of aluminum. The operating speed is 160 km / h. Interestingly, as a rule, manufacturers of double-deck trains cannot solve the problem of the location of traction elements in carriages, and the end carriages are motorized, which reduces the useful train length occupied by passengers. The same train a passenger can go through - from cab to cab. To do this, you have to walk up the stairs. There are 9 steps to the upper "decks", and 3 to the lower ones, 12 in total. One of the end carriages is for business class passengers, and the other has a lift and a large toilet for the needs of passengers with limited mobility. The lift is powered by a euro key, which is common to most European disabled people. On the train, he will be with the conductors. In the large toilet of the head car, in addition to the "classic" button for flushing the dry closet, a pedal is installed. There is also a folding changing table. It has an ultraviolet disinfection lamp that turns on for 2 minutes when the table is folded. The sink with a tap, a soap dispenser and a dryer is located in an interesting niche under the mirror. The same sinks are found in smaller toilets in other cars. In business class, the seats are arranged in 4 rows, 2 and 2. Each has its own 200 W socket - enough for a laptop and a phone. The chairs are reclined. There are luggage racks, hangers and a table for making drinks and snacks. In the rest of the carriages, the seats are located 5 in a row, 3 and 2. They recline at a shorter distance. There are no outlets. But there are folding tables and "hooks" for clothes. There are luggage racks, as well as a lot of free space under the seats. By the way, along the floor of the cars there are several powerful sockets, I think, for the needs of cleaning services - I wonder if it will be possible to "recharge" passengers there. There are WiFi routers. The equipment allows the use of services for communication up to 5 different providers of all possible systems simultaneously. The train has its own server and there is a remote connection with it. Remotely you can see the most different technical information about the state of the train. At the request of the customer, the servers can broadcast films, games, applications and other information for passengers without the need for Internet access. It is even possible to broadcast images from video cameras of the head cars. This opportunity is implemented in a similar train from Stadler for a private carrier in the Czech Republic, which I wrote about some time ago:. But the manufacturers themselves do not recommend this - the average passenger may not like it if he sees, for example, some suicide throw himself under the train. In general, the possibilities for additional service on this train are enormous - I wonder which of them will be provided to the first passengers next year.
From 2 to 5 September in Shcherbinka the International Railway Salon of Equipment and Technologies "EXPO-1520" was held. Today I invite you to familiarize yourself with the electric train that took part in the dynamic exposition. Welcome to the new double-decker Aeroexpress!
The electric train I'm going to talk about today is called the Stadler KISS. This model received the designation "ESh2" in Russia. The train is called Eurasia. Made in Switzerland, by the way. It should be said right away that it is not yet very clear how many such trains Aeroexpress will receive. Due to financial problems, the price of trains has skyrocketed. I hope that the situation will be resolved for the better.
Two electric trains were presented at the exhibition: one 4-car and one 6-car. In addition to their composition, they are no different from each other, so first we will see a 4-car train, and then we will ride a 6-car train.
Let's start with the first car. The first car in the train is a business class, just like a regular Aeroexpress. We rise to the second floor. The ceilings are high enough, there is no discomfort.
Comfortable leather seats. As if I had already hit the plane. There are armrests, where without them.
In business class, each passenger has their own socket.
There are also footboards.
Outer clothing can be hung in the middle of the carriage.
Business class amenities.
The monitor showed the Stadler tram "Myatselitsa", which was being tested in Moscow. Now he is in Samara.
Waste bin.
Toilets are located in each carriage of the electric train.
Let's go down to the first floor. It is also very spacious here. Lots of luggage space.
For the convenience of passengers, the seats can be moved forward.
Let's go towards the economy class. Now almost all passengers will either go up or down the steps.
We go to the next car. The doors open automatically after pressing a button.
Several places for persons with disabilities and passengers with children are still provided. They are flush with the train doors.
Passengers who have just entered the carriage see exactly such a picture. Economy class.
First we go up to the second floor.
The seats here are, of course, less comfortable than in the business class. But for a 40-minute trip it is quite enough.
There are places for both two and one. The seats can be moved forward.
The ground floor is almost the same. I never found any outlets in economy class. It would be good to think about it.
Luggage rack above the seats.
And finally, the cockpit. Impressive.
Let's go for a ride? Our electric train is already arriving at the platform.
A standard jingle sounded in the cabin, followed by an announcement: "Caution, the doors are closing, the next station is Kievsky railway station." Then in English, of course.
We were on the way for about 5-7 minutes (two laps along the Shcherbinsky ring). The view from the second floor is very interesting.
Have arrived.
The platform is in a curve, so the car is not on the same level with the platform. Everything will be fine on the lines to the airports.
I liked the train very much. I hope that all problems (including financial ones) will be resolved and passengers will be able to see a real European electric train. But I would like to see such trains on ordinary commuter routes, and not just like Aeroexpress. By the way, several such electric trains are already operating in Baku (Azerbaijan).
To be continued. Thank you for your attention!
Recently, I again had the opportunity to visit the Aeroexpress depot on Belorusskaya, about the depot itself, Interesting Facts I have already written about him and the life hacks of Aeroexpress, I will not repeat myself. This time the visit was special, because a two-story Aeroexpress made by the Swiss company Stadler was brought to the depot. And what a - ESh2-001, that is, the Stadler double-decker electric train 001, the very first train that came to Russia a couple of years ago, but until 2017 was tested and certified and relatively recently put on the line.
How could I have missed the opportunity to look from below, from above, to the right, to the left and from the inside at this train? So a comparison with a Mercedes constantly climbed into my head. latest model and Zhiguli from the 1970s (and the old Soviet trains from these years are).
You just go into the cab, and there the adjuster sits in a perfectly clean overalls and, having connected to the train, diagnoses its systems 😱
I'm not talking about the cleanliness in the cab and the chair with a bunch of armrest settings, lumbar supports, side support. It looks like a simple cloth, but in fact, like in a Mercedes S-class.
For those who are not in the subject, I will show you how the salon of the recently modernized classic Aeroexpress train looks like:
That is, it seems to be OK at first glance, but you begin to peer into the details, into all these huge buttons with a backlash, frayed levers. Yes, a budget "foreign car" that you can drive without straining
For contrast, I will show you the photos that I took in very classic electric trains at the Pererva depot.
This is what I understand, old school 💪🏻😂 And just as there are no two identical Zhiguli (they always have to be modified and settled for themselves), so with electric trains. Like it or not, the drivers still bring in their own: they'll lay linoleum here, there are curtains, a softer chair.
The steering wheel, by the way, is not to turn, it is gas - to turn more or less.
THOUGHT! And so that the business lounge of the two-story Aeroexpress is in contrast to you:
But Economy:
Every time I rejoice how the chairs are not attached to the floor, but to the wall: if you want to put your things, if you want to lay out your legs:
The headlights (they are also rear running lights) are diode and can shine both red and white. In addition, diodes last almost indefinitely. It may even not have to change them until the end of operation, and the Stadler's service life is 40 years (!) Versus 28 for the modernized Soviet electric trains. That is, in theory, although two-story trains are expensive, they pay off, both in ticket sales and in the long term.
By the way, the fact that Aeroexpress is a private company was already known, but I was surprised to find out that since the tracks and infrastructure (except for terminals at the Airports and depots) belong to Russian Railways, Aeroexpress rents everything, therefore, at the same cost of a flight with a two-story the train is more profitable.
Interestingly, the carriages of double-decker Stadlers can only be uncoupled in the depot, and this can take an hour or more:
There are not only a bunch of electrical equipment connected between the cars, but also two "accordions", the outer of which covers both the equipment and the coupling. So also the coupling of the cars itself is bolted!
And this is how Stadler's cart looks like:
The classic spring bogies in the depot can also be viewed
I was also surprised to see that the height of the two-story structure is not much different from the classic one (at the entrance you get an interfloor area, one floor is below the platform, the other is higher):
True, this "little" has become a stumbling block: after the Belorussky railway station, the train must pass under the Tverskoy overpass, and there just about half a meter is missing. That is, physically the train passes, but according to the standards it is impossible. Therefore, two-story Stadlers go only to Vnukovo and Domodedovo.
O! What are the broken pantographs:
This, of course, is from classic electric trains.
At Stadlers, both the pantograph is more abrupt, and the current-receiving pads are made of composite materials:
It is interesting that for Russia they came up with a mode of operation in case of freezing rains. Then the first pantograph does not remove the current, it simply cleans the wire without sparks and unnecessary excitement, and further pantographs are already going along the clean wire.
It is interesting that two four-car trains can also be fastened into one long one:
True, you can't go from one squad to another without stopping. It goes without saying that there is not just a rigid coupling, but a complete connection to the systems of the second set and their control.
Generally, of course, in interesting time we live. Trains are a very conservative mode of transport and what we now see is completely new, designed to be used until our old age. We will tell our grandchildren how we saw diesel locomotives, which drove without wires at all, just as we now say about grandmothers: "Oooh! She lived and saw a lot, she also found wireless irons."
So enjoy the moment gentlemen. The last time this happened was only in the 1970s, when new electric trains were massively introduced, and grandfathers and grandmothers said that they also rode on steam locomotives.
Yesterday we went to Minsk on the very famous business-class electric train "Stadler" (the rolling stock EPr of the Stadler company), which appeared on the route Gomel-Minsk (No. 707), Minsk-Gomel (No. 708) since June 3 and which Gomel residents have for so long were waiting.
Travel time is 3 hours.
Tickets cost 8.50 (85,000) Belarusian rubles.
The electric train from Gomel to Minsk and back goes without stops. This is his dignity.
My impressions.
The train leaves at 7 o'clock in the morning. Very comfortably.
We go into the carriage. All clear. We sit down. Almost all the cars are full. There are many people. In the car, only a couple of side lifting places are free.
The seats are awfully hard. Not just tough, but very uncomfortable in design. For a long time, driving on such seats is not just uncomfortable, but excruciatingly uncomfortable. The whole load, whatever one may do, on the ass (tailbone) and back. Because it is impossible to lean your back on the seat back, it is practically straight. Seats for 2 and 3 people.
They seem to be not narrow, but when three adults are sitting hand to hand, shoulder to shoulder, and armrests are not provided there, it is very unpleasant. Especially in the heat, when many people prefer clothes with short sleeves or not at all. Sticky, stick to each other, although the cars are air-conditioned. Yesterday, to our great happiness, our sticking fate was over, it was cool.
In the car, some of the seats are installed along the train, some are face to face. Three opposite each other, knees to knees, eye to eye. Some talk "for life", others want to or not - listen, others sleep, plunged into a deep sleep and open their mouths wide, and those who, on the contrary, involuntarily admire caries in the mouth of their fellow traveler.
There are no tables. Even those folding ones in the front seats.
There is no coffee or tea, it is impossible to have a snack. Water can be bought from the guide. There is 1 conductor for several cars, whom we saw 3 times during the whole trip. She offered water, yes.
There is a trash can in the passenger compartment and where the seats are face to face, small, 10 centimeters, but deep. It seems that you are driving for 3 hours on the worst iron stool in a room full of strangers. It reminded me of a rush hour trip on the factory lines trolleybuses.
By the end of the trip, my back hurts, my bottom hurts, my legs are numb, my head is numb. There are no footrests in the carriages either. Even the simplest ones.
No, I'm not moody. I used to travel to Minsk in "sit-down carriages" with great pleasure.
Only that time and those trains are in the past. Albeit in the near, but the past.
A few years ago, we had a train from Gomel to Minsk and back, in which there were also "sitting cars" with a TV set. 2-3 films and you're at home ..
The chairs are very comfortable, soft, with dividing armrests. True, this train traveled for 4 hours, but the ride was comfortable.
And not all of the seats were facing the same direction. There were carriages where half of the carriage seats in one direction and half in the opposite direction. But there was a dividing wall in the middle of a TV hung. Nobody showed their caries to anyone for 3 hours, no one stared into anyone's eyes, no one vazyukat anyone with sweaty hands / shoulders and no one kicked anyone in a dream.
The electric train "Stadler" of this configuration cannot in any way be called a business class.
This train is good for short distances, when the passenger sat down with readiness # 1 to get off in an hour, or even less.
This equipment is perfect for summer residents, when almost all friends are traveling and chatting. It is ideal for the routes Gomel-Rechitsa, Gomel-Zhlobin, Gomel-Khoiniki, but not for the three-hour trip Gomel-Minsk and even business class.
Tell me, please, those who launched this train on the route Gomel - Minsk and back, traveled all this way in it? Does he know that the elderly people, people with health problems use rail transport services, parents with small children who are extremely uncomfortable to sit on these seats travel? And, yes, for those who will now yell that you should choose other trains and at another time I will say that this is the best time, it is simply ideal in all respects for trips both to Minsk and from Minsk, but the equipment of the carriages should be convenient for people.
