At what age can you ride a train? How to send a child on a train without parents? And in general, what are the rules for transporting children in Russian Railways? We can answer everything in order in this review.
General information on transporting children on Russian Railways trains
Before we move on to answering all the questions, let's get acquainted with the general rules for transporting children both in Russia and abroad.
On commuter trains
The transportation of children on a commuter train is regulated by the following standards:
- children under 5 years old travel free of charge;
- children aged 5 to 7 years travel at a child fare;
- children over 7 years old travel at an adult rate;
In suburban destinations, children under 7 years old cannot travel unaccompanied by adults or parents. For a child over 5 years old, you must obtain a cash-free ticket at the box office. A child under 5 years old cannot occupy a separate seat on the train, otherwise he will have to issue a child ticket.
On trains in Russia and abroad
On Russian Railways trains, transportation of children in the Russian direction, i.e. It differs somewhat between cities in the Russian Federation. Namely:
- Children under 5 years of age who do not occupy a separate seat can still travel for free. For 1 adult passenger 1 child. The ticket is issued at the Russian Railways ticket office;
- if the seat is occupied by a child, then a child’s ticket is purchased for him;
- children aged 5 to 10 years old travel with a child ticket;
- in the “Lux” carriage the following can travel simultaneously: one child under 5 years of age and a child under 10 years of age, regardless of the number of adults;
Unaccompanied travel is only allowed from 10 years of age at the child fare. Exception: if the child is sent to an educational institution.
Important! Rules for transporting children may vary depending on where exactly you are traveling with your child.
- For Ukraine, CIS countries, Lithuania, Estonia and Abkhazia, transportation rules and tariffs correspond to Russian ones, but please note that you cannot buy a children’s train ticket from Ukraine via the Internet;
- For destinations in Finland, children under 6 years old travel free of charge, from 7 am to 5 pm they are charged at the child fare, from 17 am the fare is at full price;
- Trains in non-CIS countries: up to 4 years old - free, from 4-12 at a child's fare, from 12 at an adult fare.
Don't forget that you will need to take your birth certificate and/or passport with you. For children over 14 years old, tickets are issued strictly according to their passport. If the ticket was issued using a certificate, and by the date of the trip the child has a passport, then you need to take both documents.
Advice from experienced travelers
Unfortunately, it is impossible to foresee all unexpected situations in which a child traveling alone may find himself. Therefore, it will be useful for parents to learn from “experienced” travelers how to keep their child as safe as possible on the road:
- Parents are obliged to tell their child about what communication with strangers can lead to.
- It is necessary to warn the child against eating food from neighbors in the carriage. After all, the baby may have food allergies or poisoning.
- The child must have all contacts recorded not only in his mobile phone, but also in a separate notebook. This will provide the ability to communicate with relatives if they lose the gadget.
- It is very important to provide your child with a mini-first aid kit for the entire trip, which will contain essential medicines (iodine, hydrogen peroxide, etc.) and medications if they are prescribed for the baby by a doctor.
- It would be nice to get to know the child’s adult travel companions and the guide. They can look after him during the trip.
It is better to purchase a ticket for cars located in the middle of the train because They are, as a rule, the safest. It is recommended to buy a ticket for a child for a lower seat. He may fall from the top shelf and suffer various injuries. If the baby is located at the top, you should take care of his safety by installing seat belts.
The issue of nutrition is especially relevant in the summer. Therefore, do not put perishable foods in your luggage, but rather provide your child with dry rations in the form of cookies, biscuits and caramels, as well as a supply of bottled water.
Tell your child, for prevention purposes, that the rules of behavior on the train for schoolchildren during the trip are established, first of all, for his own safety.
Hooks
Rules for transporting children's groups
Group transportation of children on a train is also subject to a number of rules that you need to know.
- one adult, during group trips, can accompany no more than 12 children of different ages;
- When boarding children under 14 years of age, they must present a birth certificate or a notarized copy;
- the group leader must have a power of attorney for each child in the group;
We can finish with the basic rules for transporting children on a train. A power of attorney can be written by any parent or guardian. It must be notarized and be personal.
How to buy children's tickets: cost, benefits, registration
From the first part of the article, it became clear that children can travel with three tickets: free, children's or adult. Let's find out how each type of ticket is purchased and how much it costs.
Child ticket up to 5 years old.
If a child travels in the arms of his parents, that is, does not occupy a separate seat on the train, then the ticket can be considered free. If a parent wants to buy a separate ticket for their child, then its cost will be 35-50% of the cost of an adult ticket. Children under 10 years old travel free of charge in the compartment.
Tickets can be issued on our website (indicate the need for a children's ticket when purchasing) or at the Russian Railways ticket office.
Only one child travels free with one adult. If there are more children than parents, they will have to buy a separate ticket at the child fare.
When purchasing a ticket on the website for a child under 5 years of age, please note that it must be in the same order as tickets for adults. A child will not be allowed on the train without a ticket!
Tickets for children from 5 to 10
The cost of a ticket for children at this age ranges from 35 to 50% of the cost of an adult ticket. The child is given a separate seat. If your child turns 10 on the day the train departs, you have the right to send him or her at the child fare.
When purchasing a ticket on our website, simply add a child's ticket to your order. You can also buy a ticket separately, the system itself will calculate the cost of the ticket.
But don’t forget that he won’t be able to board the train without adults.
Tickets for children over 10 years old
Children aged 10 years and older travel at adult fares. The exception is schoolchildren and students of VMU, who can travel with a 50% discount by providing a certificate from the school or college.
What to take with you on the road?
Now, you have already bought tickets and are almost ready for the trip, but the question remains open: what to take with you on the road? Now let’s take a closer look at the approximate list of necessary things for the trip:
- Hygiene products – hand and body wipes, mouthwash and other personal hygiene items
- Comfortable casual clothes
- Drinks that are not diuretic to prevent frequent trips to the public toilet
- Products that store well - sausage, raw eggs are best put aside for another occasion.
You should definitely take hygiene products on the train - especially if the child is small
- The main reason why it is better to take drinks that do not have a diuretic effect is the need to visit the toilet.
- No matter how diligently they clean it, even if you are traveling in a “Lux”, it is still a public place with a huge number of germs
- Traveling by train is the cheapest way to get where you need to go, but if price is an advantage, then there are various disadvantages during travel - shaking, dirt and unfriendly neighbors
- the optimal type of transport for yourself and be prepared for various non-standard situations - then the trip will have a positive ending, and inconveniences will not take you by surprise
Accompaniment: what is needed to send a child without parents
The rules for transporting children in Russia and abroad without parents are significantly different. Let's look at the main nuances for sending your baby with his grandmother or relatives by train.
With escort throughout Russia
How to send a child on a train without parents, but with an escort? This question is asked by every second parent who wants to let their child and relatives relax. The collection of documents begins, some powers of attorney.
We can safely say that traveling around Russia with an escort is quite easy for children. As we have already said, after 10 years a child can travel on a train independently. Until this age, it is best to ask friends or relatives. To accompany you in the Russian Federation, you do not need a special permit. All you need is:
- child's birth certificate;
- accompanying person's identity card;
- tickets;
At this point the list of documents can be considered closed.
Accompanied abroad
If the trip involves crossing a border or the final destination is not on the territory of the Russian Federation, you need to be thoroughly prepared. You will need:
- child's birth certificate;
- official permission, which states the full name of the person accompanying your child, his passport details, as well as the child’s details;
- identification document of the accompanying person;
The most important thing is that the child must clearly understand who he is traveling with so that no questions arise at the border.
What to do with your child on the train: games, tips?
If the journey is long and your child is very active, be prepared for the fact that you need to keep him busy . We offer several options that will brighten up your journey:
- Reading books – it will be interesting to read funny poems or fairy tales about animals to your child. Choose books with bright pictures
- Ball game - buy a soft ball so as not to injure the child and have fun
- Draw pictures - pencils and felt-tip pens will help you - you can think of drawing what the child sees in the window
Think about entertainment for your child, because it’s not a fact that there will be other children on the train
- Technical innovations – download new games or cartoons to your phone or tablet and show them to your child. Don’t rely on searching on the Internet; not all trains are famous for such features as access to a Wi-Fi network
- Favorite helpers – dolls and cars will help you have fun.
So, there are plenty of fun activities to keep your child entertained on the go. Show your imagination and then both you and your child will definitely enjoy the trip , and the minor inconveniences that so often exist on trains will not bother you too much.
Travel of unaccompanied children
Children can travel on a train unaccompanied by adults only after the child reaches 10 years of age. The first thing you need for your child to travel independently:
- have a conversation with the child, tell him about safety rules, safety precautions and all the nuances that he may encounter on the road. Don't intimidate your child, but be honest;
- The lowest shelves are considered the safest place, so buy your child a ticket for this;
- do not forget to provide your child with personal hygiene products and medications for the trip;
- ask the conductor or passengers in the carriage to look after the child and provide assistance if necessary;
- bring a mobile phone with you on the road;
- Be sure to tell those greeting you the number of the carriage where your child is traveling and his telephone number.
General rules for traveling unaccompanied children
You need to understand and follow the general rules for transporting small passengers without parents, namely:
- Children can travel within their region of residence with a ticket;
- children aged 10 to 18 years travel within the Russian Federation only with written permission from their parent;
- unaccompanied children do not exit the train onto the platform;
- children are handed over to their parents only if they provide a passport;
Also, do not forget that Russian Railways has a special service for accompanying children
Safety regulations
At what age can you fly on an airplane?
When children travel independently, train companies are required to bear more than just general responsibility for their lives and health. To some extent, they should replace the children’s parents, providing the most safe and comfortable environment during the journey. Therefore, JSC Russian Railways has developed a number of rules for enhanced security measures during the processing of documents and transportation of children, and Russian law stands guard over their compliance. In case of violations, the carrier may bear administrative, civil and criminal liability.
For their part, parents are obliged to explain the importance of rules of conduct on the railway to their children. They are enshrined in Russian legislation.
Many dangers await children along the way.
Here are the basic requirements for young travelers:
- It is strictly forbidden to play and run on the platform and railway tracks.
- While waiting for the train, children must stay close to adults. And kids need to be held by the hand.
- Children should not leave the carriage without being accompanied by an adult at intermediate stops.
- You can cross railway tracks only at specially equipped crossings. If it is located level with the railway tracks, you need to make sure that there is no approaching train.
- It is mortally dangerous to ride on protruding parts of the carriage.
- You cannot cross railway tracks when there is a prohibiting traffic light (if there is one). It is not recommended to use a mobile phone while crossing the tracks, as well as use headphones because it can be a distraction.
- It is prohibited to run and make noise inside the train, or to visit other carriages.
- To avoid injury, you should not lean out of the windows of moving trains.
- It is necessary to maintain order on the train and treat the carrier's property with care.
Note! If the carriage rules are grossly violated by children or adults accompanying them, the conductor can report this to the head of the train, who, in turn, will take appropriate measures.
Service for accompanying children from Russian Railways
This service is provided for children aged 10 to 16 years, its cost is 1.5 thousand rubles. It turns out the service is as follows:
- Two days before the train departs, you will need to contact one of the ticket offices. If there are less than two days before the train's departure, the service is provided at the discretion of the employees if there are empty seats in specialized compartments.
- The following documents are provided: for the child, passport of one of the parents or representatives.
- Next, fill out a special application, where you will need to indicate the contact information of the greeter.
- Pay the cost of the ticket and the cost of the service.
- Arrive at the station at least half an hour before the train departs and hand the child over to Russian Railways employees.
- Children travel in a special compartment under the supervision of a trained Russian Railways employee.
- If at the time of arrival the greeter is delayed, the children will be accommodated in a special waiting room.
This is a rather convenient service for those who are worried about their children, but cannot send them with anyone. The service can be purchased in the following cities: Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, St. Petersburg, Krasnodar, Sochi, Adler.
Before the train departs, you can cancel the service, and the full cost will be returned to your parents.
Documents for children
To summarize, you need to voice a list of all the necessary documents for children traveling by train.
- for children under 14 years of age - birth certificate or foreign passport;
- child over 14 years old - Russian Federation passport or international passport;
- for children who are not citizens of the Russian Federation, a birth certificate is required;
- when buying a ticket online, you need to provide the document for which the electronic ticket was issued;
Remember that a copy of documents is only suitable if it is notarized!
