Train travel in the former Soviet Union was a popular means of transport. While the flagship Trans Siberian train line gets all the headlines, many other epic train journeys take place on a daily basis. With the introduction of new borders, already long journey times are extended with lengthy delays at passport and customs control, a chance for less than scrupulous officials (some genuine, some not). Below is an account of a train journey from Yekaterinburg to Astana in Kazakhstan in December, 2010, which shows that some of the finest Soviet traditions are alive and well.
A significant part of the 27-hour journey (2 hours 20 minutes) was spent at the border (longer on the return journey due to the drug-smuggling rings from Afghanistan and Central Asia). Sniffer dogs prowled, questions were asked but no actual luggage was opened. The main activity was bureaucracy - filling out migration cards, getting passports stamped. One of the Russian customs officers, a tall moustachioed cadaverous-looking fellow, gave a lecture on why the delays were necessary.
Standing in the middle of the carriage, he announced that all problems for the Russian and Kazakh peoples were removed in 1917. The imperialist conspiracy of 1991 nullified those achievements and made the ruble convertible, thereby turning it into a lucrative currency. Drug cartels seized the opportunity to enrich themselves and started selling drugs in Russia. A more verbose contribution to the “Anything to declare, Sir?” from customs officials back home.
Advantages Of Cranberry Juice Do Not Include Heating
The 'coupe' carriage was sold out, leaving the more basic platzkart option, which was not only dirty and scruffy, but unnecessarily cold, leading some passengers to sleep in their fur coats and hats. The coal box was being used for other purposes - crates of cranberries had been uploaded in St. Petersburg, with a view to sizable profit in Astana.
The smuggler’s pressure of the border crossing over, a conductor over-indulged on the hard stuff and proceeded to stumble into each compartment, encouraging passengers to contribute favourable comments about him into an official-looking ledger with oil-cloth. Several fellow smugglers, equally relieved, complied.
Border Delays Still Mean Trains On Time
Despite the long border delay (which seems to have been factored into the timetable), the train arrived punctually, as it did at all the transit stations along the 1,000 km journey. Most signs in the station building are in three languages: Kazakh, Russian and English. Examples of some English translations - "Pull In" and "Pull Out" – might not win any literary awards, but the sentiment is at least understandable.
The journey from point of origin, St. Petersburg, takes 64 hours, costing $315 for the platzkart option, $510 for a coupe, shared with three others. With no restaurant car on board, an element of culinary planning is advisable.
Read on for information about paperwork requirements entering and staying in Kazakhstan, or here for more on moving the Kazakh capital to Astana from Almaty.
Paul Bradbury - Author of Hvar: An Insider's Guide to Croatia's Premier Island, and Lebanese Nuns Don't Ski
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