Lotus (train)

1970 - the Lotus train was first launched along the route Astrakhan - Moscow .

In 1992, the train was transferred to the branded category.

In 2005, special uniforms with the logo of the Volga Railway were introduced for conductors serving the train. In the same year, due to the intergovernmental conflict between Russia and Kazakhstan, the train canceled all Kazakhstan stops at the Pallasovka - Upper Baskunchak section, which twice enters the territory of the West Kazakhstan region. In 2005-2007, a direct train was also assigned to the train: Moscow-Paveletskaya-Volgograd-Astrakhan with the number 18 (it ran with trains No. 1/2 Moscow-Volgograd and 605/606 Volgograd-Astrakhan, back to Volgograd followed with another direct train car as a separate train No. 37) and painted in the signature colors of the Lotus.

In 2005, the train transported 192,000 passengers.

Starting November 10, 2011, the route of the route was significantly updated (the train was redirected through the Gryazi-Voronezh , Povorino and Volgograd instead of Tambov and Saratov to replace the canceled train No. 37/38 Volgograd - Astrakhan ).

In 2011, eight reserved seats for train trains were updated. Double-glazed windows have been installed in new cars, a modern air conditioning system, dry closets and electronic displays with information about time, temperature in the car’s cabin, and the operation of the toilet have been installed. The cost of new cars amounted to about 239 million rubles ^[1] .

Since November 2012, the Federal Passenger Company, together with the satellite operator Stack.Com, began to provide train passengers with a new paid service - mobile Internet . This service can be used by owners of devices that support Wi-Fi technology. The signal is received through the 3G + satellite communication complex installed in the head carriage . ^[2]

On January 15, 2013, in connection with the cancellation of the fast train No. 93/94, the train was returned to its previous track and put on schedule for the canceled train in total turnover with passenger train No. 283/284. A few months later, train No. 283/284 disappeared from the schedule, and the wagons left from 2007 and inherited by Lotus from the former train No. 93/94 remained on the route. Since the spring of 2016, in connection with the liquidation of the wagon section of the VChD-16 Astrakhan railroad carriage, the train was transferred to Volgograd for formation and linked to the general turnover with Volgograd-1/2 train Volgograd - Moscow .

Since the summer of 2016, the train was handed over to the formation in Saratov; At the same time, short-haul trailer cars (Moscow-Paveletskaya-Saratov) appeared on the train.

From December 12, 2016 to August 3, 2017, an experiment was carried out on the train route to transfer the train schedule from Astrakhan to an earlier time, associated with the transition of the Astrakhan region to Samara time (until 2016, the train departure time was shifted from 12:30 at the beginning 2000s to 13:50 by 2015, and in 2016 the schedule was shifted more than 3.5 hours ago). Starting from August 4, 2017, the departure time from Astrakhan was returned to the usual one - 13:50, arrival in Moscow the next day at 16:49 ^[3] , however, after four months the schedule of the 2016 model was again introduced.

The modern composition scheme was formed by combining with "Lotus" one of the previously canceled trains that ran on the route Saratov - Moscow. Since December 2017, the part of the train following the shortened route (Moscow - Saratov) is attached in the tail section in Saratov, and in the head section in Moscow; An average of 6 to 9 carriages + a carriage-restaurant arrives to Astrakhan. The rotation of wagons for maintenance in the depot along the route is ensured by changing the direction of travel in Michurinsk-Uralsky and the inclusion of trailed wagons of a short route.

Over the course of more than forty years of the train’s history, its route has repeatedly changed. Two variants of the route were most often used - through Tambov and Saratov and through Povorino and Volgograd, diverging within the Michurinsky junction and connecting in the Upper Baskunchak. Regardless of the configuration of the route, four changes of the locomotive are envisaged on the route - in Uzunovo, Michurinsk-Uralsky, Rtishchevo I and Saratov I.

• Named train "Lotus".
• Named train Lotos of the Volga Railway will take part in the competition for the best train of Russian Railways.