Key Events in 2020
Vladimir Pyastolov appointed General Director of JSC FPC
On 2 October 2020, the Board of Directors elected Vladimir Pyastolov, who had been in charge of the North Caucasus Railway (a branch of Russian Railways) since January 2016, to the position of General Director of JSC FPC.
Vladimir Pyastolov graduated from the Ural Electromechanical Institute of Railway Engineers with a degree in Railway Transport Services Management (1992) and the Ural Academy of Public Administration with a degree in State and Municipal Management (2009).
From 1984 to 2012, he worked at the South Ural Railway, having worked his way up from a traffic department operator at the Zlatoust branch to First Deputy Head of the South Ural Railway.
In 2012, he was appointed First Deputy Head of the North Caucasus Railway, and then headed it from 2016 to 2020.
Presentation of a concept open-plan carriage with personalised spaces
On 13 February, at the Adler railway station, FPC jointly with JSC Transmashholding presented one of the concepts for an open-plan carriage with personalised spaces. The concept was developed under the Long-Term Agreement between JSC FPC and JSC TVZ for passenger rolling stock development, design, manufacture, testing, and certification in 2019–2025.
The concept showcased to passengers is based around a combination of the standard berth arrangement of third-class open sleeping carriages with compartment modular sections. Each carriage can keep traditional layout berths convenient for families, large groups or senior passengers travelling together, and also berths for customers seeking more privacy on a trip.
The pavilion with the life-size model at the Adler station remained open for visits for two weeks. Everyone could leave their feedback and suggestions concerning the concept carriage by filling out a paper or online questionnaire. The feedback is used to further improve the carriage design.
FPC’s first Business Woman corporate contest
Between 2 and 4 March, the Company held its first FPC Business Woman corporate contest and an off-site meeting themed “Improving Human Capital Efficiency”. The event participants were female employees based at the Company’s branches across Russia. Women are well represented across all levels of the organisation, working as ticket clerks, passenger train attendants, train masters, site managers, and also occupying management positions, including at the executive level. The meeting discussed matters related to career and personal growth, the role of women in business development, as well as topics around corporate culture, and occupational health and safety.
The Company pays great attention to creating a truly comfortable working environment for women.
New tourist train Sochi connecting popular Black Sea resorts
On 15 August, a new tourist train No. 927/928 Sochi was launched between popular resorts of the Black Sea on the Tuapse–Sochi–Gagra route.
The interior designs of the Sochi train’s signature carriages are stylised to look like they are from the 1970s and 1980s, yet they fully meet all modern requirements. Each carriage is equipped with air conditioning, environmentally friendly toilet facilities, sockets and USB ports to charge devices.
Launch of the Strizh higher-speed passenger trains between Saint Petersburg and cities in the Volga region
On 21 August, Strizh higher-speed train No. 713/714 was launched on the Saint Petersburg–Samara route, almost halving the travel time to 19 hours. This became possible due to a special schedule and the carriage design of Strizh trains, unique in Russia, which allows train speeds of up to 200 km/h.
The launch of the new higher-speed train has improved interregional transport connectivity, enhanced the quality of transport services for people and contributed to the development of domestic tourism.
Presentation of the T-sized passenger carriage concept at Moscow Paveletsky station
On 2 October, at Paveletsky railway station in Moscow, FPC presented the concept for a next-generation third-class open sleeping carriage, developed by Transmashholding for FPC through a joint effort with FPC experts. The carriage is designed for operation in Russia and has larger dimensions than conventional carriages in long-distance trains.
Previously, only carriages for suburban electric trains were manufactured in size T. The new size carriage has larger dimensions than those of standard size carriages in longdistance trains (1-BM), being 28 cm wider and 73 cm longer.
By expanding the exterior carriage dimensions and revising the interior layout, designers managed to increase the internal space as well (from 16 m to 18.9 m), an almost 3 m increase in length. The presented concept has larger berths and luggage storage space by 10 % and 14 %, respectively.
Double-decker trains launched on new routes
On 12 October and 16 November, despite the adverse epidemiological situation, FPC launched two double-decker trains, No. 21/22 Murmansk–Saint Petersburg and No. 743/744 Moscow–Smolensk. There were thus 20 pairs of double-decker trains running on 14 routes across Russia in 2020.
The new rolling stock is equipped with microclimate and air purification systems and environmentally friendly toilets, as well as sockets and USB ports for charging mobile devices. For people with disabilities, one carriage in every train is equipped with a boarding lift for wheelchairs and other necessary equipment for a comfortable ride, with all information duplicated in Braille.
55th anniversary of the South Ural branded train
On 20 November, the Chelyabinsk railway station hosted an official train departure ceremony to mark the 55th anniversary of the South Ural branded train No. 13/14 Chelyabinsk–Moscow.
The train on this route was launched in 1965 and became one of the first branded trains of the South Ural Railway. The South Ural train has traditionally pioneered some of the best practices in customer service.
The event included an award ceremony celebrating the passenger who was the first to purchase a ticket for the anniversary trip from the departure station.