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Is it possible to use this train within western Europe part only? For example, on route Nice Ville - Innsbruck or Nice Ville - Wien Meidling? If yes, how much is sleeper reservation on those two routes? I'm plannig to use this train on my Interrail trip next year.

Thank you for your answer!

In theory it is possible to use it. RZD precisely stated possibility to use the train in international connection only, without any exceptions besides excluding Russia-Belarus connection. But in reality all the tickets are issued with a help of "global price" and we haven't seen any other published tariffs besides RZD-FS/SNCF. So at the end the possibility to buy sleeper reservation for the train will fully depend on whether RZD will provide participating railways with full tariff scale (if they even developed it), so SNCF/FS/OEBB etc. can sell anything else besides Nice-Moscow ticket.
But knowing RZD, it might not happen. In similar case with carriage Moscow-Paris (also global price), RZD didn't give tariff for Berlin-Paris, so as result you can't use officially this carriage on travels from Germany to France.

p.s. reading Russian train forums we noticed a lot of doubts about the whole idea of long living of this train. As of now it is listed in the timetables only till 5th of December and recent runs of it carry like 30-40 passengers only (seems far not enough for 8 sleeper carriages and restaurants). Maybe they will save it for the Winter season (skiers going to the Alps etc.), but afterward... nobody knows.

Reports about the first month of that service are quite good. RZD eyes higher frequency, and gradual speeding over the next 2 years.

Reports about the first month of that service are quite good. RZD eyes higher frequency, and gradual speeding over the next 2 years.

Hmm... maybe. Checked seats availability for a few Thursdays in May and it seems that the train is a bit more popular than earlier (probably summer and vacations coming tend to rise demand), but still RZD tends to have this grand almost political projects, thus wouldn't surprise if they continue service even with low occupancy. Plus anyway they already speed it up a bit since the original timing in September 2010.

Btw, strangely enough, but RZD started to publish global fares for this train online in real time, so now we can actually get a glance on global fares set for routes within span of #17/18     

36hrs by 2013 is an ambitious target, but it could also boost intermediate traffic on some key city pairs (Vienna-Milano especially), with the right Nachsprünge.

RZD also serves superior political, well , russian national interests, and it would be no wonder to me, if they would serve cities such as London and Istanbul in the 10 coming years. Munich, Zurich and Geneva (+ St Gervais ;-) are also realistic targets. Barcelona/Madrid might be too much of a stretch, but never say never

36hrs by 2013 is an ambitious target

Hmmm.. way to ambitious, sounds like classic paper project promises. Now they having 35 hours from Terespol till Nice with only Warsaw-Katowice, Vienna-Salzburg and Verona-Genoa as roughly speedy legs. Guess RZD officials think that those projected Talgo trains will save them 15 hours out of nothing 

...if they would serve cities such as London and Istanbul in the 10 coming years. Munich, Zurich and Geneva (+ St Gervais ;-) are also realistic targets. Barcelona/Madrid might be too much of a stretch, but never say never

The funny thing is that during Soviet times there were actually direct carriages from Moscow to Istanbul, London, Madrid, Rome and Geneva

We shall see, but round 2013, there shall be interesting developments

- Warsaw-Terespol fully upgraded to 160km/h
- CMK upgraded to 200 km/h

- Westbahn fully upgraded to 200km/h, at least on Vienna-Wels

- new rebuilt portion on Genoa-Ventimiglia (San Lorenzo-Andorra: 20 km double-track, 200km/h)

Right now, OIC+EC via Wörgl and Innsbruck (30-min transit) means that Vienna-Milano can be made in 11h30. Via Rosenheim, you can save 1 hr. With a more limited stopping pattern + no reversal at Verona + 200km/h  throughout on Vienna-Wels, the journey time on Vienna-Milano could fall below 9 hrs.

In view all this, Nice-Brest Litovsk in 22 hrs isn't unthinkable.

The funny thing is that during Soviet times there were actually direct carriages from Moscow to Istanbul, London, Madrid, Rome and Geneva

Yes, I remember that. London was Hoek van Holland actually, while this time it could well be the Barlow trainshed of St-Pancras ;-)


Fingers crossed ;-)

I remember that. London was Hoek van Holland actually, while this time it could well be the Barlow trainshed of St-Pancras ;-)

Besides Hoek van Holland there also was one via Ostende. And in the official timetables I think it was like Moscow-Ostende(London) or Moscow-Hoek van Holland(London), and the whole thing was called like "direct rail-sea connection" or something like that. We even saw somewhere scan from the old timetable book with exact timing, but can't find it at the moment.

Well, the timetable of the Ost-West Express can be found here:

http://www.streamlinerschedules.com/concourse/track11/ostwest197105.html