The State Duma passed a law in its third reading allowing the sale of non-refundable train tickets. It will come into effect on January 1, 2019, reports Travel.ru.
The law, which amends the Railway Transport Charter, grants railway companies complete freedom to set such fares in compartments and sleeping cars, as well as in seated cars on daytime trains, including high-speed trains. Tickets for reserved seats and general carriages will remain refundable. Ticket sellers have only one obligation under this law: to offer passengers a choice between a non-refundable fare and a more expensive refundable fare, and to inform passengers of this choice.
In the short term, this is likely bad news for passengers. Russian Railways has been regularly running numerous seat promotions in recent years, but while tickets purchased through them can be returned now, starting next year this will likely become impossible. Purchasing tickets in advance without full confidence in your trip will become a very risky (or much more expensive) undertaking.
As a reminder, the introduction of non-refundable air tickets in Russia hasn't led to any price reductions. Airlines have simply declared most tickets non-refundable, retaining their value if a passenger cancels their trip.
However, passengers who purchased a non-refundable ticket but subsequently decide not to travel should still monitor their train's departure. If it is delayed for any reason, the ticket will be refundable. However, the refund process is not yet known.
Furthermore, a ticket can be refunded in the event of sudden illness of the passenger or a family member (spouse, parent) or child traveling with them, the death of a family member, or an injury to the passenger in an accident. However, the sudden illness of a close relative who does not have their own ticket, but which results in the cancellation of the passenger's trip, does not appear to be grounds for a ticket refund.
Sales of non-refundable tickets will likely begin on January 1. Passengers who plan their January-March travel in advance should consider purchasing tickets by December 31.
Source: travel.ru