CIS 2016

The cost is 1300-1700 rubles one way for a sleeper car. In my opinion, flying is inconvenient for Muscovites – you have to get to the airport in Moscow or St. Petersburg, and if you fly in the morning, you have to wake up at an ungodly hour. A train is simpler in this regard – you get on the train in the evening, have a couple of drinks, and wake up in St. Petersburg, right in the city center. The main thing is to buy tickets in advance so that everyone can get seats together. Otherwise, there will be friction with fellow passengers about who sits where and puts their bags. Update: I looked at the approximate prices, and it seems that if you book in advance, the plane and train are roughly the same price. Personally, I find the train more convenient for several reasons, but for people from Siberia with a connecting flight, the plane might be more convenient so they don't have to travel from the airport to the train station if they can successfully coordinate their flights. That's the situation. Moreover, in the evening, there can be terrible traffic jams when entering Moscow. Public transport involves transfers (getting from the airport to the train station by public transport costs about 100-200 rubles per person), a taxi costs about 1000 rubles per car if ordered by phone (and it's significantly more expensive if you take a taxi from the drivers at the airport), and the Aeroexpress costs 470 rubles per person.