Russia's VTB and Russian Railways kick off automatic ticketing process
Automated Ticket Purchasing for Long-Distance Trains
A new service has been launched by VTB Bank and Russian Railways, aiming to make booking trips more convenient and increase the efficiency of the waiting list. This service automates the purchasing of tickets from the waiting list for long-distance trains, streamlining and expediting the process.
Passengers can now select their preferred seat (upper, lower, or any) and type of carriage when booking their tickets. The waiting list can be joined in a group of up to 4 people, and the system will buy tickets for everyone in the group if there are enough available at the same time.
Once a seat becomes available due to someone cancelling their ticket, the system will automatically deduct the funds and process the trip without human intervention. This means passengers no longer need constant internet access or timely reaction to notifications about reserved seats.
Igor Ostreyko, head of the transactional business department at VTB and senior vice president, commented that automating part of these processes is an example of how banking technologies can make familiar services more convenient and reliable for millions of people. Nikolai Kostenco, head of the passenger transportation department of JSC "Russian Railways", has also commented on the improvements brought by the service.
During the first half of 2025, approximately 14.7 million operations were performed on the Russian Railways website, including buying, returning, and exchanging tickets. Additionally, approximately 1.8 million requests were created in the waiting list. Digitizing customer services is one of the priorities for the service providers.
This service is available for domestic travel to clients of any bank. Passengers can pre-attach their bank card and set a spending limit for their desired trip in their personal account on the Russian Railways website.
While the specific technical mechanisms or system features of this particular automation for ticket purchasing from waiting lists are not detailed, it likely involves a digital platform or service that monitors the availability of released tickets and executes payments on behalf of passengers directly through linked banking services. This partnership between VTB Bank and Russian Railways aims to make booking trips more convenient and increase the efficiency of the waiting list.
- The automation in the ticket purchasing process for long-distance trains, a collaboration between VTB Bank and Russian Railways, is an example of how finance and technology can improve and streamline services in the industry, benefiting millions of passengers.
- This digitized ticketing service, available for domestic travel to clients of any bank, allows passengers to pre-attach their bank card and set a spending limit for their trip, reflecting the integration of financial services within the technology sector in the railway industry.
