Crossing Borders: A Night on the New Russian Built First Class Sleeper Train from Armenia to Georgia

[@RoryDing]

One mistake in this video: 01:10 Yerevan metro is only the 6th oldest metro system in the Soviet Union outside of Russia, not the first. The oldest are in Kiev, followed by Tbilisi, Baku, Kharkiv, Tashkent then Yerevan. I would like to apologies for providing incorrect information that was not properly fact-checked and I’ll take the necessary steps to ensure that such an error does not occur again in the future.

[@seanC3i]

I think you mean Kyiv.

[@ruski17]

@@seanC3i No pretty sure he meant Kiev.

[@type_a]

Other mistakes: 10:16 This button is calling for your car conductor for your service 10:24 This button is for emergency opening of your cabin door

[@zakelwe]

No problem Rory, a man who never makes a mistake at work is a man who never works as the old addage goes. Really enjoyed this video.

[@katem2411]

Thanks for the video - it was interesting to see trains in this part of the world. I appreciate the level of detail you give. The soap fragments are horrifying, though 😆

[@RoryDing]

Thank you! And yeah I agree it put me off too 😅

[@johanrebel]

How wonderful! A "sleeper" train with not one but two border checks in the dead of night. Good luck getting a good night's sleep on that service.

[@mightymike1256]

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, all legacy trains operating between the new countries were like this. The routes from Minsk-Kyiv route, Moscow-Kyiv route, Moscow-Riga route etc. There would be two border checks somewhere at 2-3 in the night (with border officers using flashlights to watch documents, some station loudspeaker announcements barking outside etc.). Some of this routes don't exist anymore. All railway connections between Ukraine and Russia were blown up in the morning of February 24, 2022.

[@nergregga]

I like how positive you always are, even when I wouldn't exactly call the cabin "state of the art."

[@RoryDing]

Thank you! I was comparing it with the long distance trains in Australia which made this train look pretty state of the art 😅

[@rowaystarco]

@@RoryDing State of the art russian "quality" 🙃 Will probably have a bunch of quality issues down the line.

[@postgradsibstud9321]

​@@rowaystarco no. I use such cars frequently and there were no problems with quality.

[@GreenBaldrick]

@@rowaystarco what would YOU know about Russian trains and their "quality"? All modern Russian trains are excellent, by far the best in all the Eastern Europe and CIS region.

[@codeeater0]

Well done with your channel mate 👍

[@RoryDing]

Thank you 😊

[@andyh5666]

Thanks for the memories, Rory. As an 18yo aussie, my dad took me round the world 86/87. The three cities we visited in the then Soviet Union were Moscow, Yerevan and Tblisi. Nice one.

[@jane-BKK]

What a professional filmer you are....

[@RoryDing]

Thank you 😊

[@lesliemckay2835]

As always, a very interesting video. Thanks.

[@RoryDing]

Thank you 😊

[@halitosis75]

Brilliant video Rory. Loved it. More than happy to do this journey one day ❤

[@dreemwalka]

oh man ive missed your vids thanks for being back

[@RoryDing]

Thank you 😊

[@francesward1570]

Loved this video Rory. Thank you. Regards from Australia

[@zanelindsay1267]

Thank you for sharing this interesting adventure. I don't expect I will ever do that trip myself!

[@peterpitrakkou3335]

Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful journey Rory.

[@jamesking1952]

Another great video. Keep up the good work!

[@RoryDing]

Thank you 😊

[@colinvannbohemen11]

How wonderful to watch another outstanding episode of your travels Rory. your work is exceptional, and I look forward to many more yet.

[@RoryDing]

Thank you ☺️

[@roberte5057]

Professional as usual.

[@tedhaver9613]

Nice video!!

[@halitosis75]

Wow Rory this will be good. Thanks mate ❤

[@Mal_S]

Hey Rory love your videos, If you haven't already you should consider doing the Steam Ranger train from Mount Barker SA to Victor Harbor. Would love to see that one

[@maureen8966]

Hi Rory thank you very much for the very interesting video you must have had a wonderful experience travelling to all the different countries, hope you enjoyed it. It was a shame they didn't have any food on board for such a long train ride. Like you said eat before you go or take some things with you. Take care

[@RoryDing]

Thank you 😊 Yes it is a bit of a shame I’m glad that they at least provided some biscuits 😅

[@stykboy]

Awesome Rory! My wife and I did this trip in early February this year. Cool to see you take the exact same train. We did it in reverse coming from Tbilisi.

[@maxmaxx888]

Great job mate.

[@RoryDing]

Thank you 😊

[@DanTheCaptain]

Very informative video! This is very helpful as I’m planning on visiting Armenia, Georgia and maybe Azerbaijan next year!

[@kevinneale]

Great video as always, love your content and positivity

[@alexmcwhirter6611]

Thanks for taking the trouble to make this video Rory. Another interesting one for you to try would be Bucharest to Chisinau (Moldova) ... there's an overnight train at present (complete with inconvenient border stops). One to consider for the future.

[@RoryDing]

I will put that on my radar Thank you for the suggestion 😊

[@hannahfagan5242]

obsessed with your videos

[@jeffreytam1514]

What an intriguing cross-border train journey. Years ago, I could only travel from Armenia to Georgia via car as I didn't realise there was a train service available. It took around 5-6 hrs at daytime, which I think it's more convenient than going via train. Yes, people there are still very conservative. Taking pics & videos on Metro & trains are considered a taboo.😊

[@carolmccorry3053]

Wow boy they sure do things differently

[@kathleenharsha6504]

The used soap bits in the shower were gross but, then, how many people would bother showering on a single overnight trip. A longer trip would certainly be a problem. An enjoyable video as always.

[@GontaBahn2024]

Nice

[@kellyheppleston7157]

Excellent and concise as usual. If you edited this video during your trip you will miss some details and theres no need to apologise Rory. Keep up you excellent work mate.

[@an8id62]

You made very adequate points throughout your video. Thank you for taking the time to provide such insights to an interesting train ride. It's a shame that you were able to get a decent length of sleep due to various interruptions. It'll be interesting to hear your review of the train ride from Switzerland to the little city of Baveno along Lake Maggiore with a changeover in Domodossola. The ride from Domodossola train station was particularly daunting though interesting. What airlines did you take flying into Yerevan and out from Tblisi?

[@Aprilsraven629]

Thank you for sharing, it was interesting and I wonder what the scenery would be like during the day time...I like the 3rd class sleeping option much more comfortable than a chair or floor....and what do you do in the places we would like to know

[@RoryDing]

I heard the scenery on this route is very beautiful so I think it’s better to travel on this train during the summer months when daylight is longer

[@aussiejohn5835]

Hi Rory, I enjoyed this journey with you very much but I don't think it looked very comfortable at all. The table folded up against the window blocks the view and having no blanket would cause me to shiver 😂. No food available on such a long journey is cause for starvation. I know it's a night journey and a nice warm shower would normally be very enticing but the small pieces of "Used soap" supplied in the shower stall has me worrying about how many previous occupants have dropped those tiny little bits of soap, causing the sun to shine each time someone bent down to pick them up 😂. A real "crack up" that would be 😂. Great video Rory and I look forward to your next one. ( there is a next one, you're not a detainee in a Georgian Prison are you)?

[@realistromantic]

just for your information: the table in most trains is removable. And I think the second sheet should be considered as a blanket. But I am totally agree that the service can be much higher )) I have not traveled by train in Russia for almost 5 years, but there were lots of trains which were even worse than this one

[@ramzanninety-five3639]

1:10 - it is actually incorrect. By the time Yerevan metro opened, both neighbouring Caucasian countries already had a metro system of their own (one in Tblilsi and one in Baku). The first Soviet metro outside of Russia, or the RSFSR as it was known back then, was Kiev metro in the UkSSR

[@RoryDing]

Hi!! Thank you for correcting me! I did not properly fact-check this information when I wrote the script. I will make sure such an error does not occur again in the future.

[@AN-cw6yg]

Thanks for sharing. I have plans make this trip next year. At least I will be with people that speak Armenian and Russian as my language skills in those languages are woefully lacking. 🤣 Happy travels!!

[@YASTravelsEatsWell]

Nice trip in this off the beaten track area! For $133 it wasn't cheap for your compartment . The way the schedule is set it's a shame you can't really get any sleep! Oh well it's the ex-CCCP

[@stanislavkostarnov2157]

I think there used to be a much later train between the two cities... in that way, you arrived to the border in the early morning (like 6ish), and could board your train early, so as to get more sleep; this was then replaced for a time by a medium speed sleeper (like the one you saw going to Batumi) which made the journey in the day time in like 6 hours with an additional hour for the boarder crossing... this system was however canceled as they were being charged fairly high rates for using Armenian track, & it proved non-economical to run at the time.

[@sergeyshishkin1794]

очень удивило 2 вещи,это точто на Ж/Д Вокзале Еревана надписи дублируются на Русском языке,ну и конечно как то не очень понравилась расписная графити ЭР-2

[@scottietheshark]

As someone who has never left Australia or New Zealand, it is so weird to see international travel on a train! Also I don’t know if these countries would appreciate these trains being under the thumb of Russia 🤔

[@heathertruskinger6214]

Hi Rory. A decent train for that part of the world. Good to see clean rooms and toilets, but that soap in the shower.... 🤢 Love the architecture in the stations , too.

[@RoryDing]

That is true Considering how clean the rest of the train is I wonder why didn’t they just clean up the soap too!!

[@LEMMYLEMON]

Another amazing video Rory! I have always wanted to visit this part of the world! You should definitely consider doing some videos in Central Asia in the future (Countries like Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan)

[@RoryDing]

Thank you! I have thought about filming trains in these central Asian countries, however the authorities there don’t seem to allow people to take videos of their public transport/official buildings, so I hesitated. 😐 This is from the smart traveller website about Uzbekistan for example: “It's illegal to take photos of government or military buildings and public transport sites.” I encountered this problem in Yerevan actually I was told not to film the train station and the trains, some footages in this video was filmed secretly.

[@LEMMYLEMON]

@@RoryDing oh ok. It’s all good. I really enjoyed this video. Thank you for going such lengths to make these videos for us :D

[@michaelhall8586]

I’ve always wanted to see Georgia

[@fontenbleau]

You must, them with Armenia is the last christians on Caucasus which from all sides surrounded by total muslim cultures and it's a root of all conflicts. But there's very high poverty even compared to russians, all former soviet colonies lost all resources by self isolation, it's very similar to Africa independence from Europe processes. Same with Central Asia, 20 millions jobless. There's no points of any growth for hundreds years. Use this train while it lasts, if it's solely operated and financed by Russia=Armenia don't have any railroads already, if russian economy degrades more from sanctions - there will be no trains at all, which is 50/50 chance.

[@avinashbhogun]

Beautiful. I hope to do this trip one day. 🎉

[@dzikar]

Жаль проводник английский не знал, надо было его попросить что бы включили телевидение. Экономят. И автомат с едой поэтому пропал, поэтому покупать так же у проводника всё. :)

[@jackchapo2011]

Rory you content is always informative and interesting to watch. However I find this video with references to Russia and their continuing commercial presence quite offensive and inappropriate.

[@MrMaksar]

A psychiatrist will help you

[@jackchapo2011]

​@@MrMaksar touchè

[@littlemiss_76]

You are very brave to travel anywhere near Russia these days but its very interesting just the same.

[@areguapiri]

Don't believe the pure nonsense you see daily on tv.

[@patrickwong4824]

Seeing those little pieces of soap in a shared shower kind of grossed me out.

[@heathertruskinger6214]

Me ,too. It put me off my dinner !

[@RoryDing]

True They could’ve cleaned them up!

[@Hattonbank]

The train service from Tblisi to Baku is still suspended

[@edgarclark6541]

Tashkent metro started operate at 1977

[@seanC3i]

Not gonna lie, that customs/border crossing between 3 and 5 AM would be a big turn off for me.

[@ralfjanser4733]

does it have a closet? If yes, from where have the russians stolen this one?

[@РусланАхраров-ь2ъ]

ВЛ10 тянет пассажирский поезд? Ого. Он же мощный и предназначен для грузовой тяги. Набор ступеней тяги у него не плавный. Удивили вы меня конечно....

[@sporemania2274]

Необязательно, он и пассажирский по совместительству, в советские и в 90е 2000е и примерно до 2012 они пасли пассажирские составы от Туапсе до Адлера, пока не появились новочеркассцы 2ЭС4К. На Западной украине, на постоянных участках тоже вл10 вез пассажирские составы.

[@РусланАхраров-ь2ъ]

@@sporemania2274 возможно, но для этого такие десятки сильно модернизировать надо, пассажирская тяга, она подразумевает много нюансов, да и расход мощности локомотива будет впустую, как света от лампы накаливания.

[@marcinklimas2670]

Oldest metros are in Kiev, and Baku.

[@RoryDing]

Hi!! Thank you for correcting me! I did not properly fact-check this information when I wrote the script. I will make sure such an error does not occur again in the future.

[@sergey_Berezkin]

В Москве

[@marcinklimas2670]

@@sergey_Berezkin Oldest, not the oldest. The oldest is in Moskwa.

[@sergey_Berezkin]

@@marcinklimas2670 в Москве

[@wongcyrus524]

May i know when do you buy the ticket before departure ？ I want to have a first class as well but i am afraid it will be easily sold out since there are only 18 beds

[@RoryDing]

I think the easiest way is still to purchase online on their official website. Which is this one 😊 www.railway.am I bought it 30 days in advance

[@wongcyrus524]

@@RoryDing Thanks for your reply, I have tried to use the website, but it is not user-friendly , I dont know what to choose in the system

[@RoryDing]

I used their Russian version to book, English is confusing, And used google translate. First class is спальный ваго (CB)

[@wongcyrus524]

@@RoryDing thanks for your recommendation! After purchasing , Do you recieve any email or codes ? do you need to go to the station to get the ticket ?

[@wongcyrus524]

@@RoryDing I am sorry but I have one more Question, what do you type in the 'document Series' in the profile ? I just type in Ordinary and it shows Ord, but my passport number is correct, is it okay ?

[@elcasho]

Well done branching out to some unusual train journeys! No tomato sauce on your biscuits? /sarcasm

[@RoryDing]

Hmm only if they had a restaurant car Then I may be able to ask for some 😀😂

[@hj8272]

Do they allow goats and donkeys in those 'First Class Sleepers'?

[@richardl7006]

凌晨居然把客人叫下车去，这服务得改进鸭

[@RoryDing]

恩也许如果可以早上从亚美尼亚发车晚上到格鲁吉亚会比这个晚上出发早上到的更合理一点

[@MitchellBPYao]

They were looking at him because he was chinese

[@hossdelgado2]

Loved the video! It was hard to read the prices because of the font that you used.

[@RoryDing]

Thank you for your feedback, I’ll try to make it easier to read in my future videos 😊

[@ajjuney]

The soap scraps - ewwww.

[@paulwheeler4283]

Compared to Western national and international modern trains this still looks like they tried to polish a turd with somewhat modern tech still vast improvements needed

[@georgef7754]

Inteesting customs procedure. What passport do you travel on?

[@jfmezei]

strange that RZD would still own the rail service in Armenia. (even the livery is similar to RZD’s) . The sleeping cars looks like made by Transmashholding (LikelyTiverWorks factory). was partly owned by Alstom until Ukraine war.

[@hahulin7052]

Ничего странного в том, что РЖД владеет.

[@jfmezei]

@@hahulin7052 When countries regained independance from USSR in 1991, they usually gained onwership of all infrastructrure in their territory, including railways, so it is odd that Armenia would have allowed what is now RZD to retain control over the railway.

[@fontenbleau]

Nothing strange, similar to African trains operated by french companies until money flows. Every former colonies in very high poverty because cutting all resources and new ones you must get not free from metropolis like in the past but by foreign currency on worldwide market prices. Armenia & Georgia very poor even compared to russians income, all former soviet colonies lost all resources by self isolation, it's very similar to Africa independence from Europe processes. Same with Central Asia, 20 millions jobless. There's no points of any growth for hundreds years in population(aging majority as everywhere, no young), in scarce resource base and with aggressive nationalism to everyone which is social illness (absurdity on the example of Georgia, Stalin and head of Gulag was native Georgians but today country hate Russia for some protests oppression during Gorbachev, where was killed some dosen people compared to Stalins 10-50 millions mostly russians). Use this train while it lasts, if it's solely operated and financed by Russia=Armenia don't have any railroads already, if russian economy degrades more from sanctions - there will be no trains at all, which is 50/50 chance. It's operating by very complicated negotiations but russian railroads solely depends on state budget, avoided important reforms, in this year russian state budget are with deficit, Armenia economically can't afford railroads, there's not many tourists, not feasible.

[@fontenbleau]

​​@@jfmezei infrastructure never paid off, never and nowhere! Some experts say all current Internet still not paid off all expenses into constant upgrades it requires and rnd bills. It's always economical passive, not active. You can have a short time of profits from fresh investments but with aging it's constant losses which only growing exponentially. Infrastructure required incredible investments, do I need to say about full absence of fast trains in USA? These countries received very old infrastructure not upgraded for decade (at best repaired) because of economic stagnation in late USSR with even food supply problems. They don't have any points for growth anywhere, Georgia even direct competitor for European wine makers because they produce more and cheaper, so they are forbidden from western markets by default. What produces Armenia, mostly nothing, they exporting into Russia canned food but very expensive even to russian samples. Only Azerbaijan and Tajikistan from all soviet colonies got some growth because of notorious oil and gas reserves on their territories which makes flow of foreign currency, but most of them was stolen by local corrupted elites, you won't find good public transport there. Because of western sanctions it's no secret this countries see a potential, a very valuable open window of opportunities by tricking euro- bureaucrats, maybe once in a lifetime, avoiding an embargo was super profitable in all human history. Current embargo is ridiculous just by the size of border by half of planet Earth, it's temporary.

[@hahulin7052]

@@jfmezei Экономика Армении не потянет содержание железной дороги.

[@ИванИванов-у9т8п]

лапти, а где перевод на русский?

[@matthewsmatters]

Russia should build trains, not tanks. Trains can build peaceful bridges. Long live Ukraine 🇺🇦

[@astoa100]

Причём здесь Россия и РЖД? Если это Армения и Грузия.

[@samveltarverdyan9156]

при том, что 15 лет назад РЖД взяли в концессионное управление Армянскую железную дорогу. Создали стопроцентную дочернюю компанию - Южно-Кавказская железная дорога (ЮКЖД).

[@HM-ss4jd]

This guy is so rich, must have a lot of family money gifted to him for travel and relaxing all the time.

[@kelvinalston9349]

Calling the cabin and facilities 1st class is a bit of a joke when comparing rail travel in other countries.

[@RoryDing]

The term 'first class' can function as both an adjective and a noun. In this context, it simply distinguishes itself from 'second class.' And it is important to consider that Armenia is just a developing country. Thank you for sharing your input. 🙂

[@americanexploring7440]

Nobody should be hired if they don't speak English. This is coming.

[@rakykhudher7369]

Visit iraq please

[@ballsrocketry5179]

What an amazing trip. The language carrier must have made this really difficult as well as making the border crossing a bit of a nerve-shredding experience. Great video Rory!!

[@stephengneri2136]

any participation with anything russian is quite offensive.

[@hahulin7052]

Ты идиот? Оскорбительно читать твой тупой комментарий, русофоб!

[@jackchapo2011]

Agreed

[@mihailraskin2912]

That's actually racist

[@ELEKTRARE]

What is your purpose to go there really ??? Nothing interesting I guess lol 😂

[@RoryDing]

Purpose is to film this video 😊😃

[@gongdazhao7424]

Sooo boring, bye

[@Bruski68.]

Modern facilities in your first class cabin? what freaking modern facilities, a T.V and WiFi, that didn't work, or maybe you mean the card key that you didn't receive, how could you enjoy any modern facilities when none of them worked, not to mention a non existent vending machine for food and drinks on the train. Do you really think that little of your viewers, that you just lie to them, or have you been paid for this review, this is my review the trip was pathetic with all the money paid for a so called first class cabin, with no facilities, except privacy that was extra expense, definately a rip off from start to finish.

[@nergregga]

It's called being diplomatic and not holding poorer, developing countries to the same standard as rich ones. To be fair this train was in much better condition than other trains he has been on.

[@FreeandEasyEnglish]

This train is state of the art compared to Australian long distance rail. Cheaper too.

[@RoryDing]

Thank you for your comment I would say the train itself is new and modern, unfortunately the Armenian railways did not make the train live up to its potential. 😊

[@danvalentine2997]

Relax Bruce, he’s just trying to be positive about his travels. 🙄

[@hahulin7052]

Расскажи как у тебя в стране идеально с жд транспортом, давай!

[@АлибабаМуххамед]

Two faults: not armenia but Ermenistan, not georgia but Georgian federal district of russia

[@simplychannel6557]

Not Azerbaijan, but Northern province of Iran

[@doggy5]

Speaking of international trains, but about trying the train from China to Laos next? International trains just started running from Kunming to Vientiane not too long ago.

[@RoryDing]

Thank you for the suggestion! But I currently have no plan to travel to China if I do one day I’ll think about doing this route. 😊

[@doggy5]

I don't know if India and South Africa are in your plans. But I hope one day you can compare the Palace on Wheels and the Maharajas' Express in India, and the Blue Train and Rovos Rail in South Africa.