Between January and November of the most recent year, Russians increased their use of mobile apps to buy train tickets by a notable margin, with a rise of about 32 percent compared to the prior year. The share of tickets purchased through apps also grew, up roughly 27 percent. This insight comes from an investigation of a travel platform conducted by a media outlet that analyzed booking patterns across multiple travel services.
Over a two-year span, the top five rail destinations remained dominated by major cities: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Krasnodar, Adler, and Rostov-on-Don. In terms of share, the capital led with around one in four passengers traveling there, about 22.7 percent. St. Petersburg accounted for roughly 8.6 percent, Krasnodar around 3.9 percent, and both Adler and Rostov-on-Don about 2.6 percent each. Travelers also showed strong interest in popular seaside and regional hubs, with frequent bookings to Sochi, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Simferopol, and Anapa.
From a route perspective, the most active corridors over the two-year window were Moscow to St. Petersburg, Krasnodar to Adler, Moscow to Nizhny Novgorod, the Sochi to Krasnodar corridor, and Simferopol to Moscow. These routes reflect a mix of business travel, tourism, and regional connectivity that keeps the rail network busy year-round.
Among the cities with the highest ticket purchases in the period, Moscow accounted for about 22.7 percent of travelers, followed by St. Petersburg at 8.6 percent and Krasnodar at 3.9 percent. Adler and Rostov-on-Don each captured roughly 2.6 percent, with Sochi recording around 1.9 percent. Yekaterinburg and Nizhny Novgorod showed smaller shares, near 1.6 and 1.3 percent respectively, while Simferopol and Anapa fluctuated around the 1 percent mark. These figures illustrate how travelers distribute their journeys across regional hubs and coastal destinations alike, balancing city breaks with coastal escapes.
On a broader note, there is a growing trend toward harnessing artificial intelligence tools in travel planning. The data suggests a rising reliance on AI-powered recommendations, search optimization, and personalized itineraries as consumers seek faster, more accurate choices in a crowded travel marketplace. This shift mirrors a global move toward smarter booking experiences that blend user preferences with real-time availability and pricing signals.