Russian Railways will introduce a progressive fee scale for ticket refunds from December 1

Brief retelling from RIA II

From December 1, the fee for returning a ticket for long-distance trains will be from 1 to 10% of the ticket price, depending on the time remaining before departure, Russian Railways reported.

The progressive scale only applies to tickets purchased from December onwards.

MOSCOW, October 2 - RIA Novosti. The fee for returning a ticket for long-distance trains in Russia from December 1 will be from 1% to 10% of the cost instead of the previous uniform fee, its size will depend on the time remaining before departure, the company reported.

Previously, the FAS approved a document introducing new rules for the fee for returning railway tickets: within 10% of the cost. Currently, 3.7 rubles are charged for returning a train ticket. It was noted that specific dimensions within these limits should be established by the carriers themselves.

“From December 1, 2026, a progressive scale will begin to operate on Russian railways, in which the amount of the fee depends on how much time remains before the train departs. Until November 30, 2026 inclusive, the fee will remain the same - 3.70 rubles,” Russian Railways said.

“The amount of the fee will be determined as a percentage of the fare depending on the period for returning the travel document: 1% - if returned 45 days or more before departure; 3% - from 30 to 44 days; 5% - from 10 to 29 days; 10% - 9 or less days before departure,” said the rules for the fee in Russian Railways.

That is, the company explained, the sooner the passenger returns the ticket, the less money he loses.

“This approach will reduce cases of mass ticket refunds immediately before the train departs, and therefore offer additional seats to passengers who plan their trips in advance,” Russian Railways notes.

They also noted that the progressive scale only applies to tickets purchased from December 1, 2026.

When calculating the fee as a percentage, the ticket price is taken into account without the cost of a set of services and without the fee for the use of bed linen.

“In international traffic, for the return of travel documents issued for travel in communication with the CIS countries and the Republic of Abkhazia, a fee is charged, similar to that established for domestic traffic, and in communication with China, Mongolia and North Korea, the return fee remains unchanged (5 Swiss francs),” the message adds.