About K3

I was brushing my teeth in the morning when I suddenly got an unnoticed news item:

At 7:40 a.m. Beijing time on March 4 (2:40 a.m. in Moscow), train K3 (test run) arrived at its terminal, Moscow’s Yaroslavl Station, after a delay of 36 hours and 40 minutes. The train is set to return at 9:45 p.m. that same evening. Chinese and Russian technical experts are accompanying it throughout to determine whether this train type can be put into use on Russian railway infrastructure.

Distant but vivid memories suddenly poured in—could K3 be coming back?

Putting aside the long 66(-5)-year history of K3/4 and the long journey across the Trans-Siberian Railway, the K3 international train heist alone gives this train enough legendary flavor.

Since it departs on a weekday, there seemed to be no related update on the domestic segment, but in Russia and Mongolia, many hardcore train fans were already welcoming it at stations along the route.

Can’t say which train enthusiast took this in Mongolia.

A few new details: the train will use newly built 25G coaches from Qingdao Sifang and attach two KD (air-conditioning generator) cars as fuel-tanker cars, to solve the issue of Russian Railways not refueling it.

That means there will be air conditioning and shower facilities during the seven-day trip.

Before this, it used Model 18 coaches bought in 1995 from the Amendorf factory in Germany. With those, the carriage windows could not be opened, so it lost one of its distinctive features.

If all goes smoothly, a final decision on whether operations will resume will be made in April.

If it can reopen, it would be a huge travel hit this summer—the ticket-scarce scenes from K3's heyday would likely return.

The Russians seem to be looking forward to it too.

As for the other two legendary trains, the 'older brother' K19/20 Dongfang (Beijing - Manzhouli - Moscow) has no recovery plan yet because it is operated by Russian Railways and rolling-stock resources are tight. The 'younger brother' K23/24 (Beijing - Ulaanbaatar) is scheduled to resume its first run on June 3 this year.

This northbound line is one I’ve always recommended. Start from Beijing, head to Ulaanbaatar, stay a few days, then continue to Lake Baikal. It has both cultural and scenic appeal and suits all ages. The whole trip is about one to 10 days, and summer is the best season.

Of course, there is already train No. 4652 from Hohhot to Ulaanbaatar, and in theory this can replicate the above itinerary, but how can it compare to leaving on K3?

I wrote a K3 guide earlier, and I clearly remember it was written during Spring Festival in 2020, on my own bed while watching a movie. I had thought this movie would bring K3 into ordinary households, but then it suddenly froze for 5 years. Time and people change. Ticketing details still need to be confirmed after official service starts again, and they are likely not much different from before.

Jiong Ma made a 60-year-old legendary train popular again. I still deeply miss the experience of traveling on this green giant in the summer of 2019. Although the plot and dialogue were stiff, the depiction of the train from Beijing to Moscow and the stations along the route in the movie was quite realistic.

If you are also interested in taking this legendary train and following this pilgrimage route, this is a practical guide.

01 Route: 7,691 km, Beijing to Moscow

On the long 7,691-kilometer railway line from Beijing to Moscow, an international K3/4 train has been running back and forth without interruption since it started on May 24, 1960. From the train number staying unchanged for over sixty years, you can tell the status of this 'China Railway No.1 Train' (at the time, 1/2 was the round-trip service to Shaoshan, Hunan).

Image from Qyer traveler Sarah Always on the Road

Over six decades of operation, K3/4 has carried many different passengers and witnessed China’s continuous historical changes.

In the early operating years, besides senior officials and diplomats, ordinary citizens could rarely ride this train to Mongolia and the Soviet Union; getting on it was not easier than taking the Pride of Africa nowadays. In that era, even attendants on K3 could use the ruble allowance they earned to buy some Soviet canned milk, enough for a whole family to live above the ordinary level.

After reform and opening, especially after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia’s strong demand for Chinese light industrial goods gave rise to many cross-border traders. They loaded large amounts of domestic goods onto K3 and sold them along the way at each station, then returned loaded with rubles on K4. For this reason, the China-Russia Train Heist that shocked both China and the world happened. The 1995 film of the same name and the 2018 film Moscow Mission both portray that era.

Goods vending by traders along the route, as depicted in the film The China-Russia Train Heist

Before the pandemic, this route was one of the choices for many Western tourists coming to Beijing. In terms of travel time and cost, direct flights from Beijing to cities in Russia were both faster and cheaper.

So spending six days and five nights on a slow train became a sort of 'luxury' experience.

K3 leaves Beijing Station every Wednesday morning, running via the newly restored Fengsha, Jingbao, and Ji’er lines through Zhangjiakou, Datong, Jining (Ulanqab), and Zhurihe, and reaches the last Chinese city, Erenhot, that evening. It then travels along the Trans-Mongolian Railway to Ulaanbaatar, and continues north across the northern Mongolian grasslands.

From the third day, the train runs within Russia, passing Ulan-Ude, Irkutsk, Novosibirsk, Qiuming, Omsk, Yekaterinburg, and other cities still familiar to the older generation, and finally arrives in Moscow on Tuesday afternoon.

After one day of maintenance, K3 will increment its train number by 1 to become K4, then return along the original route for six days back to home.

02 Tickets: 6,228 yuan, a train fare more expensive than flying

K3 has two seat classes: hard-sleeper compartments and premium compartments*. A hard-sleeper compartment is a four-berth room, with two upper and two lower berths, one on each side. Xu Zheng and his mother in the movie sat in a hard-sleeper. A premium compartment is a two-person room, also with upper and lower berths, and the other side has a small sofa and small table. The premium class has one shared bathroom for two compartments, with shower facilities.

This is the hard-sleeper compartment where Xu Zheng and his mother sat

According to CITS’s original fare table, if you purchase directly from Beijing to Moscow, a hard-sleeper berth is 3,891 yuan, and a premium berth is 6,228 yuan.In peak summer season, a round-trip direct flight between Beijing and Moscow was only around CNY 4,000. So from an economic perspective, taking K3 to travel to Moscow was basically paying for sentiment.

If you don’t want to spend that much and don’t mind some hassle, there really is a way to get a lower fare on K3 through segmented ticketing. Because of country-level pricing and exchange rates, buying tickets separately in China, Mongolia, and Russia can be much cheaper than buying the entire Beijing-to-Moscow ticket in one go.

A possible option is this (prices shown are from 2019 fares):

  • Through 12306, buy the domestic segment of the international train (Beijing to Erenhot), priced at CNY 140.
  • In Beijing or Erenhot, ask someone to buy a ticket from Erenhot to Ulaanbaatar; hard sleeper is around CNY 700+, and the premium package is under CNY 1,100.
  • At Ulaanbaatar station, buy a ticket to Irkutsk. Hard sleeper: 120,000 Mongolian tugrik (under CNY 400); premium package: 180,000 MNT (about CNY 600).
  • Book in advance on the Russian Railways website for the Irkutsk-to-Moscow ticket, priced at CNY 1,300*.
  • But segmented booking has one risk and one inconvenience:
  • One risk is that during summer, K3 is very hard to get, and tickets for the Erenhot-to-Irkutsk segment may be unavailable.
  • The other inconvenience is that with segmented booking, you’ll have to get off at each stop and rush to the ticket office with your luggage to buy the next segment’s ticket, so you can’t wander around and soak in station vibes in different countries.
  • Tickets for K3 and other international trains cannot be purchased directly on 12306. You need to go in person (or send a friend) to the National Railway Ticketing Center on the first floor of Beijing International Hotel. If you plan to travel, especially in summer, it’s best to calculate your dates and book at least 90 days in advance; otherwise it’s very easy to miss out. For booking, you only need to provide your passport number and contact information.
  • Based on the current situation, train No. 401 from Suifenhe to Grodikovo, Russia, which resumed at the end of 2024, still cannot sell e-tickets, so K3 is unlikely to do so either.

A thick book of tickets—very memorable.

03 Life on Board: Six Days and Five Nights of Gentle Rocking

Most people, at the thought of riding a train for six days and five nights, feel it will be extremely dull and tiring. If you can’t appreciate the special magic of train travel and you just want to get to your destination quickly, it’s easy to feel dominated by time—just like the way many of us have been living lately.

But once you get that mindset, you quickly fall in love with a life that is always moving. Then the carriage becomes a cozy hotel-like room, that little window becomes more exciting than any TV screen, and each stop becomes a chance to sample a different local atmosphere. There are several key elements to get into that state.

Travel companions. First and most important is the people you travel with. For a long train journey, if you have fun companions to travel, chat, eat, take photos, and enjoy the scenery with, it’s the best choice. Four people are ideal—you can book a carriage with no strangers in it. That also lets you make the compartment feel more private and intimate, while keeping things safe.

Food. People first. Where your stomach is comfortable, your heart is at ease; where your heart is at ease, your body is at ease. So keeping your stomach in a good place is crucial for train travel. As K3 runs through different countries, the dining cars switch between Chinese, Mongolian, and Russian ones, so you have the chance to taste different foods. I tried one meal in the Chinese dining car—it was simple and not especially delicious, but a hot plate of chicken slices was still very comforting.

In the movie, Xu Zheng’s mom brings an electric rice cooker and rice onto the train. If one of your travel companions is like that, the happiness level on this trip will definitely skyrocket.

For most people, though, that can be hard to pull off, so it’s especially recommended to bring a lot of your usual favorite snacks and fruit before departure. Think of old spring outings: the child with the most snacks was always the party queen.

Entertainment. In addition to sitting by the window watching scenery from dawn to sunset, a train is also a great time to read extensively—Pushkin, Chekhov, Dostoevsky—to get prepared for your upcoming trip to Moscow and Saint Petersburg.

The only “exercise” on the train may be walking from the front to the rear every day, or doing the same from end to end at stations where the stop is long enough—haha.

Hygiene. Showers are likely what everyone worries about most. On older K3 trains, you had to bring a simple washbasin and use hot and cold water to wipe down your body—even for washing your hair. The next trains with 25G coaches should have shower rooms. At several larger stations along the route, such as Yekaterinburg, there are also paid shower rooms available for passengers.

04 The Journey: 35 Cities, A Moving Feast

Starting from Beijing and heading north, the train passes through 35 cities before reaching Moscow. Leaving the bustling metropolis, it crosses the vast Gobi and the open Mongolian steppe, skirts beautiful Lake Baikal, traverses the Central Siberian Plateau, crosses the Ural Mountains, and runs across the broad Eastern European plains to arrive at another great city. This is the biggest surprise K3 offers its passengers.

Ulaanbaatar: Mongolia’s capital, and the political, economic, cultural, transport, industrial, and technological center. Nearly half of Mongolia’s population lives in this city. There are ultra-modern districts here, but also very underdeveloped ger neighborhoods. Congestion and tension feel like the city’s true profile. About a five-hour train ride from Ulaanbaatar is the site of Khar Kholin, formerly associated with the Golden Family.

Irkutsk: The jewel on the banks of Lake Baikal and the second-largest city of East Siberia. The city is full of historical buildings and relics. The Kazan Cathedral of the Virgin Mary is one of the best in Russia after Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Still, none of it can compare with Lake Baikal—the blue-eyed jewel of Siberia, just an hour away.

Novosibirsk: Novosibirsk is the largest city in all of Siberia and a very important industrial city.

Yekaterinburg: Founded in 1723 and named after Empress Catherine I, it is the capital city of the Ural Federal District of Russia. Yekaterinburg has long been an important transport hub, industrial base, and center for science and education. From Yekaterinburg, you can also take a train to another major Russian historical and cultural city: Kazan.

Moscow: The greatest expression of Russian culture. The golden radiance and treasures of the Kremlin wall towers, the crossroads of Red Square, the colorful onion domes of Saint Basil’s Cathedral, the elegance of Moscow’s grand theatre, the bustle of Tverskaya Street, the distinctive tombstones of Novodevichy Cemetery, the Russian treasures in the Tretyakov Gallery, the Soviet atmosphere of the Seven Sisters, and the beauty on the streets—Moscow is a city worth staying in for a long time.

05 Trans-Siberian Railway: Sister Trains

If you couldn't get a K3 ticket for any reason but still want to experience the Trans-Siberian Railway, don't worry—there are a few less-popular trains you can also take.

K23/24 is an international train between Beijing and Ulaanbaatar operated by the railway bureaus of China and Mongolia. Except for departures on Monday or Tuesday, everything else is almost identical to the Beijing-to-Ulaanbaatar segment of K3, so it's nearly a twin sister. After reaching Ulaanbaatar, you can transfer to a Mongolian Railway train to continue on to Moscow.

K19/20 The Eastern is another international train bound for Moscow. Unlike K3, K19 does not pass through Mongolia. Instead, it goes northeast through Shenyang and Harbin, exits at Manzhouli, then joins the Trans-Siberian Railway at Chita inside Russia. It is now a service that has become defunct.

001/002 The Russian is a full-route Trans-Siberian train from Vladivostok to Moscow operated by Russian Railways. Since it opened in the Tsarist era, it has never had an interruption in service, and it is regarded as the flagship train, perhaps the toughest in the lineup. It covers 9,288 kilometers, taking 7 days and 7 nights, and is undoubtedly more challenging than K3. The Russian is also the only train painted in the red-white-blue colors of the Russian flag.

099/100 The Gull is also a full-route Trans-Siberian train from Vladivostok to Moscow, operated by the Russian Far Eastern Railway. Compared with the Russian, the Gull has slightly more basic facilities, but its price is also more affordable.

Golden Eagle has been operated as a private train since 2007. It also runs back and forth between Moscow and Vladivostok, and between Moscow and Ulaanbaatar. Golden Eagle is a super-luxury train comparable to the Orient Express and the Pride of Africa. If you can ride it across Siberia, it will be a top-tier experience. That said, achieving that premium dream usually requires a very healthy wallet.

06 Other Things to Note

Visa: To travel to Mongolia and Russia on K3, you need the corresponding visas. Russia now offers e-visas, which are much more convenient than applying through travel agencies in the past, and the fee has dropped from 900 CNY to over 300 CNY. Mongolia also has a convenient e-visa; previously, you had to obtain a Mongolian transit visa using a Russian visa.

Communications: You can buy SIM cards for Mongolia and Russia in advance on Taobao in mainland China, or purchase MobiCom and MTC/Beeline SIM cards at Ulaanbaatar and Irkutsk stations. The latter costs about half as much as the former. It's best not to buy Mongolian SIM cards at the Erlian border checkpoint stores, as they are expensive and offer little data.

Currency: The Mongolian tugrik is basically not exchangeable in mainland China; you can only exchange it at local shops at Erlian or use RMB to exchange in Ulaanbaatar. You can withdraw Russian rubles directly with a UnionPay card at Irkutsk station.

Note: * Train No. 3 actually opened in June 1959, and back then it was carried by the Soviet railway authorities. On May 24, 1960, China's railways started operating trains 3/4, and this continued until February 5, 2020.

* In theory, premium compartments were only available for foreign travelers and Chinese travelers holding diplomatic or official passports, but this rule has long been dead in the water.

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