Performance Overview

Marketing promotions and their results

An attractive price offer has always been a powerful tool to win more passengers for railway services.

The Company’s Marketing Policy puts a special focus on retaining existing and acquiring new customers. We developed and successfully implemented a set of marketing initiatives aimed to boost passenger traffic. We estimated that in 2018 the flexible pricing policy and marketing initiatives increased the flow of passengers to FPC’s deregulated segment by approximately 7.8%.

In 2018, 15 global marketing initiatives were delivered in the deregulated segment. In addition to the discounts offered for some destinations and seat categories (upper berths), we also offered special fares for certain passenger categories:

• Travel First Class: special fares for first-class sleeping carriages (approximately 122 trains).
• A 50% discount for upper berths in second-class sleeping carriages during the February and March holidays.
• A 50% discount for travelling in second-class sleeping carriages for children aged from 10 to 17 during the spring and autumn holidays and before summer school holidays.
• Free travel for Great Patriotic War (WWII) veterans, including disabled veterans, between 1 May and 31 May.
• Hero City: special fares for second-class sleeping carriages and carriages with seats in higher-speed trains (a separate list of trains departing between 7 May and 12 May).
• A 60% discount for upper berths in second-class sleeping carriages in certain trains departing from the Black Sea coast between 27 May and 14 June.
• A 30% discount for second-class sleeping carriages during the 2018 FIFA World Cup (a separate list of trains).
  Transporting fans by the Federal Passenger Company’s trains during the 2018 FIFA World Cup
• Indian Summer: special fares (RUB 1 = 1 km) for trains to the Black Sea coast departing between 1 October and 21 December, when booked 90 to 30 days before departure.
• The Day of Older Persons: on 29–30 September and 1 October, passengers aged over 60 were entitled to a 50% discount for second-class sleeping carriages in trains departing between 1 October and 31 October.
• New Year Night: a 50% discount for upper berths in second-class sleeping carriages in trains departing on 31 December 2018 (a separate list of trains).
• A 2%–10% discount, valid throughout the year, for second-class sleeping carriages not equipped with environmentally friendly toilet facilities and air conditioning units.

In the regulated segment, we delivered 11 global marketing initiatives grouped by the following periods:

• A 40% discount for side upper berths and upper berths at the end of third-class open sleeping carriages of trains departing between 10 January and 27 April (excluding the February and March holidays).
• A 30% discount for upper berths and lower berths at the end of third-class open sleeping carriages during the February and March holidays.
• A 50% discount for children aged from 10 to 17 during summer holidays (between 1 June and 31 August, excluding trains numbered 701 to 788).
• Indian Summer: for certain trains (over 60 trains) departing between 1 October and 21 December we offered a 40% discount for upper and lower side berths when booked 30 or more days before departure.
• A 40% discount for upper berths at the end of third-class open sleeping carriages and upper side berths between 1 October and 21 December.
• New Year Night: a 50% discount for upper berths in third-class carriages departing on 31 December 2018 (some trains).
• A 2%–5% discount, valid throughout the year, for carriages not equipped with environmentally friendly toilet facilities and air conditioning units.

Over nine million passengers were estimated to have benefited from special offers in the regulated segment.

International services

We made over 23 offers for international services in 2018 with discounts ranging from 5% to 70%. These discounts specifically applied to early booking, families, groups (including small groups), children (50% discounts), round trips, senior passengers, etc.