August 11, 2020 The night train from Vladivostok to Khabarovsk slowed down some thirty minutes outside of the city, came to a complete stop, and was declared to have broken down by the wagon assistant. I wasn't upset about this, but after a couple hours my neighbors were talking of refunds and missed time due to this technical error. It didn't surprise me much, to be honest. There is a running joke that the worst trains get sent to Siberia and the Far East, as far away as possible, while the best (newest) are kept around Moscow. This might have some truth to it- that the infrastructure is better closer to the capital, or that the trains connecting Siberian cities are generally in worse condition- although the long-distance trains will inevitably end up in Moscow, making the joke just that- a joke. My train, 061MA, was heading to Moscow, perhaps with some passengers going all the way there. Now I was the temporary passenger on the train only unti...