Russian Railways 353/354

Train 353/354 is an international passenger train operated by Russian Railways between Irkutsk, the capital of Irkutsk Oblast, and Chita, the capital of Transbaikal Krai, within Russia, and Manzhouli, a border city in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China. The cross-border section began operation in October 2004. The train uses Russian-made passenger cars marked "МЕСТ" (Russian, pronounced /mʲest/, meaning "capacity"), and runs along the Trans-Siberian Railway and the Harbin-Manzhouli Railway.

• The Irkutsk-Manzhouli route departs from Irkutsk Passenger Station every Friday and Monday, with a travel time of 37 hours and 15 minutes, arriving at Manzhouli Station every Sunday and Wednesday. This is train number 354.
• The Manzhouli-Irkutsk route departs from Manzhouli Station every Wednesday and Sunday, arriving at Irkutsk Passenger Station every Thursday and Monday, with a travel time of 32 hours and 56 minutes. This is train number 353.
• The Chita-Manzhouli route departs from Chita Station No. 2 every Saturday and Tuesday, with a travel time of 15 hours and 40 minutes, arriving at Manzhouli Station every Sunday and Wednesday. This is train number 354.
• The Manzhouli-Chita route departs from Manzhouli Station every Wednesday and Sunday, arriving at Chita Station No. 2 every Thursday and Monday, with a travel time of 12 hours and 51 minutes. This is train number 353.

In October 2004, according to an agreement reached between China Railway Harbin Railway Bureau and Russia Zabaikalsk Railway Bureau, international through passenger train No. 654 departed from Chita No. 2 Station every Thursday and Saturday, arriving at Manzhouli Station every Friday and Sunday, and returned on the same day as train No. 653, arriving at Chita No. 2 Station every Saturday and Monday. Russian Railways was responsible for the locomotives and the hard sleeper carriages.^[1][2]

On February 5, 2020, train services were suspended in order to cooperate with the prevention and control work related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On February 18, 2026, Russian Railways announced the resumption of cross-border passenger rail service between Manzhouli and Zabaikalsk, effective March 8, 2026. The new train numbers are 353/354. The Irkutsk-Manzhouli train, departing from Irkutsk as part of the 328/327 Irkutsk-Zabaikalsk train service, will run every Friday and Monday, arriving and returning every Sunday and Wednesday, starting March 6, 2026. The Chita-Manzhouli train, departing from Chita as part of the 328/327 Irkutsk-Zabaikalsk train service, will run every Saturday and Tuesday, arriving and returning every Sunday and Wednesday, starting March 7, 2026.^[3]

The passenger cars used on trains 327/328 were manufactured by the Tver Rolling Stock Plant in Russia and were purchased by Russian Railways as 61-4440 type railway passenger cars. The third-class sleeper cars had 9 compartments, each with 2 upper and lower berths, and 8 upper and lower berths were set up parallel to the corridor, with a capacity of 54 people. The car body was marked МЕСТ-54. The ordinary hard sleeper cars had 9 four-person compartments, with a capacity of 36 people. The car body was marked МЕСТ-36. The hard sleeper cars for disabled persons had 6 four-person compartments and 1 double compartment, and also included a broadcasting room and a toilet for disabled persons. The capacity was 26 people. The car body was marked МЕСТ-26. The entire train was fully enclosed. Each car was equipped with a closed-circuit television system, a shower room, a telephone, and an automatic fire alarm system.[4] The passenger cars used on trains 353/354 were manufactured by the former East German DWA Amendov plant and purchased by Russian Railways. These are international transport-specific passenger cars (similar to the CR Type 18 passenger car). The standard hard sleeper cars consist of nine four-person compartments, marked МЕСТ-36 (Russian, pronounced /mʲest/, meaning "capacity 36 people").

Within Russia, the train is attached to trains 328/327 (Irkutsk-Zabaikalsk), sharing their timetable. Hard sleeper car number 18 is added from Irkutsk, and hard sleeper car number 20 is added from Chita. These two cars are then detached from train 328 in Zabaikalsk and continue into China. On the return trip, the train departs from Manzhouli, is attached to train 327 in Zabaikalsk, and car number 20 is detached in Chita. Car number 18 remains with the train until its final destination in Irkutsk.

Since the Manzhouli Station passenger yard does not have a 1520 mm gauge broad gauge line, the train needs to have its bogies changed at the Transbaikalsk Station.

• As of 6 March 2026^[4][5][6]
• No time difference between Irkutsk Oblast and China, 1 hour ahead for Zabaykalsky Krai

• China Railway K3/4
• Vostok (Russian train)
• Suifenhe-Grodekovo shuttle train