Barnaul-Adler Train Conductor Unveils Challenges of Rail Life
She has been working as a conductor for more than five years
Aleksandra Pogran from Barnaul never thought she would work on the railway and travel to the sea every week, even though she had never seen it before. Now she is a conductor on the Barnaul–Adler train. The clatter of wheels, changing landscapes, and endless expanses are the everyday reality in which most of her life passes.
During her work, Aleksandra learned to cook soups in the microwave and even acquired various life hacks
The conductor told NGS22.RU about the difficulties of the profession, pulled emergency brakes, passengers, and some work tricks (she can cook potatoes au gratin in the compartment and knows how to calm even the most rowdy travelers).
Over four days of travel, more than 80 regions change outside the window
From Manager to Conductor
«I had never ridden a train in my life before I got this job,» Aleksandra began her story.
A conductor, according to Aleksandra, must have iron patience
She joined Russian Railways (RZhD) at age 26, when the coronavirus pandemic began and some companies started closing down, which happened with her previous job.
«Then I had to move out of my rented apartment to my parents» house, since the company was closed without severance pay. I started considering different options, and a friend who has been working as a conductor since she was 18 told me about the training and suggested I try it. She didn«t even know that after a while we would periodically ride together. What attracted me then was that, despite the routine, no workday is like the previous one: the same stations, cars, but always new people, atmosphere,» Aleksandra laughs.
As the conductor clarifies, her hectic schedule doesn«t bother her husband at all; on the contrary, during the trips, the couple manages to miss each other, so there are practically no scandals in the family, but there is always room for romance.
Cooks Potatoes au Gratin and Does Beauty Care
For five years now, she has been traveling to Adler and passing by the sea, even though she had never been there before. However, going into the water during stops is strictly prohibited by occupational safety rules, since the employee is still at the workplace. Moreover, as Aleksandra explains, during that time you can«t go far: after passengers disembark, the conductors» work continues: the car is put in order for the next passengers.
«On my first independent shift at a stop, 40 people got off and all handed in their bedding, and I»m sitting there, tears welling up: I have to sort all this alone. I thought: «Well, how can I cry? I»ll manage everything.« Do or don»t, I sorted it all out. The main thing in our work is to manage time; at first, it«s unclear what to grab onto: when to sell ice cream, when to disembark passengers, but over time it becomes calmer.»
During her work, the girl learned to cook various soups in the microwave and even figured out how to make potatoes au gratin, so that her diet on trips became a bit more varied than that of travelers. The round trip, by the way, takes 8 days, and the stop in the city is only over 6 hours.
A work shift lasts 12 hours. Besides checking documents, the conductor is responsible for cleanliness in the car, cleaning toilets, washing floors and windows, as well as other routine work like connecting heating and boilers for passenger comfort.
«In free time on the train, I manage to read books, tidy myself up, do a manicure,» Aleksandra laughs. «Lately, I»ve been reading pulp romance novels, but somehow I even tackled «Anna Karenina». You always have to find something to do, otherwise you can spend all the time playing games on your phone. I carry face masks, peeling, sometimes even a curling iron ends up in my bag — all for the girls.«
«Romance Gradually Becomes Routine»
The work of a conductor often seems romantic to passengers: tea in a faceted glass, changing landscapes, a clinking spoon, but Aleksandra is convinced: where work begins, that very romance that passengers love so much ends.
«I need to control boarding and disembarking, refilling water, taking out trash, and if something breaks, to crawl under the car and look there, and also — to chip ice off the brake pads — that»s also the conductor«s job. In four days, we pass through more than 80 regions and don»t even have time to understand where we are now. Over time, the road simply stops being something unusual. On my first training trip, for example, I got very motion sick, but then I got used to it and now I sleep quite well,« the conductor laughs.
With all this, every stage of work is strictly regulated, and at any moment, both inspectors monitoring order and, for example, «secret passengers» can appear:
«They check everything on us: products, so there»s no expiration, so no one sells anything «under the table». That«s already criminal liability. We constantly study, take tests, confirm permits.»
By the way, famous people can often be among the passengers. So, one such was Konstantin Raikin.
«A very polite, calm person, without any star sickness. He asked for help making the bed, I remember, we helped. Once, a psychic traveled with us, I forgot his name, we got talking, he gave me a talisman so that money would always be in my wallet. I ironically lost it,» recalls Sasha.
In the work, there are certainly minuses:
«Of course, I don»t like crawling under the car with a crowbar and washing toilets, carrying coal. But I understand: I get paid for this. The salary suits me, there are bonuses, travel allowances. I always try to treat people the way I would like to be treated.«
«Handed Over Documents and Fell»
Passengers, Aleksandra admits, come in all sorts — that«s the peculiarity of the work. With particularly rowdy ones, transport security staff help to deal. Some can be calmed down independently, but in critical situations, it»s still necessary to call the police.
«Predictably unexpected cases happen in autumn and spring, as if people have an exacerbation. Once on the way to Adler, a grandmother boarded the car. Night fell, men come and say: »Do something, there«s a grandmother praying, it»s impossible to sleep.« We go together with them, and there throughout the car resounds »Our Father!« I tell her: »What are you doing, it«s three in the morning, let»s observe quiet hours, from 10 pm we can«t make noise,» to which she replies: «I woke up, let everyone wake up.» She continues praying, and that«s it. She even threatens to curse everyone. The police came, medics — gathered everyone. The grandmother is completely adequate, not drunk, talks normally, and what to do with her, only God knows. They had a talk, and only then did she fall silent. A conductor must be very patient, of course,» Aleksandra reflects.
Emergency situations often arise due to unjustified haste, so Aleksandra tirelessly insists that there«s no need to hurry, another train will always come.
«Once a man was entering the car and got his strap caught on something, thereby blocking the entrance for the conductress. She wouldn»t have had time to unhook him and calmly enter, so they had to pull the emergency brake. There have also been cases when, a couple of minutes before the train«s departure, couples with a stroller, walking around, forgot to board and ended up in another car. But going to their car in such a case was already dangerous and unjustified. Once a woman was running to board, already elderly, about 55–60 years old. It was clear that she was very nervous, afraid of being late. She handed over her documents and fell. Overexerted. Therefore, I always say: »Another train will come.« The ticket can be returned. Yes, you»ll lose time, possibly some money, but it«s incomparable to the risk to life and health. Conductors will always help as much as they can if needed,» she concluded.
