Platskartny
Greetings from Khabarovsk. Took a night train here, some 750 km north from Vladivostok (this is quite short distance in Russian scale, isn't it?). Going to spend a couple of days here before returning to Vladivostok.
I got a place in platskartny again, and I must tell you: Only travel in kupe if it's absolutely necessary (meaning all the platskartnys are full).
+ Interesting (Russian) people, which means the ordinary people.
+ You never will get hungry there.
+ None of those drunken 'military officers' who keep insisting you to drink vodka with them, acting like teenagers first time drunk and thinking it's so cool to be LOUD and to puke all over themselves. And then snore in kupe. And why none of them in platskartny? Because the Russian women keep the order there. No disturbing others is allowed there.
+ When it's hot, in platskartny it's possible to open the window a bit. In kupe, you have to open the door because the window that is possible to open, is on the other side of aisle. And then you are basically in platskartny again... door open...
+ Cheap: about 2,5 x price of platskartny = kupe.
- Sometimes loud kids. But hey: They're the first to sleep at night!
So follow my advice: take platskartny. Always.
Oh well... I go to see the bulevards of Khabarovsk now, hear you again! And btw, thanks for the reason... how obvious!! imported cars...