I'm planning a trip to Russia in April. At first I was looking at riding the typical Transsiberian route from Moscow to Vladivostok, but recently I've started reading about the Baikal Amur Mainline (BAM), which runs parallel to the Transsiberian a few hundred kms north across Eastern Siberia.

HAs anyone done this and is it worthwhile? I've read that the scenery may be better than the Transsiberian. My route would be Moscow-Kazan-Yekateriburg-Omsk-Novosibirsk-Krasnoyarsk, stopping off for a few nights here and there, and then take the BAM to Khabarovsk, probably stopping for just a night in Severobaikalsk.

The main downside that I see to this is that I would miss the city of Irkutsk, but it might be interesting to see these really remote villages in Siberia on the BAM, even if not stopping there.

Are the BAM trains (Kupe class) noticeably "worse" or less comfortable than the Transsiberian trains?

Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated. Thanks.