RZD have got way too many "Lastochka" EMUs - whether it amuses some people or irritates others, it's a matter of fact. So they are allocating them to all the possible and impossible routes. Even a wire is not the limit any more: where electrification ends, a diesel loco comes into play.
In this picture, TEP70BS has just coupled to ES1P "Lastochka" running as an express train from Moscow to Rzhev. Roughly half of the route is not electrified. TEP70BS has all necessary connectors, so all the systems in "Lastochka" (A/C, doors, entertainment) remain fully operable.
While this is indeed a comfortable non-stop link between Moscow, Rzhev (some 350 km from Moscow), and a few intermediate towns, usage of a high-speed "Lastochka" here seems like a total waste of the EMU's capabilities. Due to extreme curvature of the path between Moscow and Volokolamsk, as well as due to traffic, the train will rarely exceed 60 km/h while running under its own power, covering 120 km in astonishing 2.5 hours. Past Volokolamsk, situation improves a bit, and this "diesel-electric" pair will often reach 100 km/h - which is still too slow for both TEP70BS and ES1P, either being capable of 160 km/h.
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In this picture, TEP70BS has just coupled to ES1P "Lastochka" running as an express train from Moscow to Rzhev. Roughly half of the route is not electrified. TEP70BS has all necessary connectors, so all the systems in "Lastochka" (A/C, doors, entertainment) remain fully operable.
While this is indeed a comfortable non-stop link between Moscow, Rzhev (some 350 km from Moscow), and a few intermediate towns, usage of a high-speed "Lastochka" here seems like a total waste of the EMU's capabilities. Due to extreme curvature of the path between Moscow and Volokolamsk, as well as due to traffic, the train will rarely exceed 60 km/h while running under its own power, covering 120 km in astonishing 2.5 hours. Past Volokolamsk, situation improves a bit, and this "diesel-electric" pair will often reach 100 km/h - which is still too slow for both TEP70BS and ES1P, either being capable of 160 km/h.