Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, train travel in Ukraine was a cheap and popular way to travel from one end of the country to the other. The railway system in Ukraine operated efficiently, with numerous daytime and overnight trains running. Ukraine has beautiful railway stations, many narrow-gauge railways (unfortunately most of them is currently abandoned) and scenic train routes.
The article contains only basic information. It will be complemented after the end of the war.
Last updated: 04.04.2024
Train travel in Ukraine – a general overview
Trains in Ukraine are operated by Ukrainian Railways (Укрзалізниця). Almost all railway lines were built to broad-gauge (1520 mm). Before the full-scale war many long-distance trains operated. There were comfortable overnight trains and daytime Intercity trains between major cities.
Useful websites:
Ukrainian Railways – official website
Ukrainian Railways – online shop
Seat reservation in long-distance trains in Ukraine is mandatory. The best option to buy ticket is an official online shop. Purchase of tickets is very easy – you need to search for connection you are interested in. Trains and seats in each type of carriage are displayed. Click on the type of carriage, and a seating plan is displayed. Then you select a seat and proceed to payment. Purchased tickets will be sent to the email inbox. They should be printed out and presented at the train entrance; without a valid ticket, you will not be allowed on board.
In some long-distance trains on selected routes, dynamic pricing applies – ticket prices vary depending on demand. A ticket purchased well in advance will be cheaper by as much as around 20% compared to a ticket bought, for example, the day before departure.
Train travel in Ukraine – types of the trains
Formerly, the type of the train could be determined based on its number. Due to modernisation of the rolling stock fleet, new train categories have been introduced in recent years. There are the following types of trains in Ukraine:
Primijski / электричка – suburban train, usually an electric multiple unit with wooden benches. Some trains have no toilet or toilet is a hole in the floor. Suburban trains in Ukraine are very cheap without mandatory seat reservations and often overcrowded. Very slow and uncomfortable, it stops at all stations.
Shvydky / скоростной поезд – semi-fast train. It stops at major stations and is relatively inexpensive. There are daytime and overnight connections, quality of the rolling stock varies depending on connections. It’s a relatively affordable category.
Skoryj / скорый поезд – fast train. It stops at the most important stations, and the prices are also affordable. Usually trains comprised of locomotive and passenger carriages.
Regional Express/ регіональний експрес – only a few daytime connections in Western Ukraine, for example Lviv – Chernivtsi. New or refurbished diesel multiple units equipped with air-conditioning and vacuum toilets. Regional Express trains stop at major stations only.
Intercity+ – the fastest and most comfortable trains in Ukraine. The category was introduced before the UEFA European Football Championship in 2012. Intercity+ trains are operated by Hyundai ROTEM, Ukrainian Tarpan vehicles, and Czech double-decker Skoda trains (known in the Czech Republic as “Elephants”). First and second class available. Relatively expensive trains between major cities (Lviv, Kyiv, Dnipro, Odessa, Kharkiv).
Night Express (Нічний експрес) – a new category of night trains consisting of the new sleeping and VIP/LUX cars produced in Ukraine. The first trains of this class were the two trains between Ivano-Frankivsk and Kyiv via Lviv.
Night trains in Ukraine
Overnight trains in Ukraine are a major mode of long-distance transport. All overnight trains have sleeping accommodations. Bedding is provided. Each carriage has an attendand (ukr. provadnik or provadnica) – an attendant checks tickets before you board the train and care for safety and order in carriage. At the end of each carriage is a samovar with hot water. The attendant wakes up the passenger about 30 minutes before the final station. Once the train departs, tickets are usually collected by an attendant and later returned, but not always. Trains are safe. There is a separate room for smokers; smoking is not allowed in compartments. Luggage can be stored under the lower bed, which opens up like a couch.
Older carriages have one significant drawback – there are “sanitary zones” around cities – the toilets on the train are closed at specified hours during the passage through the city and the stop at the station. The schedule of toilet closure times is posted on the door of each toilet in every carriage. Sometimes toilets are bolted for half an hour or longer.
Trains in Ukraine are usually punctual.
Train travel in Ukraine – types of the carriages
Ukrainian trains are comprised of various carriages. Ukrainian carriages mostly differ from these in overnight trains in Western Europe but are common in former Soviet Union countries:
Zahalnyj/Obshtyj “O”– cheapest and uncomfortable old seating carriage. Recommended only for young adventure lovers who want to spend as little money as possible or for very short journeys. Seats arrangement 3+2. Usually wooden benches, sometimes plastic benches or chairs.
Sidiatshyj – seating carriage with 62 seats. Quality varies, but usually it has higher standard than zahalnyj carriage. Carriages of this type operate only on a few long-distance daytime trains as second class.
Platskart car “PL” – couchette car popular in Ex-USRR countries. Cheap and comfortable option with unique atmosphere but no privacy. The open-class carriage consists of 54 bunks, arranged in bays of 4 on one side and bays of 2 on another. There is an aisle between the two sides. In practice, it is an ordinary carriage without compartments, with places to sleep. Reviews of travelers vary – some are bothered by the lack of privacy, others love these carriages for the opportunity to get to interaction with fellow passengers. There is a storage compartment under the lower bunk where you can store your luggage, so you don’t have to worry about someone stealing it at night.
Kupe «K» – sleeping car “Kupe”. Most common sleeping car with 4-bed compartments. Two upper beds and two lower beds. Each carriage has nine separate compartments with four bunks.
LUX/VIP (1st class) – double compartments with comfortable, fold-out sofas. The standard varies depending on the train – you may find compartments with televisions. The carriages are usually air-conditioned, vacuum toilets (not always) and additionally soundproofed. In some trains, the price is reasonable, while in others, it’s very expensive. One carriage has usually 10 compartments and 20 seats.
Train travel in Ukraine – suburban trains
Suburban trains in Ukraine run between largest cities and small towns or villages. They are very cheap, slow and often have wooden benches. These trains are usually operated by electric multiple units, so they are called “elektritschka”. Some trains have no toilet or toilet is a hole in the floor.
– seat reservations are not required on suburban trains.
– in the largest Ukrainian cities, the main train stations are divided into long-distance and suburban terminals. Lviv for example. The main and suburban train stations in Lviv are located close to each other, but completely different trains depart from them.
– in smaller Ukrainian cities, separate ticket counters are designated at railway stations to serve passengers of long-distance trains and passengers of suburban trains.
– tickets for suburban trains look like store receipts. Prices, even for distances of about 100 km, are lower than the normal ticket price for a bus ride in urban transportation in Western Europe.
– local railway lines in Ukraine are often in a poor condition. It’s common that The trains travel for several hours at a speed of 20-30 kilometers per hour, stopping at every station.
– smoking is prohibited on trains, but it is not enforced. Passengers smoke in vestibules.
– I don’t know why, but for some reason, people in Ukraine prefer to travel with closed windows. Even in heat.
– in old electric multiple units, traveling during temperatures of thirty degrees Celsius or higher feels like a sauna. There are no curtains on the large windows, and there’s no way to shield oneself from the sun. Fortunately, some types of trains have vents.
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