Ukrzaliznytsia (UZ) transported a record number of passengers in 2024 and also reached high levels of cargo transportation, said Oleksiy Kuleba, Vice Prime Minister for Reconstruction of Ukraine and Minister of Community and Territorial Development.
“Today we can state that 2024 is becoming a record year for Ukrzaliznytsia both in terms of cargo transportation, which is more than 148 million tons per year, and passenger transportation. For the second year in a row, Ukrzaliznytsia has been transporting more than 20 million people at its facilities,” Kuleba said on Sunday at the ceremony of the first departure of the Kyiv-Budapest train.
The deputy prime minister emphasized that the volume of UZ passenger traffic is significantly higher than before the full-scale invasion, and passenger traffic to the EU countries is hundreds of times higher than before 2022.
According to Kuleba, there are large-scale plans to expand the railway network with European countries in 2025.
“For 2025, we really have a lot of plans to expand the network with European countries, our neighbors. There are plans for Romania, an increase in traffic to Poland,” Kuleba said.
He noted that demand for international rail transportation in Ukraine exceeds supply.
“So, of course, we have a lot of work to do. We will do everything to reduce the load,” the Vice Prime Minister said.
Oleh Holovashchenko, head of the Passenger Company branch, said that the Kyiv-Budapest train, which made its first run on Sunday, will continue to run on a regular basis and can become a worthy alternative to the Kyiv-Warsaw train.
“This train will help relieve traffic with European countries and make it more convenient,” he said.
He specified that in the two days since the opening of ticket sales for the Kyiv-Budapest train, more than 2,000 tickets have been sold, and the load on the first flight exceeded 60%. UZ expects it to grow rapidly.
Earlier it was reported that UZ launches Kyiv-Budapest and Rava-Ruska-Warsaw trains from December 15 together with the Polish state operator PKP Intercity. In addition, UZ together with ZSSK will launch a connecting route to Bratislava.
The number of passengers who used buses to travel abroad in 2023 decreased to 7.5 million passengers, compared to 8.5 million in 2022.
Such data Deputy Minister of Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Sergiy Derkach made public, opening the forum of the reform of international bus transportation.
According to him, in 2020 only 1.1 million passengers traveled abroad by buses.
“This is a large passenger traffic today for Ukraine. For example, Ukrzaliznytsia carried 2 million passengers last year,” Derkach said.
He emphasized that bus service today, given the lack of air service, has become one of the main for trips from Ukraine abroad.
The average duration of travel by bus in international traffic is 31 hours of which about 7 hours passengers spend waiting at the border.
“This is exactly what the state should change and what you and I should change. That is why today we will present our reform: electronic tools that will primarily help the passenger and carriers,” Derkach said.
According to him, the register of international transportation will soon be available for passengers, in which each passenger will be able to find his route, check the carrier and going to his site to buy a ticket. A carrier’s office is being created for carriers, where they will be able to quickly open new routes without paperwork and bureaucratic procedures.
Deputy Minister expressed hope that the reform of intercity bus transportation will help to increase budget revenues. According to his data, about 25% of carriers operate in the market without paying taxes, and the budget receives up to UAH 500 million annually.
Passengers have bought 183,500 bags of Gemini tea worth over UAH 3.6 million on Ukrzaliznytsia (UZ) trains, of which UAH 1 million will be used to purchase Ukrainian FPV drones Hrom, Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov said on his Telegram account.
“Everyone who travels by train can help the Defense Forces. To do this, you need to buy Gemini tea. Part of the funds from each bag will be used to buy drones for the military,” the minister emphasized.
UZ noted that such tea can be ordered in the app, chatbot, or on the website, as well as directly on the train (except for Intercity+). The cost of the drink is UAH 20, of which UAH 5.5 from each bag goes to raise funds that will be transferred through the UNITED24 platform for the purchase of Ukrainian-made FPV copters “Thunder”. The cost of one such drone is UAH 21 thousand.
Passengers of Ukrzaliznytsia (UZ) can now send their cars from Kyiv to Uzhgorod and back by train No. 29/30 Kyiv – Uzhgorod, UZ reports in its Telegram channel.
It is noted that the cost of transportation is about UAH 1.4 thousand per ton of weight. You can arrange transportation of a car at the box office of the stations.
In addition, it is reported that car carriers are already running on the routes Kyiv – Lvov – Kyiv, Dnepr – Lvov – Dnepr, Kharkiv – Lvov – Kharkiv and Lvov – Odessa – Lviv.
According to the company, UZ has already transported 1,863 vehicles by car carriers during the war.
