The state budget proposal for 2026 includes funding for the purchase of 100 new railway carriages worth approximately 5.7 billion UAH, featuring the first modern double-decker passenger carriage. This was announced by the Ministry of Finance.
According to Deputy Minister Oleksandr Kava, the double-decker passenger trains will significantly reduce transportation costs.
“The operating costs for single and double-decker carriages differ by about 10%, while the seating capacity in double-decker carriages increases by nearly 80%. This means that the company can transport many more passengers at comparable operational costs,” Kava emphasized during a meeting with the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine (ACC) and representatives of the Ukrainian business community.
In the future, Kava noted that the range of double-decker trains will include options for both night travel with sleeping accommodations and daytime travel with seating.
Over the past five years, the government has acquired 166 modern passenger carriages produced in Ukraine, which are already in operation on Ukrzaliznytsia routes.
The state order of JSC “Ukrzaliznytsia” under the public investment project “Acquisition of Passenger Carriages” includes the purchase of 366 carriages, including 200 in 2026-2027, as reported by the press service of the Kryukov Railway Car Building Works.
The first double-decker Skoda trains were purchased by Ukrzaliznytsia back in 2012 for the UEFA Euro 2012 championship. However, by July 2019, these trains required major repairs, prompting UZ to announce a tender for the overhaul of two Skoda double-decker trains for 160 million UAH. The first refurbished Skoda City Elephant EJ675 train was put into service on December 30, 2021. The second train was also restored and returned to service in August 2022.