Ukrainian Railways has introduced its new timetable for 2025–2026, effective from December 14. The updated schedule includes the launch of 11 new trains — 8 of which are international and 3 domestic, alongside significant enhancements to existing routes.
The demand for train travel continues to rise. In the first 11 months of this year, Ukrainian Railways transported over 25 million passengers, which is nearly half a million more than last year. During the summer, the company tested a model of additional services using daytime circular trains, which allowed for more than 7,000 extra seats on peak days, forming the basis for the 2026 schedule planning.
Next year, Ukrainian Railways plans to increase seat availability during peak periods by 20% and provide an additional 2 million seats over the year.
«We are updating the Ukrainian Railways schedule based on the real needs of people. This is our priority. It involves faster routes, new direct connections, and ensuring more seats for passengers during peak times. We are launching new and modernizing existing international routes», — noted Oleksiy Balesta, Deputy Minister of Community and Territorial Development of Ukraine.
In international traffic, 8 new routes are planned. Specifically, 3 new trains have been added to the connection with Poland towards Przemysl and 1 to Chełm, made possible also by the purchase of new carriages under the state program for updating passenger rolling stock.
Key updates for domestic connections include:
- New train No. 47/48 (Kramatorsk) Barvinkove — Chop
This route is aimed at residents of the frontline Donetsk region, who currently utilize multimodal transportation schemes. The additional train improves access to rehabilitation and recovery centers in the Carpathians and Transcarpathia and ensures quick transfers to international routes in Chop.
- New train No. 33/34 Kryvyi Rih — Ivano-Frankivsk
This train will connect central Ukraine with tourist destinations in Prykarpattia.
- Updated route of train No. 113/114 Kharkiv — Uzhhorod
The historic «Bakhmut» route is now extended to Transcarpathia. This connection is critically important for residents of Polissya and Volyn, providing direct access to Carpathian locations and Transcarpathia while maintaining connections with Sumy and Kharkiv regions.
In the new schedule, there are over 40 routes planned towards mountain resorts and rehabilitation centers, with more than half originating from frontline regions. A regional train Lviv — Vorokhta will regularly operate on a modern DPKr-3 diesel train, which has become popular among passengers and will enhance transfer options during the ski season.
Ticket sales under the new schedule for dates after December 14 are already open in the app and on the Ukrainian Railways website.