Up to six people vying for each seat: This summer it will be even harder for Ukrainians to buy train tickets across the country

This summer it will be even harder for Ukrainians to buy train tickets around the country: Ukrzaliznytsia warns of a sharp increase in demand and a limited amount of rolling stock compared with last year, as reported by the company’s press service on the official channel.

“This summer season will be even more difficult for us than the previous one, because demand is growing, while the number of cars – on the contrary,” the press service of Ukrzaliznytsia said.

During the full-scale invasion 46 passenger cars have been destroyed. Another roughly 200 cars and the “Intercity+” train are awaiting restoration after shelling and drone attacks. In addition, more than 1050 cars must undergo inspection with subsequent decommissioning due to wear and their technical condition.

Currently the average balance of demand and supply is approximately 4 to 1, and in summer they forecast up to 6 people vying for each seat. On certain routes the shortage is most acute: from Lviv to Kyiv nearly 10 thousand passengers search for seats daily.

To increase the chances of getting a ticket, the company advises planning trips in advance and booking travel documents immediately after sales start, which open 20 days before departure.

• Use the ticket auto-purchase feature: since the beginning of the year it has already been chosen by 150 thousand passengers, who have purchased around one million tickets.
• Consider route options with transfers, including suburban trains with air conditioning.
• For international travel, aim for airports in Moldova, Romania and Hungary, where tickets are currently more readily available than to Poland.

Earlier we wrote:

• From May 1 Ukrainians face new rules: electricity, gas, subsidies, IDPs, deferments and tickets
• During evacuation from a train: a conductor died on the railway, a passenger was injured
• ? Ukrzaliznytsia warns: wagon shortage threatens a complete collapse
• “Seats are disappearing before our eyes”: Why is it so hard to buy tickets for the Mykolaiv–Lviv train?
• A passenger died from the heat on the train – confirmation from “Ukrzaliznytsia”