Railways and trains in Ukraine

Railway network pretty tightly covers the territory of Ukraine and is highly connected. However, between cities located in different parts of the country, there is no direct message, and in many cases the link is a link. Other key transfers – Kharkov, Dnepropetrovsk, Zhmeryanka, Lviv. The message is managed by the state company "Ukrzaliznytsia" (UZ).

Far post is predominantly traditional trains with lying three classes cars: reserved seats, coupe, suite. The state of rolling stock will vary greatly: there are modern cars, and frankly outdated, sometimes – in a bad sanitary condition. Schedule prevail night trains. However, in recent years, their number has declined sharply, but at the same time, day expresses with seating cars are actively introduced.

In the 2000s, electric trains with sedentary wagons of the first and second classes were started, cruising in the direction of Kiev – Khmelnitsky and then to Ternopoli or Kamenets-Podolsky. Currently, the number of such expressions has reached five, and they are the main type of transport in this direction.

Since 2012, a dozen high-speed Hyundai Rotem expressions appeared, which were designed to partially replace night trains on key lines between the largest cities. Expresss go from Kiev to Kharkov (three times a day), in Donetsk (twice), as well as in Truskavets (through Lviv), Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporizhia (one flight). Schedule of these trains may vary, including due to breakdowns of compositions that require long-term repair and modernization – in particular, in early 2014, they all were out of operation for several months. In each composition of nine cars with seating places: six second grade with layout of 3 + 2 seats, as well as three first-class cars with a layout 2 + 2. Expresss received the official name "Intersiti+", But people are known as Hyundai.

At the same time, two two-storey composition of ŠKODA were acquired, which work mainly by regional expresss between Kharkov, Donetsk and Dnepropetrovsk. Trains are little adapted for three-four-hour moves: the seats are tightly and do not lean. The official name of these trains – "Intersiti".

Finally, in the summer of 2014, electric trains were launched "Tarpan" Ukrainian production making daily flights from Kiev to Lviv and Odessa. Designated as "Intersiti+" or "Ukraine-2". Class system similar to Hyundai trains. All high-speed electric trains have numbers in the range of 700-799.

The cost of travel in traditional trains has grown tangible in recent years, but compared with prices in Russia is still small. Film ticket on the routes Kiev – Kharkov, Kiev – Lviv and Kiev – Odessa costs about 110 hryvnia, the jewelery costs 170-230 hryvnia depending on the train. The cost of tickets for luxury cars ranges in the range of 450-700 hryvnia. At the same time, the cost of seating tickets in expressings on the same routes ranges from 260 to 355 hryvnia to second-class cars and from 420 to 515 hryvnia – first class. For expressings there is a 10% discount when buying a ticket back, for the rest of the trains, the cost of the ticket is fixed.

In the Western and Eastern Directions Winning time when choosing "Intersiti+" Significant (for example, expressions in Lviv are five hours, and ordinary trains from 8 to 13, but usually 9 hours). But Odessa Express on the way more than seven hours, which is a little better than ordinary trains. However, by the end of 2014, it is planned to reduce the time on the way to six hours. For comparison, buses between Kiev and Odessa go according to the schedule of six to eight hours, the passage costs 200-300 hryvnia.

Tickets for long-distance trains can be purchased both in the railway ticket office and on numerous sites with the 7-30 hryvnical commission, which is included in the ticket price. When buying on the official website http: // Booking.Uz.GOV.UA / Commission is minimal, and the most trains can be issued an electronic ticket. Soon "Ukrzaliznytsia" Promises to distribute electronic tickets for all trains within the country. From April 2013, tickets are issued indicating the name and surname of the passenger. When landing on the train requires a document certifying.

At the end of July 2014, on the route Kiev – Izmail began to run the first private train owned by the company "Southern tourist lines". As part of two second-billing cars, two verse and one junior suite (SV). The train walks through the day, in the coupling cars and the junior suite there is wireless Internet. Tickets can be bought on the operator’s website.

Ukraine is closely connected by railway communications with Russia, Belarus, Moldova, there is a daily communication with a number of Eastern European countries. Almost all international trains – only with bedroom seats.

Suburban trains are distributed everywhere and in their mass differ in low speed of movement and low comfort. Seats, as a rule, are wooden shops. At the same time, the fare is farewell to cheat: 3-4 hryvnias at a distance of 5 kilometers, 6-10 hryvnia for 50 kilometers of the road and 20-30 hryvnia for 350 kilometers. The ticket can be bought only at the checkout, it is valid during the day for a single travel route. In major cities, the intensity of the movement of suburban trains is quite large and is usually noticeably higher than in the regions of Russia.

Station, including small, work around the clock. On large storage chambers for a moderate fee. However, the conditions for waiting for trains may be far from comfortable.

Trains in Crimea

Trains between Ukraine and Crimea are praised as usual and from the position of Ukrainian legislation are not considered international, since the Crimea is called "temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine". When departing from Ukraine in Crimea, police control is carried out at the station "Novoalekseevka", Prints about the road from the country are not put. On the Russian side of the border, in Dzhankoe, a full-fledged passport and customs control is carried out. Tourists who arrived in the Crimea from Ukraine should be borne in mind that they should go back to Ukraine (and not fly away, for example, by plane from Simferopol to Moscow), otherwise, in the Ukrainian border database, they will be listed as border violators The regime and they will be closed entry into Ukraine in the future.

Also, you should not buy train tickets from Crimea to Ukraine, if you entered the Crimea from Russia, because the Ukrainian authorities will refuse to enter the country. This is usually warned as in the box office.Davastopol and Simferopol and Border Station Dzhanka.