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Ukrainian railways transport over 2 million passengers to Europe in 2023

• 1 min read
Ukrainian railways transport over 2 million passengers to Europe in 2023
Workers maintain trains from Ukraine's state-owned railway, Ukrzaliznytsia, at the Kyiv Rail depot on Nov. 25, 2022. (Jeff J Mitchell via Getty Images)

Ukraine's state-owned railway company Ukrzaliznytsia transported a record 2.1 million passengers to European countries in 2023, the company reported on Jan. 5.

The airspace above Ukraine has remained closed since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, meaning that road or rail travel is required to enter or exit Ukraine.

Ukrzaliznytsia operates services to Warsaw, Chelm, and Przemysl in Poland, Vienna in Austria, and Chisinau in Moldova. Trains also run to Chop, a town on the border with Hungary, allowing passengers to connect with trains to Budapest.

In total, the company transported 25 million passengers in long-distance trains in 2023.

The company reported a record amount of freight in November 2023, when it transported 14 million metric tons of cargo, a 33.8% increase compared to the same period the previous year.

On the same day, Ukrzaliznytsia's Deputy Director of Commercial Work Valerii Tkachov said his company was preparing to transport 23 trucks stuck at the Polish border by train amid the ongoing blockade by Polish haulers.

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Elsa Court

Audience Development Manager

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The latest announcement comes as Kyiv experienced widespread power outages on Oct. 8 following a Russian attack on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Over 3 million residents in the capital lost power in what officials described as "an attack on one of the energy facilities important for the city of Kyiv."

The railway operator initially reported that the passenger train's driver suffered a leg injury and four passengers required medical attention. The crew of the electric locomotive was unharmed.

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"The government looks forward to the smooth resolution of all pending issues between the two countries and will continue consultations with the Ukrainian side to this end," the South Korean Foreign Ministry said in a press release.

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