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.
Asami Terajima
