Ukrainian Railways increases passenger traffic to int'l destinations since start of year

MOSCOW. May 20 (Interfax) - Ukrainian Railways has seen a 27.7% growth in passenger traffic to international destinations to almost 800,000 passengers since the start of 2024 and expects further growth this summer, Ukrainian media quoted the company's press service as saying in a statement on Monday.

"Ukrainian Railways transported 792,000 passengers on international routes as of May 14, which is up 27.7% year-on-year. The company expects further demand for international trips in summer," the statement said.

The company carried the most passengers, or 451,000, traveling to Przemysl, 226,000 to Helm, and over 82,000 to Warsaw, it said.

"The company is actively preparing for the summer season of transportation and recalls that 28 trains are running to international destination, including 14 from Ukraine's largest cities and another 14 from the border cities. In particular, trains are running from Ukraine to Poland, Austria, Czech Republic, Moldova, Hungary, and Slovakia," it said.

The Kiev-Warsaw train has remained the most popular, whose number of seats is limited due to the specifics of the RIC coaches and their number in the company's fleet, it said.

It was reported earlier that Ukrainian Railways carried 8.43 million passengers by long-distance trains in January-April, which is a 25% growth year-on-year. In total, 703,000 passengers were transported on international routes during the period, compared to 546,000 in January-April 2023.