Amid Russian attacks, Ukrzaliznytsia predicts a demand-to-supply ratio for train tickets of 6 to 1 during the summer season and has provided advice on how to secure a seat, UNN reports.
Details
According to UZ, "46 Ukrzaliznytsia passenger cars have been destroyed by the enemy since the start of the full-scale invasion." "To this figure, we can add another 200 cars and an entire Intercity+ train that are in the repair queue due to shelling, drone strikes, and collisions. 1,050 cars are awaiting inspection and decommissioning due to their age and unfit condition," the company stated.
"This means that this summer season will be even harder for us than the previous one, as demand is growing while the number of cars is decreasing," UZ emphasized.
Already today, the average ratio of demand to available seats on trains is 4 to 1, and during the peak season, it will rise to 6 people per seat. On certain routes, the figures are truly staggering—9,762 people search for seats from Lviv to Kyiv every day,"
What to do to get a ticket
"So, what should you do to purchase a travel ticket? First and foremost—plan ahead and buy tickets 20 days in advance. If you couldn't grab one immediately, turn on auto-buy. 150,000 passengers who have already purchased about a million tickets since the beginning of the year specifically through auto-buy can confirm its effectiveness," UZ advises.
The company also points out, "do not neglect transfers. In particular, to suburban trains equipped with air conditioning."
"For international travel, pay attention to airports in Moldova, Romania, and Hungary. Buying a ticket to these locations during high season is much easier than to cities in Poland. On the uz-vezemo portal, we have updated a convenient list of all international connections," UZ noted.
"A difficult summer lies ahead, but we continue to build new cars and increase the pace of repairs for old rolling stock to make travel accessible for everyone during the peak season," the company stated.