Ukrzaliznytsia warns of a ticket shortage due to the summer rush
The national railway operator, Ukrzaliznytsia, has officially entered the peak period of the 2026 summer travel season, facing a shortage of seats due to surging demand.
Currently, the company’s system records approximately 340,000 ticket purchase requests daily, while rail transport actually carries only 80,000 passengers per day.
Experts predict that the situation with available seats on trains for the most popular routes will continue to worsen.
According to the company, the ratio of demand to available seats will continue to rise—from the current four applicants per seat to six or seven people vying for a single ticket.
Railway officials are urging passengers to plan their trips in advance to avoid difficulties when organizing summer vacations or business trips.
Overall, during the three warmest months of the year, the company is preparing to serve a record number of passengers across the country.
The start of the summer season has shown a sharp increase in passenger traffic on Ukraine’s railways. The carrier’s press service has released interim results confirming maximum capacity utilization of available railcars.
Routes connecting the western and eastern regions of the country are particularly popular.
“During the first week, 472,873 passengers traveled by rail, and train No. 104 Lviv–Lozova set a record by carrying over 13,000 people. In total, it is planned that UZ will transport 7 million passengers over the three summer months,” the company’s statement reads.
All available technical and human resources of the company have been mobilized to ensure this volume of transportation.
Railway representatives have provided several practical tips for passengers to help ensure they can obtain tickets even during periods of scarcity. The key to success remains acting promptly and utilizing modern digital services.
Ticket sales for most domestic flights open a fixed number of days before departure.
“There are a couple of effective ways to ensure your trip goes ahead. The most important thing is to plan ahead. The sooner you decide to travel and start monitoring ticket availability, the better your chances of purchasing them. Ticket sales begin 20 days before the departure date,” emphasized Ukrzaliznytsia.
In addition to standard monitoring, passengers can use the automated features of the official mobile app.
This was reported by the Ukrzaliznytsia press service.
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