Poland–Ukraine rail connections expanded

Passenger links between Poland and Ukraine have been improved with the launch on August 24 of a Ukrainian Railways Intercity+ service from Przemyśl to Kyiv via Lviv, Ternopil and Vinnytsia.

The second cross-border IC+ service follows the launch last December of a Przemyśl–Kyiv service via Lviv and Korosten. There are more than 1 million Ukrainians working in Poland, and according to UZ the service has proved popular as a result of the price, the comfort of the Hyundai Rotem inter-city electric multiple-units and the relative ease of crossing the border. While the first service was intended as to offer a fast connection between the end points, the second is more focused on serving communities along the route.

Meanwhile, the Chełm–Kovel local service operated by UZ using Pesa 630M DMUs has been extended to Zdolbuniv, in an effort to attract more long-distance passengers who are felt to be less likely to attempt to use the route for cross-border smuggling; the rolling stock on the local services had been suffering from damage as a result of the cumulative effects of people trying to hide goods and the customs authorities searching for it.

Source: railwaygazette.com