Ready, steady, go: Ukrainians 'storming' railway ticket offices

Traditionally, advanced booking started 45 days before the departure day, thus tickets for December 29 and 30 are already available.

Passengers follow the situation in various modes - someone checks through internet and someone prefers the old way and comes to the railway station.

Students and workers are staying in line for tickets to celebrate the main holiday of the year with their relatives and friends.

"I have come today to buy a ticket for December 29. I've come in advance as already one week from now there will be no tickets. I've seen such situation before. Last year I did the same - bought the ticket exactly 45 days in advance," a student Aleksandra says.

 

 

Yulia also prefers not to delay the purchase. For the second year in a row she leaves Kyiv for New Year and has learned at first hand that tickets must be bought in advance. "Last year there were not enough places, and Kyiv-Odessa destination was especially busy. Thus, I prefer to buy tickets one month before, as it may become a problem closer to the New Year dates," the girl says staying in line.

Lyudmila plans to celebrate New Year in Poland, but she is not in a hurry to buy tickets yet. She says she follows the situation through internet. "We check available accommodation through internet, and as soon as there are last 100 places left we will go to the railway station," Lyudmila explains the strategy.

 

Olya is going to Western Ukraine for holidays, and tickets in that direction are worth weight in gold.

"We are going to the Carpathians by car, but some of my friends are not so lucky, so I've come to check available places for them. Rumors say tickets for third-class sleepers and compartment coaches have already been sold out."

Press center of Ukrzaliznytsya confirmed that Western Ukraine, namely Uzhhorod, Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv, is the most popular destination point. However, specialists point out that such rush is not a surprise, as it repeats itself year after year.  

Within two days after the official opening of advanced booking for New Year holidays, third part of the tickets was already sold out. With total of 18203 places in the direction of Western Ukraine for December 27-26, only 5756 available places left as of November 15.

Southern part of Ukraine is in less demand. Thus, out of 8767 places for Kyiv-Simferopol train for New Year holiday dates, there are still 4450 places available.

Ukrzaliznytsya does not rule out it may put in operation additional trains for the most popular destinations. "It's too early to consider this issue, as there are still available places for all direction. We monitor the passenger flows, but still we cannot provide places for all travelers. We just do not have enough train cars. Moreover, a part of trains in operation are old and cannot be used during winter period," Ukrzaliznytsya press center reported.

 

The press center also pointed out that passengers should not be concerned over new rules of ticket purchase process (with passport only). "The new rules will come into force when the Cabinet issues the resolution, and it's too early to say when it will happen. Thus, passengers who bought tickets by the old rules will board according to the same old rules even if the new rules are already in force. Passengers should not fear they might not be allowed on board with tickets of old type," the press center specified. 

We recommend having your finger on the pulse of the situation. If you know your destination point for New Year holidays, make sure beforehand that you will get there on time.

Tetyana Matsur