For those planning a trip from Ukraine to Poland, Ukrzaliznytsia has clarified ticket sales rules and transfer options in case there are no seats available on direct trains. Ticket sales for the Kyiv — Warsaw route open daily at 9:00, 20 days before departure. If seats on the direct train are sold out, passengers have access to alternative routes with transfers.
Transfer options via Polish stations
The first option is via the Dorohusk station. Passengers need to buy a ticket in the Ukrzaliznytsia app for a train from Kharkiv or Kyiv to Dorohusk (No. 93/23). Then, a ticket for the Dorohusk — Warszawa Wschodnia train is purchased on the website or app of the Polish State Railways (PKP). It is important to choose a train that departs no earlier than 2 hours after arrival from Ukraine, as border control on the train takes about an hour and a half. The Dorohusk station itself is closed for entry and exit and operates only for transfers.
The second route is via Chełm. A ticket for the Kyiv — Chełm train (No. 19/20) or Dnipro — Chełm (No. 119) is purchased in the Ukrzaliznytsia app. The ticket for the Polish train Chełm — Warszawa Wschodnia is arranged in advance on the Intercity.pl website.
The third option is via Rava-Ruska. Passengers can buy a ticket for train No. 867 Kolomyia — Rava-Ruska (departure from Kolomyia at 4:20, arrival in Rava-Ruska at 9:58) and a ticket for train No. 767 Rava-Ruska — Warsaw (departure at 11:00).
Ticket purchase and issuance rules
Purchasing and returning tickets for popular international routes is now possible only after confirming the account via Diia.Sign. This is a measure to protect against scalpers. When issuing travel documents, the first and last name can be indicated in Ukrainian or English. Ukrainian data is automatically transliterated according to the standards of the State Migration Service. If the transliteration differs from the data in the foreign passport or there are up to 3 errors in the first/last name, the ticket is considered valid.
Travel conditions and new routes
On international routes to Poland and back, RIC compartment wagons are used — three-berth compartments with bunks located one above the other (lower, middle, and upper). This design allows the wagons to operate on the narrower European gauge. Bed linen is already included in the ticket price; no extra payment is required.
Ticket refunds and money retrieval can be arranged online or at station ticket offices. The refund amount depends on the reasons for the trip cancellation and the time remaining before departure.
Furthermore, Ukrzaliznytsia is expanding its regional transport network. Recently, a new route connecting Lviv, Lutsk, and Rivne was launched in Western Ukraine using a modern, upgraded railbus.
