Ukrzaliznytsia's fleet has been replenished with six more passenger railcars manufactured in Ukraine. According to RBC-Ukraine, citing announcements from the carrier and Ukraine's Minister of Communities and Territories Development Mykola Kalashnyk, the new railcars will soon be put into service on the international Kharkiv-Przemysl route. The rolling stock handover took place during Railway Worker Day celebrations, where Kalashnyk publicly praised the work of crews operating cross-border and international routes.
Batteries as Insurance Against Power Outages
The key technical feature of the new batch of railcars is powerful rechargeable batteries. According to Ukrzaliznytsia, they allow long-term maintenance of lighting, restrooms, air conditioning, and other onboard systems even in the event of external power losses. As Dilo clarifies, in the absence of electricity, the batteries ensure basic amenities for passengers, even if the train continues running under a diesel locomotive. Additionally, the new railcars are equipped with upper berths featuring small tables and upgraded lighting—details the carrier links to rising comfort expectations on long-distance routes.
Scale of Fleet Renewal in 2026
Since the beginning of 2026, Ukrzaliznytsia has already received 44 new passenger railcars, with another 16 scheduled for delivery by the end of the year. Purchases are financed from the state budget with a strong emphasis on supporting domestic Ukrainian manufacturers. According to Dilo, in 2026 the company signed contracts for a record batch totaling 102 passenger railcars, making the current modernization one of the most large-scale efforts in recent years. Ukrzaliznytsia emphasizes that rolling stock upgrades gain additional significance amid ongoing Russian attacks on railway infrastructure and the railcars themselves.
International Services and Crew Evacuation Operations
During the Railway Worker Day celebrations, Mykola Kalashnyk specifically commended the crew led by Tetiana Sizova, which operates on the Kharkiv-Przemysl route. According to him, since the beginning of autumn, the team has successfully carried out 30 evacuations. Sizova herself headed more than 50 civilian evacuation runs back in 2022 across the Zaporizhzhia and Pokrovsk directions. Kalashnyk stated that upgrading railcars and supporting railway workers are vital for maintaining stable railway operations under Russian strikes, while Ukraine continues to restore damaged infrastructure and ensure uninterrupted train traffic.
Context: New International Trains to Poland
As a reminder, Ukrzaliznytsia previously launched three new international train services to Poland: Kyiv-Chełm, Kyiv-Przemysl, and Dnipro-Przemysl. The flagship Kyiv-Chełm service was named after the historian and head of the Ukrainian Central Council, Mykhailo Hrushevsky. Thus, the new battery-equipped railcars integrate seamlessly into the established network of international routes, where resilience against power cuts and the preservation of passenger amenities are critical operational parameters.
