On the night of September 17, 2026, enemy strikes on Ukraine's railway infrastructure caused significant disruptions to Ukrzaliznytsia's schedule. According to the company, before dawn an unmanned aerial vehicle damaged the Berehystrah railway station building in Kharkiv Oblast, where passengers and staff had taken shelter. No casualties were recorded as a result of the overnight strikes, however the damage to infrastructure required an immediate review of the routes for several services. As of 12:15 on Thursday, September 17, an updated list of delayed trains was published on the carrier's website, while traffic through Berehystrah was not cancelled — the infrastructure was inspected to determine the acceptable conditions for passing trains.
Which trains are running with the greatest delays
The most significant deviations from the timetable affected two interregional routes. Trains No. 7/8 on the Odesa — Kharkiv route and No. 53/54 on the Dnipro — Odesa route were switched to a reserve, safer path. As a result, the estimated travel time for passengers on these services increased by approximately six hours. Ukrzaliznytsia emphasized that the decision to change the route was made in the interest of the safety of passengers and crews, and that the up-to-date list of delays in real time is available on the carrier's dedicated page.
Situation in Kyiv: the circular electric train returned to the full loop
In addition to long-distance routes, the consequences of the attack also affected the capital's urban rail transport. In Kyiv, the infrastructure of the Nikolska Slobodka station on the circular electric train line was damaged. As a result, Kyiv City Express operated on a modified route on the morning of September 17. However, as the company reported, the repair work was completed within the day, and traffic on the full loop was resumed in normal mode.
Recommendations for passengers and operational timetable adjustments
Ukrzaliznytsia appealed to passengers, asking them to understand the possible deviations from the schedule. The company explained that train movements have to be adjusted promptly in light of the evolving security situation on certain sections of the network. The carrier recommends checking the current status of a service on the official website and in mobile applications before traveling, and taking into account the possible increase in travel time when reserve routes are used.
Contradictory data
Fact-checking of materials on the topic revealed that open sources simultaneously published information about mass train delays caused by bad weather (in particular, a separate article on disruptions due to meteorological conditions was posted on unian.net). These incidents relate to different dates and causes and should not be confused with the consequences of the overnight attack on September 17. All three main sources (RBC-Ukraine, Delo, UNIAN) unanimously point to the damage to infrastructure as a result of UAV strikes as the direct cause of the delays and route changes on the day in question. No discrepancies in the figures for delays or in the list of affected trains were found between the sources.
