Ukraine will launch hourly trains between Kyiv and Lviv starting Dec. 14, according to Ukrzaliznytsia state railway service.
Lviv, the largest city in western Ukraine, has become a key hub for international travel thanks to its proximity to the Polish border, with most visitors entering the country through the city since flights were suspended after Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Under the new schedule, the trains will depart at the same time every hour at a “stable and recurring schedule” to provide a “predictable” system, per Ukrzaliznytsia’s Tuesday update.
The new hours are not specified at present. The current schedule is available on the company’s site.
The company said the schedule is modeled after some European countries, with most trains following the system, except for a few exceptions during off-peak periods.
“In the new timetable for 2026, which will come into effect on Dec. 14 of this year, Ukrzaliznytsia is introducing hourly train service between Kyiv and Lviv,” the company wrote.
“This means that on the most popular route Kyiv-Lviv-Kyiv, trains will run on a stable and recurring schedule – every hour,” it added.
The company added that the new system also allows it to “evenly distribute passenger traffic throughout the day and minimize peak loads.”
In early November, the company also announced plans to standardize the rail gauge with Europe to Lviv by 2027, allowing direct, uninterrupted rail travel between Lviv and European cities.
At present, rail connections between Ukraine and other EU countries require trains to switch gauges at the border, a process that can lead to lengthy stops, since Ukraine uses a broad-gauge system (1,520 mm) rather than the standard gauge (1,435 mm) used by the rest of Europe.
The only exceptions are the Intercity+ train to Przemyśl, a Polish border city, which runs on a broad-gauge track (PKP rail line 92), and the new 22-km (13.7-mile) European-standard line connecting Uzhhorod, on the Slovak border, to Chop, near the Hungarian border, funded by the EU.