State-owned railway operator Ukrzaliznytsia carried 8.14 million passengers across Ukraine during the summer of 2026. The total passenger volume included 628,400 children, 90,000 military personnel, and 22,000 passengers with disabilities.
Demand for passenger travel has been growing for several consecutive years amidst closed skies for passenger flights in Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
In the summer of 2025, the figure stood at 8.07 million, and in 2024 was 7.94 million.
“This growth traditionally occurs amid a shrinking operational railcar fleet and intensified shelling of the railway,” Ukrzaliznytsia reported on Telegram.
In 2025, Russian strikes routinely forced Ukrzaliznytsia to halt trains for hours, leaving schedules entirely dependent on the regional security situation.
In the first quarter of 2026, the company’s net revenue stood at Hr. 20.8 billion ($463 million), Ukrzaliznytsia reported on its website. However, its net loss widened significantly, growing from Hr. 6.7 billion ($149 million) in the first quarter of 2025 to Hr 8.0 billion ($178 million) in 2026. Driven by these ongoing losses, the company is raising its freight tariffs.