You're reading: High speed trains to connect Ukrainian Euro 2012 host cities

Train times between Kyiv and three major Ukrainian cities will be dramatically reduced next year when new high-speed trains are introduced ahead of the Euro 2012 soccer tournament.

Six of 10 trains ordered from South Korean manufacturer Hyundai will be delivered ahead of the championship, which kicks off on June 8 in Ukraine and Poland.

Their top speed of 180 kilometers per hour will make travel time from Kyiv to Kharkiv, Lviv and Donetsk 3.5 hours, 4.5 hours and 5.5 hours, respectively – shaving one-third to one-half off current times.

Tickets will cost from $6.70 to $13.40 per 100 kilometers, according to the infrastructure ministry, a hefty increase that will still be cheaper than expensive air travel, Ukraine’s Euro 2012 agency announced last week.

By comparison, a roundtrip flight to Lviv or Donetsk costs some $300 as quoted by Ukraine International Airlines.

Existing and future rail and air flight connections to Euro 2012 host cities in Ukraine

Source: Ukrainian Railways, Ukraine International Airlines

Each high-speed train will consist of nine carriages with a total capacity of 579 passengers. The first three carriages are first class while the remaining six are second class. Some will be wheelchair accessible. First-class travelers will be able to stretch their legs horizontally and have individual electric sockets for cell phone and laptop use. Wi-Fi internet will be provided free of charge, and there will be four to six TV monitors in each carriage broadcasting movies and passenger information.

A Ukrainian delegation is set to inspect the first of 10 high-speed electric-powered trains it ordered from for some $300 million during a visit scheduled to South Korea on Dec. 20.

Christened the Ukrainian Express, six of the trains are slated for delivery in late February and Ukrainian state railway workers will be trained in South Korea to operate and maintain the rolling stock starting in late December.

“It’s an enormous leap for our transport system,” said Deputy Prime Minister Borys Kolesnikov on Nov. 23.

The Export-Import Bank of Korea funded 85 percent of the purchase price, or $261 million, of the trains in a 10-year loan to Ukraine.

The deal stems from a memorandum of understanding signed between ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and her South Korean counterpart Han Seung-Soo in July 2009, as part of several bi-lateral agreements.

Kyiv Post staff writer Mark Rachkevych can be reached at [email protected].