The services in question are trains No. 6606 and No. 6615, which ran as suburban routes and which residents had come to rely on as their daily transport to Kyiv. Regional trains No. 856 and No. 859 have been assigned in their place. The route has stayed the same; the category of the train has changed — and with it the fare.

The carrier explained the decision and its reasons in comments under posts on the official Ukrzaliznytsia page on Facebook.

Over one hundred and ten hryvnias to Sviatoshyn

The change hit short journeys hardest. The trip from Bucha to Sviatoshyn — one of the most popular suburban stretches — now costs a passenger more than one hundred and ten hryvnias. Under suburban service the ticket for the same distance cost several times less, because those fares are fixed and do not depend on the class of carriage.

For daily commuters the difference turns into a significant item in the family budget. Twenty working days a month in both directions, and transport costs rise by several thousand hryvnias compared with the previous fare.

How the carrier explains the switch

Ukrzaliznytsia gives three reasons. The first is an acute shortage of serviceable rolling stock: suburban electric trains are worn out and almost no new ones are arriving. The second is a lack of qualified locomotive crews. The third is chronic underfunding of the suburban sector.

Suburban transport is traditionally loss-making: the fare is regulated and does not cover costs, while compensation from public budgets arrives incomplete. When rolling stock is short, the carrier directs the available trains to where they pay for themselves.

What passengers got in return

Regional trains are genuinely more comfortable than the old commuter units: they have air conditioning, softer seats and numbered places. The problem is that a suburban passenger is travelling to the neighbouring district rather than to another region, and pays for comfort they did not order.

Alternatives in the Bucha district are limited: bus links to Kyiv depend on traffic jams on the Zhytomyr highway, and driving every day costs about the same. That is why the railway has for years remained the most predictable way for residents to reach the capital.

Nota bene

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