KYIV CENTER The station is a majestic example of Soviet neoclassical architecture, with all its soaring arches and granite tiles. At the start of the war, thousands of locals desperate to escape the Russian invasion slept on the ground here, stumbling over each other during air raid blackouts as they waited for the next train to leave. ‘west. Now it hosts happier stories. On October 14, Alina, a young woman holding a bouquet of yellow and blue flowers, was in the main hall waiting to meet her sister, who had fled to Poland. “I haven’t seen her for eight months,” she said, holding back tears.
Meanwhile, on track 1, Ukrainian Railways was preparing for the departure of the first train to Kramatorsk, a city in the east of the country, since its station was bombed by Russia on April 8. The missile attack struck amid a crowd of civilians fleeing the advancing Russian. Sixty people were killed, including seven children. Horribly, Russian soldiers had painted the words “for children” on a missile casing. Now the line was back in service, with one of the newest and fastest trains in Ukrainian Railways, capable of 140 km/h. “We took an unplanned trip [in advance] to check that the tracks were not mined,” said Oleksandr Shevchenko, deputy head of the passenger division of Ukrainian Railways.
To do this, the train made a detour to avoid a bridge overthrown by the Russians. Such rerouting is possible because the 20,000 km rail network that Ukraine inherited from Soviet times is reasonably dense. The railways ensure a very important part of the intercity traffic of the country. Even before the war, about half of passenger-kilometres by land were by rail, a much higher share than in Germany or France, despite fewer tracks.
When war broke out, trains became the workhorses of the refugee evacuation effort, transporting millions of Ukrainians to the Polish and Hungarian borders. Since then, with skies too dangerous for planes, they have become even more important. Dispatchers travel the lines incessantly, rerouting trains when the tracks are damaged. Almost all the locomotives and half of the passenger carriages are over 40 years old, but the purchase of new carriages and the electrification of more tracks have been postponed in favor of urgent repairs. Railways also acquired new roles, such as transporting visiting dignitaries. With Ukrainian airports closed, trains have become the standard way for foreign ministers and presidents to travel to Kyiv. The railway company calls this “iron diplomacy”.
Viktoria and her sister were returning home to Sloviansk, a town near Kramatorsk. In July, during the Russian advance, Sloviansk was only a few kilometers from the front lines and was mercilessly bombarded. Ukraine has since pushed the Russians back about 20 km. “We are staying there because we have nowhere to go,” Viktoria said. “But you have to send your children somewhere else, because the things you see and hear there are not for children.”
But the restored route is a success, says Mr. Shevchenko. On the second day, the number of passengers had increased from 49 to more than 300. Now he has other challenges in mind. On October 17, Russian drones hit electrical infrastructure near Kyiv’s central train station. Passengers were stuck in its bomb shelters, at risk of missing their departure. But the trains, Mr. Shevchenko said, could not wait; they left on time. “There should be something predictable in war.” ■
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