UKRAINE: Ukrzaliznytsia has ordered 92 Ukrainian-built passenger railcars from Kriukiv Carriage Works, with deliveries scheduled for 2027–2028 as the operator replaces ageing rolling stock and expands accessibility.

Ukrzaliznytsia passenger cars standing beside a station platform in Chełm
Ukrzaliznytsia passenger cars at Chełm station. Photo: Maksym Kozlenko (CC BY-SA 4.0).

The contract was signed by Kriukiv Carriage Works director Maksym Kramarenko and Oleh Holovashchenko, director of Ukrzaliznytsia’s Passenger Company subsidiary. Both companies contributed specialists to prepare and conclude the agreement, according to the manufacturer’s official announcement.

Order includes 83 compartment cars and nine accessible cars

Kriukiv Carriage Works will manufacture 83 compartment cars that can operate in either conventional compartment or SV format. In Ukrainian long-distance service, SV denotes a sleeping arrangement with two berths per compartment.

The remaining nine cars will be barrier-free vehicles designed for passengers who use wheelchairs. Ukrzaliznytsia said each will include a spacious accessible compartment with an easier entrance and a separate inclusive toilet module.

The operator priced each standard compartment car at UAH 68 million and each accessible car at UAH 72 million. Funding will come from allocations in Ukraine’s state budget.

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Deliveries are planned across 2027–2028

The 92 cars are scheduled to enter Ukrzaliznytsia’s fleet during 2027 and 2028. Ukrainian companies supplying components and railway equipment are expected to participate in production, extending the order’s impact through the domestic manufacturing chain.

That supply network was already visible in 2026, when Ukrzaliznytsia received 21 new domestically manufactured passenger cars made with contributions from 166 Ukrainian companies. Across the state-backed renewal programme, 358 passenger cars have now been contracted, and 187 are already carrying passengers in commercial service.

Fleet renewal continues under wartime pressure

Ukrzaliznytsia says the average age of its passenger-car fleet exceeds 35 years, while some vehicles are reaching the end of their standard service lives. The railway must replace those cars while responding to damage from continuing Russian attacks on trains and infrastructure.

The new contract therefore combines fleet replacement with added accessible capacity and work for Ukraine’s rolling-stock industry. Even after the 92-car order, however, the scale and age of the existing fleet mean the renewal programme will need to continue.

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