With limited financial resources, Ukrzaliznytsia has been forced to review its service levels, in particular to change how often trains run and to cancel poorly used and loss-making trains.
This was stated in a press release from Ukrzaliznytsia's press office.
According to the release, from the second half of January the frequency of 4 pairs of trains will change, and they will run once every four days:
- No. 310/309 Odesa - Kherson. From Odesa and Kherson from 19 January, every four days on odd dates (instead of every other day);
- No. 137/138 Cherkasy - Odesa. From Cherkasy on 31 January and then from 3 February on odd dates once every four days; from Odesa on 1 February and then from 4 February on even dates once every four days (instead of daily);
- No. 132/131 Khmelnytskyi - Kherson. From Khmelnytskyi from 1 February every four days on odd dates; from Kherson from 2 February likewise, but on even dates (instead of every other day);
- No. 397/398 Cherkasy - Lviv. From Cherkasy from 1 February on odd dates once every four days; from Lviv from 2 February on even dates once every four days (instead of daily).
In addition, two pairs of trains on the Odesa route that used to run daily will now run every other day:
- No. 148/147 Odesa - Kyiv. From Odesa from 1 February every other day on odd dates; from Kyiv from 2 February every other day on even dates (instead of daily);
- No. 108/107 Odesa - Uzhhorod. From Odesa from 2 February every other day on even dates; from Uzhhorod from 3 February every other day on odd dates (instead of daily).
To optimise costs in the passenger sector, six pairs of trains will be cancelled, but alternative services will be provided on their routes by other long-distance trains, as well as by regional and suburban trains.
The following trains are cancelled:
- No. 144/90 - 89/143 Kryvyi Rih / Dnipro - Novooleksiivka. From Kryvyi Rih and Dnipro from 19 January, from Novooleksiivka from 20 January; 8/27 Kyiv - Novooleksiivka. From Kyiv from 19 January, from Novooleksiivka from 20 January;
- No. 259/260 Mykolaiv - Lviv. From Mykolaiv from 19 January, from Lviv from 20 January;
- No. 231/232 Dnipro - Ivano-Frankivsk. From Dnipro from 21 January, from Ivano-Frankivsk from 22 January;
- No. 609/610 Kharkiv - Lysychansk. From Kharkiv and Lysychansk from 1 February;
- No. 749/750 Kyiv - Ternopil. From Kyiv from 1 February, from Ternopil from 2 February.
Ukrzaliznytsia constantly analyses passenger traffic, and service levels will be reviewed if demand grows on any route.
According to the release, in 2014 losses from passenger services in this segment rose by almost UAH 1 billion compared with 2013, reaching UAH 4.2 billion.
