Ukrainians often face a lack of available seats on trains and the inability to buy tickets. Find out more about how the Ukrzaliznytsia ticket reservation system works and when the chances of finding a seat in a car are higher

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In the summer of 2024, many Ukrainians complained about the lack of tickets on trains. It was extremely difficult to buy tickets even for the lowest seat classes. As Ukrzaliznytsia later explained, this problem was caused by high demand and a lack of railcars. How the Ukrzaliznytsia ticket booking system works and how to increase your chances of buying a ticket are described further in the article.

For a list of all international trains to and from Ukraine, as well as their schedules and prices, see our previous article.

When does ticket sales start?

“Ukrzaliznytsia opens ticket sales for domestic flights 20 days before the train departure, and this happens at exactly 8:00 am. This is the best time to buy a ticket because all seats in the carriage are available at the beginning. At the same time, special rules apply to international flights. For example, tickets for flights to Poland are opened at 9:00 am, and to Slovakia and Austria - from 8:00 am. As for flights to Moldova, the sale opens 30 days before departure at 08:00 am.

When do ticket sales close?

You can buy a ticket until the train leaves the station. This works both for buying a ticket at a station ticket office and online.

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How and when do new tickets and additional empty cars appear?

As explained by Ukrzaliznytsia in a commentary to Ekonomichna Pravda, ticket sales begin with the opening of one car of each type (SV, compartment, reserved seat). When there are fewer than four seats left in a particular type of car, Ukrzaliznytsia adds a new car of the same type. This is repeated until all seats are sold out.

How are tickets distributed between stations or why are there no seats available?

Ukrainians often face the fact that there are no tickets, for example, from Kyiv to Lviv for the Kyiv-Premysl train, but you can buy a ticket for the same train to Przemyśl. As explained by UZ, this is due to the fact that each station along the train's route is allocated a certain number of seats for all categories of cars. However, priority is given to ticket sales from the initial to the final station, regardless of whether it is the first or other day of ticket sales. The only exception is the last day before the train departure. Thus, if there are still tickets left the day before departure, the norms are lifted and all seats become available for all stations on the route.

“In other words, if there are 20 tickets from Kyiv to Lviv and 100 tickets to Przemyśl, then there are 100 tickets available for any station along the route in a day,” explains EP.

How does ticket monitoring work at UZ?

The Ukrzaliznytsia mobile application has a ticket monitoring function. The user can set up notifications, and when tickets for the required direction appear, he or she will immediately receive a message. In addition, through monitoring, it is possible to automatically purchase a ticket as soon as it becomes available. To do this, you need to log in to the application through Diia.Signature and pay for the ticket (the funds are returned to the account if the required tickets do not appear or if the user cancels the monitoring). However, keep in mind that automatic redemption does not work for trains to Poland (except for Intercity+) and for the Kyiv - Vienna route, for these flights you can only receive a notification when a ticket is available.

Tips to increase the chances of buying a ticket

1. Buy tickets immediately after the opening of sales (depending on the flight, this is 20-30 days before departure, at 08:00-09:00 am).

2. Use the monitoring function to receive notifications about new tickets and automatic purchases.

3. Check the availability of tickets the day before departure - the norms are removed.

We remind you! UZ together with LUN Misto launched a map of barrier-free stations for the convenience of people with disabilities. Read how this interactive map helps to plan routes and navigate stations in our previous article.

Want to know more? Read the latest news and useful materials about Ukraine and the world in the News section.

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