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It was “Rail Drive One” – the in a single day prepare that took US President Biden on a diplomatic odyssey from Przemyśl Główny in Poland to Kyiv for his historic go to to Ukraine, simply earlier than the primary anniversary of Russia’s invasion of the nation.
The ten-hour in a single day journey was a prime secret, excessive safety problem for Ukrzaliznytsia, or Ukrainian Railways – the state-owned operator of Ukraine’s rail community. Nevertheless it was hardly their first.
With industrial air hyperlinks into Ukraine canceled, and the skies too harmful to fly politicians in and in another country, Ukraine’s rail community has grow to be the nation’s diplomatic freeway. Over 200 overseas diplomatic missions have arrived within the nation by prepare thus far.
World leaders together with Canada’s Justin Trudeau, the UK’s Rishi Sunak, France’s Emmanuel Macron and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni have all taken the prepare to Kyiv. Actually, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is the one G7 chief but to go to the nation by prepare.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is an everyday consumer of the railway community on his diplomatic missions overseas.
However there’s extra to the railways than “Rail Drive One,” as Biden’s prepare was dubbed.
The US president’s excessive profile journey has shone a highlight on Ukraine’s huge rail community which, at almost 15,000 miles, is the twelfth largest on this planet.
![US President Joe Biden sits on a train with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan as he goes over his speech marking the one-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine after a surprise visit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in Kyiv on February 20, 2023. (Photo by Evan Vucci / POOL / AFP) (Photo by EVAN VUCCI/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/230220185151-01-biden-train-ride-poland-to-kyiv-022023.jpg?c=16x9&q=w_850,c_fill)
Practice transporting Biden in Ukraine now dubbed ‘Rail Drive One’
Ukrzaliznytsia is the sixth largest rail passenger transporter on this planet, and seventh for freight.
First constructed in pre-Soviet occasions, its community is predominantly a broad gauge railway – completely different to the usual gauge, which most of Europe makes use of.
And whereas Ukraine forces have destroyed the cross-border hyperlinks to Russia, the rail community nonetheless connects with different international locations – though the differing gauges imply trains can’t usually cross the border. To cope with this, over the previous 12 months they’ve rebuilt sections of beforehand defunct traces to neighboring international locations together with Moldova, Poland and Romania. Infrastructure has been repaired at 11 border crossings.
This isn’t nearly making passenger journeys simpler. It’s essential for freight – and for a lot of the world, which depends on Ukrainian produce, together with grain. In 2022, 28.9 million tons of grain had been transported by way of the railways, most of which was exported. In whole, just below 60 million tons of products had been exported from Ukraine, in line with Ukrzaliznytsia.
And in whole, the corporate transported 17.1 million passengers by way of long-distance trains throughout 2022. These are predominantly sleeper companies.
“Earlier than the struggle, we had planes, vehicles, buses and trains,” Ukrzaliznytsia’s CEO Alexander Kamyshin instructed CNN Journey. “Now we’ve bought trains and vehicles, no airplanes. And we’re a big nation. So to get from Kyiv to west, south or east Ukraine, sleeper trains are the easiest way to do it. You go to the prepare within the late night, journey the entire night time, and within the morning you might be within the metropolis you must be. So that you don’t waste time.
“It was comfy earlier than the struggle, and now it’s comfy and secure. Trains are essential.”
In fact, many of the photos we’ve seen prior to now 12 months of Ukrainian Railways are ones of refugees. Ukrzaliznytsia says it helped 4 million to security in 2022, 1 / 4 of whom had been youngsters.
Some trains had been additionally reconfigured as medical services. Round 2,500 civilians had been evacuated for medical remedy by way of rail final 12 months. The community additionally transported almost 336,000 tons of humanitarian help.
It’s an immense duty for Kamyshin, who began with the corporate simply six months earlier than Russia invaded. “I joined with the issue to develop the corporate, green-light new initiatives, renew the fleet and it was all about constructing and building, and procuring new stuff. However a 12 months in the past we needed to change to struggle time, and struggle rails,” he says.
![Alexander Kamyshin joined Ukrainian Railways just six months before the invasion.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/230224120430-01-body-ukraine-railways-alexander-kamyshin.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill)
Maybe probably the most extraordinary a part of Biden’s journey to Ukraine was the sunshine that it shed on simply how easily Ukrzaliznytsia operates.
Kamyshin apologized in a tweet that, due to Biden’s advanced journey, “solely 90% of our trains ran on time yesterday.”
That precipitated hole laughter in Biden’s America, the place Amtrak is notorious for its late-running passenger trains.
Amtrak’s newest on-time efficiency figures, taking a look at June 2022, present that on common, simply over 22% of trains ran on time throughout the US. Some areas have reversed Ukraine’s statistics, with greater than 90% of trains arriving late.
Within the UK – which has despatched two prime ministers to Ukraine by prepare – simply 67.7% of trains run on time, in line with the newest knowledge.
That’s no shock to Ukrainians. The prepare companies have at all times been glorious, says Kyiv resident Alla Penalba.
“I’ve at all times taken the prepare when touring round Ukraine,” she says. She’s a specific fan of sleeper companies. “It’s handy – you board within the night and within the morning you’re on the alternative of the nation. Even earlier than 2014 (when Russia invaded Crimea) the journey to Crimea from Kyiv was extra handy by prepare. It took 20 hours, however you sat down, then went to sleep – it was fairly cozy.”
Penalba says that as a result of low-cost airways entered Ukraine later than in the remainder of Europe, the nation retained its community of night time trains, with restricted home flights.
Even when the price range airways did arrive – she reckons that from 2016 there have been extra viable choices to fly cross-country – she didn’t chew.
“I might fly to Odesa from Kyiv however nonetheless I’d suppose, OK, I have to go to the airport two hours upfront, in case you stay on the alternative aspect of Kyiv it may take an hour to get there – in order that’s three hours plus the flight. Finally it’s extra handy to take the prepare at 11 p.m., sleep, and arrive at 7 a.m.”
![Ukraine has some of the most beautiful stations in Europe, such as Kyiv.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/230224130829-04-body-ukraine-railways-kyiv-station.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill)
Penalba left Kyiv together with her household on the second day of the 2022 invasion, driving to France, the place her husband is from. However she returned alone in the summertime to handle private enterprise, and to see if it felt secure to maneuver again.
On her method into Ukraine, she took a flight to Poland after which a bus to Kyiv: “A horrible expertise, I hate lengthy bus journeys.”
On the way in which again, she took the in a single day prepare to Poland: “It was the most effective expertise out of two days of journey.”
When the household moved again to Kyiv, in August 2022, they once more took the prepare from Poland, getting a second class, four-berth compartment for her, her husband and their two youngsters. Their solely stress? The Polish prepare was delayed by three hours. Not like the Ukrainian one.
“I used to be amazed and fairly proud,” says Penalba.
![First class sleeper passengers get plush cabins to themselves.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/230224114143-14-ukraine-railways-sleeper-car.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill)
Guests to the nation are equally amazed – beginning with Penalba’s husband, who moved from France in 2015.
“He’s at all times saying that Ukrainian trains are fairly nice in comparison with those in France,” she says. “He didn’t use trains there as a result of they had been too costly. Right here they’re accessible for everybody.”
A cross-border prepare to Poland prices round 50 euros (about $53) for a lie-flat mattress in a four-person, second class berth, and Penalba says that home routes are even cheaper – round 15-30 euros. “First-class could be round 40 euros,” she says.
Koen Berghuis, editor-in-chief of prepare specialist journey web site, Paliparan, is one other fan. Based mostly in Romania, the Dutch nationwide takes round half a dozen lengthy distance or in a single day trains per thirty days, and earlier than the struggle, traveled to Ukraine over 10 occasions.
For him, in case you’re evaluating punctuality, Ukraine’s railway system is “higher than Germany’s.”
“They’re doing a exceptional job – even now, trains are operating roughly on time,” he says.
Astonishingly, Penalba reckons the system has bought “extra environment friendly” for the reason that Russian invasion.
In August 2022, Ukrzaliznytsia launched an app, and began taking on-line bookings. “I should buy tickets in a number of clicks now,” she says.
Kamyshin says that the one actual change to the service prior to now 12 months is that trains run at barely lowered speeds now. “It’s not a lot slower, however we slowed them down intentionally to make it safer in case of one thing (taking place).”
![Biden spent around 20 hours on trains for his Kyiv trip.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/230224112957-02-ukraine-railways-biden.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill)
In fact, politicians don’t journey in third class. Kamyshin received’t reveal particulars of the service they do get, however he says that “company of iron diplomacy,” as he calls them, “normally spend extra time on the prepare than within the metropolis.”
“That’s why the way in which we deal with them is actually essential, he says.”
Nevertheless it’s not nearly treating them proper. The trains additionally convey “the messages that we want to ship them,” he says.
“We’re delicate and we’ll at all times deal with all of our company correctly, however this stuff assist them perceive what we anticipate from them – like iris flowers or leopard print garments.”
A vase of irises was put within the prepare for the go to of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, whose nation agreed to provide an air protection system known as Iris-T. For one more politician, employees wore leopard print equipment, in a nod to the Leopard-2 tanks Ukraine was requesting from the nation in query. Kamyshin received’t say who that was, however Poland and Germany have additionally donated Leopard-2 tanks, with Germany pledging extra on the primary anniversary of the invasion.
![Cheap and reliable, the sleeper trains are a 'lifeline' for Ukrainians, who can travel in bunkbed-filled carriages in third class.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/230224115850-07-ukraine-railways-sleeper-car.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill)
Rail journey in Europe has at all times been in style, in fact, and the local weather disaster is making it more and more so. Berghuis thinks that Ukraine can educate different rail networks a factor or two.
“The principle distinction to different European international locations is the sheer scale of Ukraine as a rustic,” he says.
In the beginning of final 12 months, he took the Rakhiv-Mariupol sleeper prepare – Ukraine’s longest passenger prepare route earlier than Russia’s invasion. At 1,806 kilometers, or 1,118 miles, it took just below 29 hours, crossing 12 “oblasts” (areas).
“It was mainly the identical as Amsterdam to Lisbon or Athens, or New York to Kansas Metropolis,” he says. Besides passengers on these kind of routes would, in fact, normally fly.
Ukraine’s measurement implies that its “enormous” rail community has “at all times been a lifeline to Ukrainians – it’s a vital piece of infrastructure,” he says.
That’s why the Ukrainians are leaping into motion if any of the road is broken throughout the preventing. When the southern metropolis of Kherson was liberated, the trains had been operating into town once more simply eight days later.
“It’s unbelievable,” says Berghuis.
“It’s vastly essential for them, for conserving the nation united, guaranteeing individuals can go to households and pals, for freight and for the postal community. They use trains to ship some pensions.
“It’s additionally for PR, as a result of all the things is PR in a struggle – they’re displaying Russia, ‘Hey, even in these circumstances we handle to run trains. Even when there’s no electrical energy, it doesn’t matter, we will use diesel or steam locomotives.’ However the rail community can be a lifeline in lots of extra methods than we will think about.”
And whereas Europe goes by a sleeper prepare “renaissance” in the mean time, Berghuis says that Ukraine is a good instance of learn how to run an evening prepare community.
There are usually three courses to a sleeper, he says, with every carriage having its personal attendant. They’re there to provide passengers their bedding, take orders for snacks and tea, and ensure passengers get on and off on the proper stations. However they’re additionally there for safety – particularly essential whenever you’re sleeping in an open cabin of 50-odd berths.
![Koen Berghuis traveled on what was Ukraine's longest sleeper journey before the invasion.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/230224130818-02-body-ukraine-railways-koen-berghuis.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill)
Sure, 50-odd – that’s what you get within the third class carriages, that are primarily wagons of bunkbeds which double as seats throughout the daytime a part of the journey.
“The attendants preserve an eye fixed out for everybody of their wagon – they’re happy with what they do,” says Berghuis. Not that they really want to. He says that third class carriages are “a part of the enjoyable, with individuals joyful to share their meals, tales, attempt to discuss – even when it’s with hand gestures.”
Second class will get you an area in a four-berth couchette, whereas firstclass is fancier.
The stations are additionally value visiting, says Berghuis, who singles out Kyiv and Lviv as two of probably the most stunning historic stations in Europe, and loves Odesa for its “seaside, vacation vibe.”
So what’s the long run for Ukrainian Railways? It is a firm that hasn’t simply saved going throughout the invasion – it has made enhancements, too.
In 2022, the nation took possession of 65 new passenger rail carriages, purchased two new diesel trains, and even discovered time to refurbish different trains within the community. They constructed new freight vehicles, and repaired others.
They launched six new worldwide rail routes, to locations in Poland and Moldova, and 7 home routes. The corporate additionally electrified extra observe than that they had completed prior to now decade.
The corporate even debuted a brand new onboard menu. Passengers can now take pleasure in “designer teas” and “pure floor espresso.”
Tragically, 319 railway staff died in 2022, and 703 had been injured. The corporate has launched an “Iron Household” program to assist their households.
For 2023, the corporate predicts a lack of 20.2 billion hryvnia – or $549 million. But it’s seeking to the long run. In Might 2022, “Youngsters’s Railways” – the place youngsters can study locomotives – opened in Kyiv and Rivne. Round 1,300 youngsters are already learning on the two facilities.
With the local weather disaster intensifying, Kamyshin thinks Ukrainian Railways can educate different international locations’ rail networks a number of issues. “The entire world ought to pay extra consideration to in a single day sleepers,” he says.
“It’s a extremely environment friendly, comfy method of transportation. And governments ought to evaluation their relationships to railways. Railways are essential, particularly in an enormous disaster.”
Actually, Penalba stated she was “shocked” to see individuals flying than taking the prepare when she first began touring round the remainder of Europe.
“There’s quite a lot of discuss round ecology, however planes are cheaper and night time trains are particularly costly, so it’s cheaper to fly,” she says.
“I’m used to (shorthaul European flights) now, however it’s nonetheless stunning. It’d be far more handy if trains in the remainder of Europe had been as inexpensive and straightforward as in Ukraine.”