Ukrainian state railway company Ukrzaliznytsia has signed a contract with Krukiv Railway Car Building Works for 10 next-generation passenger carriages valued at 1.09 billion UAH including VAT.
The company press service reported that delivery of the new batch is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2029.
The new carriages will feature a service life 20 years longer than older models, extended maintenance intervals, and reduced staffing requirements. They are equipped with more powerful batteries, electric heating, and sealed inter-car gangways, while larger carriage dimensions will provide longer sleeping berths.
Two of the ten ordered carriages will be specifically adapted to accommodate passengers using wheelchairs.
Ukrzaliznytsia began a gradual transition to next-generation rolling stock last year after ordering an initial signal batch of five carriages. Production will involve more than 100 Ukrainian enterprises supplying equipment and components.
Carriage fleet expansion
The deal marks the second major passenger carriage order placed by Ukrzaliznytsia this year. In July, the company signed a contract with Krukiv Railway Car Building Works for 92 carriages, comprising 83 compartment cars and nine barrier-free cars, scheduled for delivery in 2027 and 2028.
With the latest agreement, Ukrzaliznytsia has contracted a total of 102 passenger carriages in 2026.
Systemic fleet modernization is required due to the natural aging of railcars and damage caused by Russian military attacks. Since 2021, state budget funds have supported contracts for 358 new passenger carriages, in addition to 100 carriages manufactured between 2021 and 2023. Currently, 187 of these new carriages are in active service.
Ukrzaliznytsia is the state-owned enterprise responsible for rail transport in Ukraine, operating both freight and passenger services across the country. Manufacturer Krukiv Railway Car Building Works, based in Kremenchuk, is Ukraine's main domestic producer of passenger rail cars.
War damage and carriage shortages
The operator faces a severe shortage of passenger rolling stock, which became acute in the summer of 2025 when ticket demand on major routes exceeded available seating several times over.
Ukrzaliznytsia stated that between 2019 and 2024, 1,087 passenger carriages were withdrawn from service. Of those, 28 were destroyed, 265 remained in Russian-occupied territory, and 794 reached the end of their operational lifespan. An additional 300 carriages must be retired between 2025 and 2029 due to age limits.
In May 2026, the company reported that the total number of destroyed carriages had risen to 46. Another 200 carriages and an entire Intercity+ train set are awaiting repair following damage from shelling, drone strikes, and collisions, while 1,050 carriages await inspection and formal decommissioning due to age and poor condition.
The latest purchase follows previous fleet deliveries, including the final batch of 66 carriages delivered in October 2025 under a 2023 contract with Krukiv Railway Car Building Works. Contracting procedures for another 100 new passenger carriages were completed in July 2025.
