Direct Night Train From Bucharest to Kyiv to Start
Bucharest will finally have a direct night train connection to Kyiv, restoring the rail link between Romania and Ukraine.
New night train connection
Ionel Scrioşteanu, the Romanian Secretary of State of Transport, announced that the Romanian and Ukrainian governments are working together to bring back the Bucharest-Kyiv night train.
He said that the two governments have discussed a couple of scenarios regarding the route of the new night train and how best to reintroduce this service.
According to Mr Scrioşteanu, the simplest solution is to route the train through Moldova on its way between Bucharest and Kyiv.
Mr Scrioşteanu said: “Four wagons should come from Ukraine and be coupled to the train to Bucharest, and for this we are ready to do the first tests in a couple of days.”
Ukrainian trains at Kyiv’s main railway station. ©AndyBTravels
Prietenia train
The new night train service between Bucharest and Kyiv will therefore consist of through carriages attached to the Bucharest–Chisinau Prietenia night train, rather than a separate train.
At the Romanian–Moldovan border, the train’s bogies will be adjusted to accommodate the difference in track gauge between Romania (standard gauge) and Moldova and Ukraine (both broad gauge).
It has not yet been specified where in Moldova the Kyiv-bound carriages will be detached from the train, although the border station of Ungheni is the most likely point, as it is the railway junction where the line to Chisinau branches off from the line heading north to Bălți and the Ukrainian border.
Another possibility is for the through carriages to continue to Chisinau and be attached there to the Chisinau–Kyiv night train.
However, this would add considerable travel time for passengers, who would effectively travel the Ungheni–Chisinau section twice without any real purpose.
Likewise, estimated journey time, departure and arrival times, and ticket prices have not yet been announced.
The Prietenia sleeper train from Romania to Moldova. ©AndyBTravels
Previous night train connections
Well over a decade ago, there was a direct train connection between Kyiv and Bucharest.
At its peak, night trains even ran all the way from the Russian capital, Moscow, to Sofia, Varna, and Burgas in Bulgaria, passing through Ukraine and Romania.
All of these trains used the railway border crossing between Vadul-Siret in Ukraine and Vicșani in Romania.
Although this railway line has always been the main link between Romania and Ukraine, the border facilities and railway infrastructure reportedly require major upgrades to accommodate international passenger trains, which are slowly being addressed.
There are currently no direct daytime trains between Romania and Ukraine.
Conclusion
The Romanian and Ukrainian authorities are working to reintroduce a night train connection between Bucharest and Kyiv.
This would be a welcome link for many, as transport connections between the two countries remain limited.
A significant number of Ukrainians now live in Romania due to the Russian invasion, while many others travel to Romania to use its airports for international flights, since commercial air travel in Ukraine is still suspended.
Although routing the train through Moldova is not an ideal solution, it is better than nothing!
