Tickets for kilometers: how it will work
4 December 16:16
ANALYSIS FROM 
“Ukrzaliznytsia has announced the launch of the 3,000 Kilometers Across Ukraine program on December 3. The government recently passed a resolution to this effect, and Ukrzaliznytsia decided to explain how tickets will be purchased and for which trains. We found out what UZ offers under this program
He said: “Let’s go!” and waved his hand
The focus of the program at this stage, according to Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, Chairman of the Board of Ukrzaliznytsia, is on frontline communities and the social segment. That is, you can count on tickets in reserved seats, children’s compartments, separate compartment cars, regional trains, and only 2nd class Intercity – without the premium segment.
“We will use seats during off-peak periods that would otherwise remain vacant to relieve the peak period and give more people the opportunity to travel by train,” emphasizes the head of UZ.
To take advantage of the program, you will need to install or update the Ukrzaliznytsia app and issue tickets for kilometers starting from December 3. You will be able to get up to four trips for a total of 3000 km, and you can start traveling on Friday, December 5.
“The trains for the pilot phase were selected based on an analysis of available seats on trains and with a focus on supporting residents of the frontline areas. In the future, during the off-peak season, UZ will offer about 250,000 seats per month to encourage travel for those Ukrainians for whom the determining factor is affordable price rather than travel time, as well as to relieve some of the peak periods,” said the head of the department.
According to the UZ general manager, this program does not require additional funds from the state budget. The government’s decision provides for compensators to help Ukrzaliznytsia generate additional revenue, in particular through dynamic pricing in the premium segment.
During the first hour of the launch, more than 30 thousand Ukrainians activated the 3000 km program. The first thousand tickets from the frontline regions have already been sold out – flights from Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv are in the top, UZ reported.
How to buy a ticket for kilometers
Step 1. Download or update the app. Your account must be verified using Diia.Signature.
Step 2. Find the “3000” mark and click “Participate” – and you will receive 3000 km that can be used for 4 trips.
Step 3. Select the desired train marked “3000”. When booking, the kilometers will be used – they will be automatically deducted from the bonus account.
Important to know:
You can issue a ticket only for yourself and your child. It is not possible to issue a ticket for adult relatives or friends (the functionality will be finalized).
Children from 5 years old also get their own 3000 km. To do this, they must be added to your account in Diia (attach the child’s birth certificate).
Under the program, seats are available in reserved seats, compartments, regional trains and Intercity 2nd class.
The program covers only the cost of travel. Bed, tea, transportation of animals, luggage and other additional services are paid separately.
When you return the ticket, the kilometers should also be returned, which can be used at another time.
the 3000 kilometers do not have to be used in December 2025 – Ukrzaliznytsia will offer the largest number of seats primarily in the low season (January, February, October, November).
Kilometers cannot be monetized, they are only valid for travel. However, the unspent balance of 3000 km in Ukraine can be converted into bonus “hugs” in the loyalty program of Ukrzaliznytsia “Iron Friends”. This functionality will appear in the UZ app in 2026.
Which trains can you ride
At the first stage of the program, tickets are available for the following trains:
1. no. 101/102 Mykolaiv – Barvinkove (Kramatorsk),
2. no. 103/104 (Kramatorsk) Barvinkove – Lviv,
3. 109/110 Lviv – Mykolaiv,
4. no. 115/116 Sumy – Kyiv,
5. no. 121/122 Mykolaiv – Kyiv,
6. no. 127/128 Lviv – Zaporizhzhia,
7. no. 141/142 Ivano-Frankivsk – Chernihiv,
8. no. 143/144 Sumy – Rakhiv,
9. no. 39/40 Solotvyno – Zaporizhzhia,
10. no. 45/44 Kharkiv – Uzhhorod,
11. 47/48 Zaporizhzhia – Mukachevo,
12. no. 51/52 Odesa – Zaporizhzhia,
13. no. 53/54 Dnipro – Odesa,
14. no. 61/62 Dnipro – Ivano-Frankivsk,
15. no. 773/774 Kyiv – Konotop,
16. no. 87/88 Kovel – Zaporizhzhia,
17. no. 886/888 Fastiv – Chernihiv,
18. 895/896 Konotop – Fastiv.
Seats in children’s compartments are also available on the following trains:
no. 15/16 Kharkiv – Yasinia,
17/18 Kharkiv – Uzhhorod,
no. 41/42 Dnipro – Truskavets.
As well as 2nd class seats in Intercity:
no. 719/720 Kharkiv – Kyiv,
723/722 Kharkiv – Kyiv,
731/732 Zaporizhzhia – Kyiv.
The nuances of the program
This seems like a good idea, but for some reason it is not well thought out. First of all, if we take the most vulnerable groups – pensioners – not everyone has the opportunity to buy a ticket by installing the app on their phone and using Diia.Signature because they don’t have a smartphone or the Internet, especially in the frontline regions. For this category, it would be worth considering selling tickets at the box office.
Secondly, it is impossible to issue a ticket without a passport ID. UZ recommends that they get a plastic document without wasting time, which today can be purchased for 900-1100 UAH.
Thirdly, how can this category buy a lower-shelf ticket if it is currently in short supply, even on the most popular routes. And it is difficult for old people and the disabled to climb to the second, upper shelf. And this is not the only thing that is not clear how to solve.
Fourthly, it is impossible to issue a ticket for a relative, which means that no one can buy it for their elderly parents. But another interesting point is that in order for a family to get into the same compartment in a reserved seat or to take seats next to each other in a train, you need to try very hard and simultaneously book and buy seats from different phones. That is, again, inconveniences arise.
And, as UZ employees warn, it will not always be possible to take tickets for the desired flight, as they will be thrown away in small quantities.
“The amount of seats that may be available under the program depends on the specific flight and date. First, tickets for all passengers go on sale as usual. Then the system determines which unsold seats can be allocated for the program to avoid a surplus and ensure the rational use of the train’s seating capacity,” the UZ press service reports.
Therefore, the percentage may vary from flight to flight and from date to date. If seats are available, they appear in the app automatically.
“It seems that not everyone will be able to use this program. For example, there is a train from Mykolaiv from the frontline regions, but not from Kherson. Nor will you be able to go anywhere from Zhytomyr. And these are just a few examples. In my opinion, everything is being done to cut off most of the potential passengers, especially the socially vulnerable, because there are no plans to sell tickets through UZ ticket offices,” says
[Kommersant] volodymyr Siroshtan, a former UZ employee, said in a commentary to "Komersant Ukrainian".
According to the former railroader, if this program is designed to prevent passenger trains from running empty, it would be enough to reduce fares during low seasons, and then there would be no need to give away 3000 km for grants.
Author: Alla Dunina
