In 2025, Ukrzaliznytsia will receive 13 billion UAH in funding from the government. Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced that an additional 16 billion UAH will be provided in 2026.
"This 16 billion is the difference between ticket prices and their actual cost," emphasized Svyrydenko.
She noted that this year there is a significant imbalance, as revenues from freight transportation do not cover the losses from passenger transport, which have much higher costs than ticket prices.
"For example, a ticket to Kherson costs about 200 UAH, while its actual cost is four times higher," she explained.
Alexander Pertzovsky, head of Ukrzaliznytsia, stated that the company suffered the greatest losses in transporting metallurgy and coal, which previously accounted for 60% of freight volumes.
"We lost more than half of the freight volumes due to the advancing front," said Pertzovsky.
Currently, according to him, long-distance travel brings the company 7 billion UAH in revenue, while expenses total 20 billion UAH, including salaries and electricity costs. The state is compensating the 13 billion UAH difference.
These are taxpayer funds, so to fulfill social obligations, Ukrzaliznytsia proposed the "UZ-3000" support program, offering every Ukrainian 3000 kilometers of free travel.
"This program is being rolled out alongside the implementation of a systematic compensation for the actual costs of passenger transportation, improving the situation for the railway and ensuring travel accessibility for all Ukrainians," noted Pertzovsky.
On November 1, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that he had instructed the development of a transport support program, under which Ukrzaliznytsia proposed providing Ukrainians the opportunity to travel 3000 kilometers for free within Ukraine.