“Ukrzaliznytsia” will receive 13 billion UAH from the state in 2025, another 16 billion next year – Svyridenko

The government will allocate 13 billion hryvnias to finance Ukrzaliznytsia in 2025. The company will receive another 16 billion from the state in 2026, Prime Minister Yulia Svyridenko said during a meeting of government officials with journalists.

“All 16 billion is the difference between the ticket at the box office and its cost price,” Svyridenko said.

According to her, this year, for the first time, a significant imbalance was formed: previously, revenues from cargo transportation carried out by the company covered loss-making passenger transportation of Ukrzaliznytsia, the cost of tickets for which is several times higher than current prices.

Read also: “Ukrzaliznytsia” reported damage to infrastructure in two regions due to strikes by the Russian Federation

“For example, a ticket to Kherson costs approximately 200 hryvnias, and its real cost is four times higher,” the government official explained.

Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, chairman of the board of Ukrzaliznytsia, noted that the company suffered the biggest losses in the transportation of metallurgy and coal. According to him, earlier these categories accounted for 60% of the company’s cargo transportation volume.

“We lost more than half of the volume of cargo due to the approach of the front,” says Pertsovsky.

Currently, according to his data, long-distance monitoring of “Ukrzaliznytsia” brings the company 7 billion hryvnias of income. At the same time, the company’s expenses are 20 billion hryvnias, in particular, on employee wages and electricity. The difference of 13 billion hryvnias is currently compensated by the state.

These are all taxpayers’ funds, so in order to fulfill the social obligation, “Ukrzaliznytsia” offered the “UZ-3000” support program. It provides every Ukrainian with free 3,000 kilometers for long-haul domestic flights within Ukraine.

Read also: “Ukrzaliznytsia”: a drone tried to attack a train on the approach to Kramatorsk, there is damage

“This program is being developed in parallel with the start of the system compensation of the real cost of passenger transportation. This will improve the situation for the railway, and at the same time preserve the accessibility of travel for all Ukrainians,” said Oleksandr Pertsovsky, chairman of the board of JSC “Ukrzaliznytsia”.

On November 1, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi reportedwho commissioned the development of a transport support program, within the framework of which “Ukrzaliznytsia” offered to provide a Ukrainian with the opportunity to travel 3,000 kilometers by train within the borders of Ukraine for free.