A direct service between Bucharest, Romania, and Kyiv, Ukraine, is expected to resume after a five-year break. A test run was carried out earlier this month and a regular service is expected to start in September.
This will involve extending the existing overnight train that runs between Bucharest and Chisinau in Moldova. Four Ukrainian coaches are expected to be swapped into and out of the train at Chisinau as the through coaches will require bogie changes between 1435 and 1520mm-gauge at the Romanian/Moldovan border.
The entire journey will take more than 30 hours, of which about 13 hours are from Bucharest to Chisinau, and around 17 hours from Chisinau to Kyiv.
Previously, the direct Bucharest - Kyiv train ran directly to Ukraine via northern Romania, using the Vixani - Vadul Siret border crossing. The train covered the 1227km in around 25 hours, using Ukrainian Railways sleeping cars.
According to a statement from the Romanian Ministry of Infrastructure, the resumption of the cross-border Bucharest - Kyiv service via Moldova will be an important step in developing regional connectivity in the current geopolitical context.
The reinstatement of a direct passenger service has raised hopes in Moldova that the resumption of freight trains to Kyiv is on the horizon. This would significantly improve the financial situation for Moldovan Railways, which has been facing difficulties in recent years.
A direct link between Bucharest and Kyiv has run for decades and for many years was part of the cross-border Sofia - Moscow service, which ceased to operate in 2015 after political tension between Russia and Ukraine escalated due to the first conflict in eastern Ukraine.
