Government Funding for Ukrzaliznytsia in 2025-2026

The government plans to allocate 13 billion hryvnias to finance «Ukrzaliznytsia» in 2025. Additionally, the company will receive another 16 billion in 2026, as reported by Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko during a meeting with journalists.
«These 16 billion will cover the difference between ticket prices and their actual costs», – she noted.
The Prime Minister emphasized that this year there has been a significant imbalance: previously, revenues from freight transport covered the losses from passenger services, whose costs exceed the selling prices considerably.
«For instance, a ticket to Kherson costs about 200 hryvnias, while its actual cost is four times higher», – she added.
Alexander Pertsovsky, the head of «Ukrzaliznytsia», pointed out that the company suffered the most losses in transporting metallurgy and coal, which used to account for 60% of total freight volume.
«We lost more than half of our cargo volumes due to the advancing front», – he stated.
Currently, «Ukrzaliznytsia» generates 7 billion hryvnias in revenue from long-distance travel, while expenses reach 20 billion hryvnias, including wages and electricity costs. The state compensates the 13 billion hryvnias difference.
These funds come from taxpayers, which is why «Ukrzaliznytsia» proposed the «UZ-3000» support program, offering every Ukrainian free travel for 3000 kilometers on long-distance routes.
«This program is being implemented alongside the launch of a systematic compensation for the actual costs of passenger transport, improving the situation for the railway while maintaining accessibility for all Ukrainians», – emphasized Alexander Pertsovsky.
On November 1, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the development of a transportation support program, within which «Ukrzaliznytsia» proposed allowing Ukrainians to travel 3000 kilometers for free within the country.