Development Ministry, Ukrainian Railways plan to reduce refunds in case of railway ticket returns
The Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine and Ukrainian Railways, also known as Ukrzaliznytsia, propose reducing refund payments for railway ticket returns as the departure date approaches, according to a draft order published on the ministry's website.
Under the proposal, the full fare would be refunded if a ticket is canceled 15–20 days before the train's departure date, whereas the current rules provide for a full refund of the ticket and seat reservation fee if the trip is canceled at least 24 hours before departure.
The amount refundable to a passenger will depend on the time the travel document was issued and the time it is returned relative to the train's departure date.
Given the current limitation that tickets can be purchased no earlier than 20 days before departure, and provided the ticket is returned 10–14 days before travel, a passenger would receive 95% of the fare (or 90% if the ticket was purchased 20 days in advance); if returned 5–9 days before departure – 75% (or 100% if the ticket was purchased during that period); and if returned 1–4 days before departure – 50% of the fare.
Currently, if a ticket is returned between 24 and 6 hours before departure, the passenger receives the full ticket price and 50% of the seat reservation fee, while if returned less than 6 hours before departure, only the ticket price is refunded.
The draft amendments proposed by Ukrzaliznytsia also provide that if a passenger cancels a trip for personal reasons within 24 hours before departure, but no later than one hour after the train departs, only the ticket price would be refunded, while the seat reservation fee would not be reimbursed.
The draft also states that the carrier may provide refunds of 100% of the full fare – ticket and seat reservation fee – for military personnel, persons with disabilities, and socially vulnerable groups, as well as for trains traveling to or from frontline areas.
In addition, Ukrzaliznytsia plans to increase ticket prices for premium-class travel in luxury sleepers and first-class Intercity trains starting in March 2026 as part of the introduction of dynamic pricing, depending on seasonality, day of the week, date of purchase, and carriage occupancy.
Separately, starting in April 2026, tariffs for travel in luxury sleepers on international trains are planned to be indexed. In particular, prices in these cars will increase by approximately 20%. Such pricing will apply only to luxury sleepers, while Intercity international services will not be subject to indexation.