European Railroad Discussion > My trip to Ukraine. Some shots around Kiev and Ivano Frankivsk

I am currently on a two week trip in Ukraine and decided to take some shots of the impressive operation they have in this country.  On one of the days I made a special trip to Vokzalna, the central station at Kiev, where I watched some trains, viewed the beautiful depot and convinced a train crew in VERY broken Russian to let me see inside the cab of one of the passenger engines.  On the other, two nights ago, I boarded an overnight train to Ivano Frankivsk with a deluxe sleeper.  The trip was excellent.  Rooms and train were far cleaner than Amtrak and we departed on time to the minute and arrived at our destination on time to the minute.  It was truly impressive.  

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More shots.

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And a few more.

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The number of trains leaving and arriving here is truely impressive.

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Boarding the train for the 10 hour trip to Ivano Frankivsk.  Only about 40 US dollars in a deluxe sleeper.  

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Ivano Frankivsk in the morning after arriving on time to the minute.

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The train schedules are impressive and I like to photos of the stored equipment as well.
Thanks for sharing these with us.

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY

No problem.  I figured that it was a country not often covered on this board.

interesting cab views BUT the 2 dudes in the 4th image that are dressed in shorts and jackets are very impressive...........

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Very nice and interesting photos of an area I know little about.
It sounds like you are still there? Look forward to possible furture shots.
Thanks for posting.
Gary

да я все еще здесь! (Yes, I'm still here.) I will probably post more. I still have two train trips. One from Tatariv in the Carpathian mountains to Lviv, then a couple days later from Lviv to Kiev. I also took a few shots of abandoned lines in the Chernobyl exclusion zone around Pripyat. Unfortunately it will end soon, then its back to the grind. Gotta stay marked up so that UP doesnt throw a hissey fit.

Posted from Android

Looks like you are having a great time in my second home. My girl friend lives just outside Kiev near Borispol and we have a house there. Sad that a former Soviet Republic can run a better passenger service than here. My several overnight experiences have been the same as yours. Clean trains and never a minute late. And very cheap prices. Kiev Passenger remains a beautiful and busy station. The stored equipment out back that Bob mentions is actually part of a small railway museum that opened in 2012. Judging from the snowy platforms, probably not open in Winter. Temps in Kiev last week were not quite as cold as here.  But they  have been in the past. And pretty sure there were few disruptions to their passenger services. Ukrainians are a hearty bunch.  You will like Lviv. The station is magnificent with a double arch shed. They also have an extensive tram system with mostly newer equipment than is normally seen in Kiev. Be sure to visit the "secret" restaurant. Ask anyone about it. You need a special code to enter where you will be greeted by a rather forbidding gentleman with a machine gun and stern Soviet looking waitresses. All in good fun with decent food. We stayed at the Citadel Hotel. A former castle. The view of the city from there is great. Looking forward to more photos from Ukraine. 

Interesting images. I have an HO scale model of that TE10U single engine in the second to last photo, and it has a unique, imposing look. That passenger schedule is incredible...