Train Delay Due to Cigarette Smuggling: Dozens of Ukrainians Stranded Overnight in the Cold.

According to ТСН: The railway workers' attempt to transport illegal goods became a real test for dozens of Ukrainians traveling to Poland. Due to the train delay, passengers found themselves in the cold in the city of Chełm at the Ukrainian-Polish border.

Former employee of 'Ukrzaliznytsia' and now a serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Rudomanov reported this incident, addressing user complaints on Facebook.

150 Blocks of Cigarettes and a Disrupted Schedule

According to one of the passengers, the situation arose during the delay of train No. 119 from Dnipro to Chełm due to the discovery of smuggling: approximately 150 blocks of cigarettes. The processing of this violation and the delay lasted about three hours, which critically affected the train schedule.

'There is No Train Station in Chełm'

The delay resulted in passengers missing the last train to Warsaw, which departs at 18:28. The next departure is scheduled only for 5 AM.

The situation is complicated by weather conditions and inadequate infrastructure:

• There is no proper train station in Chełm where one could wait for the night.
• The air temperature dropped to -11 degrees Celsius.

'Passengers are not being communicated with. Is this the carrier's fault? What should passengers do?'

At the moment, 'Ukrzaliznytsia' has not officially commented on the incident and has not provided any information regarding the organization of transfers or accommodation for people stranded in Poland due to the mistakes of the UZ employee.

This case highlights the importance of proper organization of passenger transportation and communication with passengers during emergencies. The situation that arose could have been significantly less problematic if at least a waiting area or necessary information about their further actions had been provided for the passengers.