Ukrzaliznytsia records unprecedented demand for tickets: why passengers are facing shortages.

In August, there is traditionally high demand for tickets at Ukrzaliznytsia, and this year is no exception. Many seats on popular routes are sold out as early as the morning, making it difficult for many passengers to obtain tickets.

Why Ukrainians are facing ticket shortages for trains

During the week from August 4 to 10, 637.8 thousand passengers used the railway, which is approximately equal to the population of Kryvyi Rih. However, for some routes, demand exceeds the number of available seats by 5 to 8 times. One of the reasons for this shortage is the fight against scalpers, as well as the reservation of tickets for special military and state needs.

'The number of users in the special reserve for the military has doubled this year,' emphasized a financial analyst. The expert also noted that damage to carriages during military strikes has led to a decrease in their number, and UZ is unable to restore them at the necessary pace.

How UZ explains the ticket situation

Ukrzaliznytsia stated that the shortage of cars is related to their wear and tear, damage from shelling, and the expiration of their service life. This requires significant costs, but the budget does not always allow for repairs.

How Ukrzaliznytsia fights ticket scalping

After intensified control over online ticket sales, UZ blocked 271 user accounts that systematically purchased tickets or circumvented the rules. Some of them engaged in suspicious activities, such as reserving tickets without payment or buying in small batches.

• reserved tickets but did not pay for them;
• created multiple accounts and bought tickets in batches;
• purchased many tickets under different names and engaged in other suspicious actions.

Ukrzaliznytsia has enhanced control and introduced user verification measures to combat ticket scalping.

In August, demand for tickets at Ukrzaliznytsia remains high, and the shortage of seats on some routes complicates the situation for passengers. One of the reasons for this shortage is the fight against scalping and the reservation of seats for military and state needs. Ukrzaliznytsia explained that the ticket problem is related to the wear and tear of carriages and financial constraints on their repair, and is also implementing additional measures to combat scalping.