Ukraine and Bulgaria launch a passenger train to the Bulgarian coast, which will pass through Romania

Ukraine and Bulgaria are preparing to launch an international passenger rail service aimed at the Bulgarian coast, which will include a route through Romania. The Vice Prime Minister for the Reconstruction of Ukraine, Oleksii Kuleba, announced that the new rail connection will be available at the beginning of June.

The proposed route will connect the cities of Kyiv, Lviv, Chernivtsi, Suceava, Bucharest, and Varna, and the estimated travel time will be approximately 30 hours. Kuleba emphasized that, although the travel time is comparable to that of bus transport, the train will offer superior comfort.

The Romanian and Bulgarian authorities have agreed to include the route in a PSO-type mechanism, which could reduce ticket prices. This new rail connection aims to respond to the transport demand between the two countries and to support Ukraine's integration into the European transport network.