The Polish state-owned rail operator PKP Intercity has begun the authorization process for a new daily international connection between Warsaw and Kyiv. The service is scheduled to launch on December 13, 2026, and run at least through December 2031. The Ukrainian capital has also been directly connected to Bucharest since October 2025.
PKP Intercity has notified the Polish Railway Transport Authority of its intention to introduce a new commercial passenger service between the capitals of Poland and Ukraine.
In the submitted documentation, the route on Polish territory is indicated between Warsaw West Station and the Dorohusk border crossing, as part of the Warsaw–Kyiv–Warsaw international route.
The trains are scheduled to run daily from December 13, 2026, to December 13, 2031.
Evening departure from Warsaw
According to the schedule submitted to the authorities, the train to Ukraine is scheduled to depart from Warsaw West Station at 6:46 p.m.
Arrival in Dorohusk is scheduled for 10:00 p.m., and departure from the border crossing for 11:10 p.m.. The final destination listed in the documentation is Kyiv Passenger Station, the main railway station in the Ukrainian capital.
The full schedule, including the arrival time in Kyiv and the return train’s schedule, has not yet been made public.
The stop of over an hour at Dorohusk is intended for border formalities and the operations necessary to continue the journey on the Ukrainian rail network.
No Domestic Travel in Poland
The new train will be available for use within Poland only to passengers traveling internationally.
PKP Intercity does not intend to sell tickets for exclusively domestic travel between the Polish stations served by the train. Thus, passengers will not be able to use the train solely for a trip between Warsaw and one of the stops in Poland.
This restriction ensures that the train’s capacity is reserved for passengers traveling to or from Ukraine.
The new service organized by PKP Intercity will complement the international rail connections that Ukraine has relaunched in recent years. As of October 10, 2025, Kyiv is once again directly connected to Bucharest.
Sleeper cars operated by the Ukrainian railway operator Ukrzaliznytsia run on the Kyiv–Ungheni–Bucharest North route and back, attached to the international Prietenia train, which connects Bucharest to Chișinău.The train departs from Kyiv at 6:30 and arrives at Bucharest North the following morning at 6:47. In the opposite direction, departure from Bucharest is scheduled for 19:10, with arrival in Kyiv at 19:34 the following day.
The route via Ungheni and Chișinău has brought back the direct Bucharest–Kyiv train following the interruption caused by the pandemic. The service had previously operated, including under the name “Bucovina”, but on a different route, via Vicșani and Vadu Siret.
Authorization process has just begun
The notification sent to the Polish authorities marks the start of the administrative procedure and does not yet equate to the train’s definitive launch.
Before the service is introduced, the conditions for infrastructure access, available routes, the final schedule, and the terms of cooperation between PKP Intercity and the Ukrainian rail operator must be established.
If it receives the necessary approvals, the new daily train will provide a direct evening connection between Warsaw and Kyiv and will expand the Ukrainian capital’s rail connections with European Union member states.
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