Ministry for Communities and Territories Development works on launching a new international rail route to Varna, Bulgaria

The Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine is working on launching a new international rail route to Varna, Bulgaria. Following negotiations with foreign partners, specific agreements have already been reached regarding the route and train schedule, coordinated in the most advantageous configuration for Ukraine.

The route will pass through Kyiv, Lviv, Chernivtsi, Suceava, and Bucharest to Varna. This decision is important both from a logistical standpoint and in terms of passenger convenience.

The agreed-upon configuration avoids downtime for the rolling stock, which, in turn, prevents the need to increase ticket prices due to the requirement for additional cars. The estimated travel time will be less than 30 hours—almost on par with bus service, but with a significantly higher level of comfort. The final travel time will be confirmed after the test train runs.

“Launching a direct rail connection with Bulgaria is not just about travel comfort. It’s about new mobility opportunities for Ukrainians, strengthening economic and humanitarian ties with EU countries, and efficient international logistics even in wartime,” emphasized Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine/Minister for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine Oleksii Kuleba.

Tariff policy remains a separate important topic of negotiations. The Romanian side has preliminarily agreed to include the route in the PSO (Public Service Obligation) mechanism, thereby opening up the possibility of lowering ticket prices. Negotiations on this matter are ongoing.

The next steps will be to finalize the fare structure and conduct a test run, which will help identify all the technical details of the route. The Ministry for Communities and Territories Development’s goal is to launch the new international rail service as early as this summer.