Monday, 20.02.2012
For convenience of foreign football fans coming to Ukraine for the matches of European championship by rail, the both host countries of the tournament agreed to organize in border crossing locations the special points of transfer. The creation of such transfer points is essential mostly because of the difference in width of rail track.
"It will be as follows: the Polish train by narrow track arrives at Dorohusk (Poland), the fans go through the customs and then in Yagodin (Ukraine, Lviv region) change to Ukrainian train", - explained the Deputy Director General of "Ukrainian Railway" Leonid Loboyko.
He also told that football fans coming to support their national teams on Euro 2012 will be transported both by day trains and night trains - because of time difference between Ukraine and Europe the matches will finish near midnight. During the tournament the day express trains will continue to ply (as they do now) between the host cities - Kiev, Kharkov, Donetsk and Lviv.
Furthermore, in "Ukrainian Railway" administration they told us that bilevel trains of Czech company "Skoda" production will be used for transportation of Euro 2012 guests, as well as new inter-regional high-speed electric trains "Hyundai", which will soon be delivered to Ukraine
"In the middle of March we are expecting the arrival of the first two trains to Odessa port. After customs clearance and assembly they will be transported to Kharkov, where they will undergo testing, - Leonid Loboyko has noted. - We purchased ten high-speed trains in total. Six of them will arrive to Ukraine before football championship start. All the trains will work in so-called 'pendulum' mode - between Kiev and Lviv, between Kiev and Kharkov and between Kiev and Donetsk".
Such trains, according to Ukrainian railway officials, will cover the distance between the host cities faster than usual day trains do - due to their capability of driving at a speed of 160 km/h. It is planned that Hyundai high speed trains will ply in Kiev-Kharkov and Kiev-Lviv directions three times a day, in Donetsk direction - twice a day.
At the same time it has become known, that Ukrainian and Polish railways already received the first group request for transportation of Euro 2012 guests. It was made by one and a half thousand fans of Swedish national team, which is going to play all group matches of the tournament in Kiev. As Leonid Loboyko told us, the fans of Swedish team will be transported according to the following schedule:"They will be carried from Sweden to Gdynia (Poland) by ferryboat, and then by rail to Chełm City (Poland), where they will go through customs and change for Ukrainian trains going to Kiev. Three trains will be made up for Swedish fans, and if necessary we will organize the additional ones".
He also noted that at present time the railwaymen process the similar request for carrying the fans of Dutch national team. The schedule of transportation will be the same as of Swedish team fans, with the only difference: from Chełm they will head for Kharkov. "We'll meet our Polish colleagues and make the final decision", - they underlined in "Ukrainian Railway".
