On Railway Workers' Day, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with employees of Ukrzaliznytsia, congratulated them on their professional holiday, and presented state awards.
According to the President, Ukrzaliznytsia employs 185,000 people, more than 10,000 of whom are serving in the Defense and Security Forces, protecting Ukraine on the front lines.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that from the first day of the full-scale Russian invasion, all Ukrainian railway workers have been helping both the state and society.
He thanked all Ukrzaliznytsia employees for their work and presented them with Orders of Merit, III class, and Orders of Princess Olga, III class.
"Your movement is the movement of all Ukraine – our defense, our economy, even our communication with the world: nearly all of our partners’ delegations arrive in Ukraine because of you, traveling by Ukrainian rail. You connect every corner of Ukraine, making it possible for Ukrainians to see their loved ones despite everything,” the President said.
Since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, 751 Ukrzaliznytsia employees have been killed. The President called for a moment of silence to honor the memory of each and every one of them.
Today, the Iron Memory Train has been scheduled to commemorate the fallen railroad workers. This train will remain stationary, as there is no one to drive, inspect, or welcome it. It serves as a tribute to all railway workers – engineers, track workers, inspectors, conductors – who would be operating new journeys if it hadn’t been for the Russian aggression taking their lives.
The symbolic departure of this train was announced at the stations in Kyiv, Slovyansk, Odesa, Kharkiv, Lviv, and Dnipro.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also examined the first of a new series of rail cars produced this year by the Kryukivskyi Railway Car Building Works, as well as a children’s car, upgraded in partnership with UNICEF. This car has been tailored for the comfort, safety, and development of young passengers.
CEO of Ukrzaliznytsia, Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, noted that a total of 30 children’s rail cars are planned, with the first eight scheduled to operate routes from Kharkiv, Dnipro, Odesa, and Kyiv.
In addition, the President visited "Iron Lab: Build Your Own Railroad" interactive exhibition on railway modeling, which includes a model railway with sections assembled in various regions of Ukraine. While at the exhibition, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with children participating in workshops and received a special ticket for a ride on the children’s railway as a gift from them.
