There is no computerized sale of train tickets in Ukraine and CIS countries so far.
- In order to buy your train tickets you might check the train timetable first:
This Russian website
"Your Train" is probably the only site in English that has an updated train search
Transit trains - almost impossible to buy the tickets in advance - but good to know when they run just in case of emergency - you can try to buy a ticket any point of a train's route two hours prior to departure.
Direct trains - is your best choice - e.g. if you have to travel from Kiev to Lviv the train #91 Kiev-Lviv is a direct train - you can buy the tickets 45 days in advance.
However there are few types of direct trains too:
- "Firmenniy" - the best train on a certain route (usually the most expensive one).
- Shvidkiy/Fast - doesn't really fast as it usually takes eight hours to cover 400 km distance but still have the carriages which are looked after properly.
- "Pasazhirskiy" - means passanger train - usually very dilapidated and slow.
- "Expess Trains - in Ukraine available between Kiev and Kharkiv, Dnepropetrovsk and Vinnitsa. These trains are rennovated, have seats instead of bearths and they are almost two times faster than the other trains on the same route.
