Kyiv - Bulgaria trains to start in summer 2026

When Ukrainian Railways decides to do something, they normally find a way. And this time we have a commitment from the Minister of Transport as well as a provisional map of the route:

No one is under any illusions here - the train would have a trip time of about 30 hours to Varna, the same as a bus. But horribly slow trains operate from Ukraine to Moldova already for example. And some carriages where you can change the wheels (from 1520mm broad gauge to 1435mm standard gauge, at Vadul-Siret at the border to Romania) must be available somewhere, not least as the service used to exist in the 2010s. So I think this one is more likely than not to happen!