Railroad Day of Ukraine

This date became the day of the railwayman at the initiative of the Lviv Railway.

On November 4, railway transport workers of Ukraine celebrate their professional holiday.

This date became the day of the railwayman at the initiative of the Lviv Railway. It turns out that on November 4, 1861, back in the days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the first train, called Yaroslav, arrived in the territory of modern Ukraine – in Lviv. In the current sense, Yaroslav was a train of international communication. It connected Vienna, Krakow, Przemysl and Lviv.

Now Ukrainian Railways - "Ukrzaliznytsia" - is 6 railways (Donetsk, Lviv, Odessa, South, South-West, Pridneprivsk), which unite all regions of Ukraine. 375,900 employees serve 30,300 km of railway tracks. Every year, 500 million passengers travel from 1,684 stations in 8,429 passenger cars. Every year, 174,939 freight cars transport more than 300 million tons of cargo. In terms of freight traffic, Ukrainian railways rank 4th on the Eurasian continent, second only to the railways of China, Russia and India. Railways of Ukraine interact with railways of 7 neighboring countries. Three international railway pan-European transport corridors pass through the territory of Ukraine.

The birthday of the independent Ukrainian railway can be considered August 24, 1991 - the day of proclamation of the Act of Independence of Ukraine, when the property that was at that time within the border of the state became its property. On December 14, 1991, the Cabinet of Ministers adopted the Resolution “On the establishment of the State Administration of Railway Transport of Ukraine”, coordinated the work of all structural units involved in the transportation process, allowed to organize a clear, uninterrupted operation of railway transport.

1996, the year of the adoption of the Constitution of Ukraine, is significant for the railways of Ukraine by the fact that on July 4 the Law of Ukraine “On Railway Transport” was adopted. It defines the basic economic and financial principles of railway transport, lays the regulatory framework for the organization of traffic safety, work in emergency conditions, protection of goods and facilities of the industry, labor relations of workers.

The day of the railwayman is established by the Decree No 257/93 of the President of Ukraine of 15.07. 1993.

Railwayman’s Day was celebrated on the first Sunday of August. This first professional holiday was established in Russia in 1896 and timed to the birthday of Emperor Nicholas I, who began the construction of railways. It was celebrated annually on June 25 until 1917. After 1917, the holiday was forgotten for almost twenty years. The tradition of honoring railway workers was revived in the USSR only in 1936. The Government decree of July 28, 1936, established the day of railway workers’ professional holiday on July 30. Later his celebration was postponed to the next weekend.

Not all Ukrainian railway workers are used to celebrating their professional holiday on November 4. Congratulations on TV, radio and newspapers are a little cheerful, but the weather and the working day (and, incidentally, the next one too) are just the opposite. Some have found a decent way out and celebrate two dates - in August and November.