Ukrainian Railways Restores Online Ticket Sales After Cyberattack

The joint-stock company “Ukrainian Railways” resumed online ticket sales for trains on March 27 after a large-scale cyberattack affected the service. Currently, only the basic functionality of the service is operational, but users are still facing difficulties, including the inability to log into the app, reserve a seat, or make a payment.

This is reported by AgroReview

The press service of Ukrainian Railways reported that the website and app were restored after 89 hours of continuous work following an unprecedented attack on the railway’s key operational systems. However, they warn of possible temporary technical disruptions due to peak loads on the service.

Updated Information on Ukrainian Railways Service

In announcing the restoration of the service, the company emphasized that currently only ticket sales and refunds for all routes are available for a period of 20 days. Passengers are urged to consider that the system is operating under increased load, as thousands of users are submitting requests simultaneously. Ukrainian Railways added that they are closely monitoring the situation and responding promptly to ensure service stability. Citizens are asked to be patient and understanding if something does not work immediately.

Current information as of 08:00 on March 27:

• The Ukrainian Railways app offers ticket purchase and refund functions;
• Discounted tickets can currently only be issued at ticket offices operating in enhanced mode;
• Ticket sales at ticket offices continue under the “two days” rule – only for the current and next day, to avoid crowding at train stations;
• Ticket sales for more distant dates at ticket offices are currently unavailable (military personnel and passengers with reduced mobility can take advantage of this rule);
• Other app functions are still being restored, which requires some time.

Possibility of Purchasing Tickets from Abroad

For passengers who are abroad, during the full stabilization of the Ukrainian Railways app, there is an option to purchase tickets to/from Ukraine at the international ticket offices of the railways of Poland (PKP Intercity), Hungary (MÁV Start), Austria (ÖBB), Slovakia (ZSSK), Moldova (CFM), and the Czech Republic (RegioJet). Ticket sales by foreign railways are available for the entire sales period, depending on the availability of seats.

“Despite constant enemy attacks on infrastructure – both offline and online – we continue to move forward and become even stronger. No sensitive information has been leaked,” emphasized Ukrainian Railways.

Railway workers, cyber department specialists from the Security Service of Ukraine, CERT-UA under the State Special Communications Service, and other partners are working to restore all other services, primarily those related to customers.

“Our train stations and ticket offices continue to operate in enhanced mode across the country as a precaution, and trains – as on all previous days – are running on schedule. Thank you for your patience and support!” stated Ukrainian Railways.

It is worth noting that a technical failure in the IT system of “Ukrainian Railways” occurred on March 23, causing online services to temporarily cease operations. For the convenience of passengers, railway ticket offices at train stations were reinforced with additional staff, and train conductors were authorized to issue tickets in urgent cases. The company added extra cars to several trains on popular routes. Due to the ticketing collapse, compensations for passengers were implemented.