On December 5-7, for St. Nicholas Day in Kyiv and Lviv, Ukrzaliznytsia – Ukrzaliznytsia launched the “Magic Express”. These are retro steam-powered trains, dressed for the holiday, the journey of which will be remembered by children forever.
Most of the train passengers are children from frontline communities of Ukraine. These are children from the Vilhuvatsk territorial community, Balakliya city council and Chuhuiv city council of the Kharkiv region, schoolchildren of the Vysokopilsk community of the Kherson region, as well as schoolchildren from the Primorska, Kyrylivska and Novobohdanivska communities of Zaporizhzhia, who were among the first to get on the Magic Express in Kyiv thanks to the 3000 km Ukraine program. About 90 boys and girls in total.
The day before, Russian terrorists attacked the railway junction in Fastiv, so trains with children were allowed to detour. There was a risk that the schoolchildren would not make it to the Magic Train. However, the workers of Ukrzaliznytsia did everything possible not to leave a single little passenger on the platform.
Fairy-tale characters entertained the children on the train. The schoolchildren also saw a chemical show, drank magic cocoa, received interesting gifts, traveler’s passports with stamps and, of course, a lot of bright emotions.
Thank you to everyone who creates an unforgettable New Year’s atmosphere for Ukrainian children from the front-line territories.