Since the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian War in 2014, intensified by the February 2022 full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, major parts of the Ukrainian rail network have been occupied by Russia-aligned military forces, while the Ukrainian government and Ukrzaliznytsia have undertaken considerable efforts to repair and transform the network for better vital logistical connections with the European Union (which mostly has standard-gauge railways) and Moldova.

[citation needed] On the territory of modern Ukraine, trains that were headed by self-propelled locomotives (as opposed to horse drawn railways) appeared in the 1860s on the efforts of Prince Leon Sapieha.

[citation needed] In 1872-73 a major expansion of the railway network started in Russian Volhynia branching out from the Kyiv-Odesa line near Koziatyn west pass Brest-Litovsk and connecting cities such as Kovel, Rivne, Zdolbuniv, Shepetivka and Berdychiv.

At about that time the railway system expanded further towards the Drohobych-Boryslav oil fields and greater Sambor areas in the Ukrainian Carpathians and another branch line was extended along the Tisza River in Hungary.

[3] At the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian War in 2014, the Russian Federation annexed Crimea and Sevastopol, while large parts of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts were seized by Russia-backed separatists, severely disrupting rail transport throughout southern and eastern Ukraine.

Railway nodes became an important target of Russian attacks to maintain their own supply lines and disrupt those of Ukraine.

[7] As airports were targets of Russian attacks and/or Ukrainian counter-attacks, trains were also used for diplomatic visits by foreign heads of state and government.

[8] Due to the Russian invasion, many of the country's Black Sea ports were blocked, prompting a crisis in the export of agricultural products that were normally shipped.

[9] Efforts to quickly increase rail freight capacity have been launched, including construction of new large transloading stations near Mostyska and elsewhere, mainly in Poland.

[11] By October 2022, operations were underway to repair damaged railway infrastructure, while mines were cleared and unexploded ordnance were defused or safely detonated and removed.

[12] In early February 2022 (just before the Russian invasion began), upon returning from a visit to Poland, Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov, his deputy Mustafa Nayyem and Ukrzaliznytsia CEO Oleksandr Kamyshin announced that Ukraine and Poland had agreed that a high-speed rail link would be built between Kyiv and Warsaw through Yahodyn railway station [uk; pl],[13] reducing travel times by four hours.

[14][15] After the Russian invasion caused a lot of damage to Ukrainian railway and airport infrastructure, the Polish government in October 2022 offered to help Ukraine's post-war reconstruction, as well as adding an extra high-speed rail link between Lublin and Lviv through Zamość and Bełżec.

[13] Since the 2010s, and especially since the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, much urge has been given to plans to build new standard-gauge connections between the largest cities and EU countries, and switch over parts of the Ukrainian network from 1,520 mm to standard gauge.

[16] Although switching the entire network over quickly would not be realistic, the construction or renewal of standard-gauge border crossings were deemed viable options to be prioritised.

[16] In February 2021, plans were drafted by the Ministry of Infrastructure for building four sections with a total length of 2,000 km, with a top train speed of over 250 km/h.

[16] The plans also included standard-gauge rail between Chernivtsi and Siret, Romania, as well as restoring the European gauge between Chop and Uzhhorod.

'[16] Specialised freight fleets at Kovel railway station compatible with the European network can move across Ukraine's longest standard-gauge track into Poland, but as of 2022 had not been in use for almost 30 years.

[16] From Chop to Mukachevo and to the railway station at Nevetlenfolu (Diakovo) in Zakarpattia, large sections of rail track are of European width as well.

Some stations may be named as railway stop, platform number, passing loop (Ukrainian: роз'їзд) or simply kilometer post.

[citation needed] Prior to the intensified Ukrainian derussification after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine there were still renaming railway stops whose names indicate the distance to Moscow.

[41] The Beskydy Tunnel was inaugurated in May 2018, serving as the most important rail link between Ukraine and the pan-European railway network, handling 60% of Ukraine-EU freight traffic.

[46] Ukrainian Railways plans to carry out service using Skoda City Elephant EJ675 double decker electric multiple units.

[47] Rail transport used for mass transit is usually administered by local government, typically city authorities; this includes trams, subway (metro), funicular and others.