The Pokrovsk-Pavlohrad-Lozova suburban train. Travelling by electric train

Suburban trains are not only a transport link between towns, but also a fascinating chance to travel to interesting places on a day off, to feel the union of nature and the steel highway. Trips by electric train have their own features: no crowds, no traffic jams, and the fare is cheaper. The Pokrovsk-Pavlohrad-Lozova suburban train links three regions - Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv.

 

Pokrovsk railway station. The Pokrovsk-Lozova suburban train

From the industrial region of Eastern Ukraine a route opens up towards Kharkiv, Poltava and back again. 

The electric train runs daily, departing at 7:20, with 4 hours 27 minutes on the road. Given a running time of 3 hours 35 minutes and a distance of 170 kilometres, one can work out the train's average speed - about 47 kilometres per hour.

Pokrovsk railway station. The Pokrovsk-Lozova suburban train

Dacha owners, railway workers, students and pensioners travel in this direction. During the quarantine restrictions the carriages are minimally full - 5-10 passengers. By electric train you can set off on an excursion to the neighbouring towns, see picturesque landscapes, monuments of nature and architecture, get acquainted with the history of the adjoining regions. To reach your destination quickly and return the same day on the evening suburban train is an important factor for one-day travellers.

 

The Pokrovsk-Lozova suburban train

The fare to Lozova is 60 hryvnias; buying a ticket in advance is not required, which is another advantage of electric trains. The train is served by a locomotive crew from Sloviansk. The conductor is welcoming and friendly. The carriages that went to the Lozova direction are not new; these veteran workhorses were repaired, patched up and put into service. The seats in the carriages are not uniform. There are wooden benches and soft couches. Through the windows, depending on their length of service, you do not always enjoy looking at the scenery. The main thing is that the electric train keeps to its punctuality and arrives at the stations strictly on schedule. Inside the carriage it is spacious, there are more than enough seats: if you like, sit on the left side, if you like, move over to the right.

In the cold season the heating is switched on, in the hot season the windows are open. There is a button for a passenger to contact the driver. Stops are not always announced over the loudspeaker, possibly because of the small number of passengers.

 

To Pavlohrad the train goes westwards along a single-track line built in 1935.

Railway siding No. 5

At the Slovianka, Petropavlivka and Mykolaivka-Donetska stations the train stops for 2 minutes.

Slovianka railway station

Petropavlivka railway station

Mykolaivka-Donetska railway station

Mykolaivka-Donetska railway station

The station buildings at Slovianka, Petropavlivka and Bohuslavskyi were built in the 1960s to a single design and finished in the same style. The entrances to the white-brick buildings are decorated with red-brick trim. The window sills and the cornice on the pediment are done as a brick ornament.

 

Bohuslavskyi railway station

At the halts railway workers get off to carry out their work orders, and sometimes a few passengers get on. There are no passenger pavilions or rain shelters on the railway platforms.

Passenger platforms on the Pokrovsk-Lozova line

On the Pokrovsk-Pavlohrad section, between siding No. 5 and Slovianka station, runs the boundary between the Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions.

 

The "Donetsk region" sign on the M-04 motorway

The M-04 international motorway runs parallel to the railway.

The M-04 international motorway from the window of the electric train

Beyond the window steppe landscapes open up, fields turn green, headframes and terrikons come into view, along with agricultural enterprises.

The Stepova mine and terrikons covered with corn poppy. Dnipropetrovsk region

The grain reception enterprise in Dmytrivka. Dnipropetrovsk region

Residential houses for the workers of the steel highway and railway barracks were built next to the stations and halts.

Railway platform 90 km. A residential house

There are 2 railway stations in Pavlohrad .

 

Pavlohrad II railway station

During the 25-minute stop at Pavlohrad-I station you can step out onto the platform to stretch your legs and drink a coffee at the little cafe.

 

Pavlohrad-I railway station

The greater part of the route is behind us. In the second half of the journey the train heads north along a line built in 1869-1875.

 

Aromatna railway station

The freedom of movement in an electric train makes it possible to change to another carriage.

 

Along the whole of this stretch the stops last one minute. The passenger platforms on the Pavlohrad-Lozova line are equipped with pavilions, shelters and railings on the slopes of the embankment.

 

Passenger platforms on the Pavlohrad-Lozova line

Varvarivka and Samiilivka, with their beautiful station buildings, have been in operation since the opening of the Lozova-Sevastopol railway.

 

Varvarivka railway station

Samiilivka railway station

On "market" days the passenger flow on the Pavlohrad-I-Lozova stretch grows, and as the final stop draws nearer the carriages fill with chatter.

 

A residential house by railway platform 943 km

St Volodymyr's church in Samiilivka. Kharkiv region

Between the Zhemchuzhne railway platform and Samiilivka station runs the boundary of the Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv regions.

 

Zhemchuzhne railway platform

The electric train arrives in Lozova on schedule - at 11:47.

 

Lozova railway station

At 13:10 this train will depart for Sloviansk, and the return electric train to Pokrovsk, and then to Avdiivka, leaves at 15:15.

 

Lozova railway station. The Lozova-Pokrovsk-Avdiivka suburban train

During a three-hour walk around Lozova you can stroll in the Druzhba arboretum and Peremoha park, admire the sumptuous landforms, see monuments, sculptures and fountains, and look into the local history museum. The return to Pokrovsk is at 19:36, to Avdiivka at 21:30.

Pokrovsk railway station