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| Loieva. The arched bridge and the track. Looking south towards Deliatyn station |
In 2023, two pairs of diesel trains on the Vorokhta-Ivano-Frankivsk route stop at the platform. Amid the panorama of Carpathian scenery in the train window, an abandoned phantom station suddenly drifts into view — one from which, for many years now, no station attendant has stepped out to meet the train.
The station building, a piece of Austro-Hungarian railway heritage, has lived through many events alongside the history of Ukraine and of this Carpathian village, but amid the reforms and transformations no purpose or useful role was found for it. At the halt there is no passenger pavilion, no canopy and not even a bench.
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| Loieva. The railway station. A view from the platform side and towards the southern end |
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| Loieva. A view of the station from the platform side and the northern end |
The station was built when the steel main line opened in 1895. The two-storey building belongs to the Alpine-type stations of the late 19th century. In Ukraine, passenger buildings of this type have survived with three, four or five windows on the façade. The Loieva station has 3 windows on its façade. Small Alpine stations have a characteristic feature — a central risalit projecting on the side facing the settlement.
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| Loieva. A view of the station from the village side |
Similar stations in the Ivano-Frankivsk region are still in service in Yaremche, Vorokhta, Voronenko, Tarnovytsia and Bratkivtsi. In Soviet times the Loieva station was faced with ceramic tiles laid out in a chequerboard pattern. Four patterned compositions were rendered in bright mosaic between the window openings. The name of the station, in Russian, was made up of ceramic fragments on the façade and the side walls.
In the centre, the proletarian slogan "Glory to the CPSU" once stood proudly, later reworked into "Glory to Ukraine". A standard sign giving the station's name partly covers the decorative lettering.
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| Loieva. The lettering on the façade of the railway station |
The station building is made of red brick. The stone rustication of the corners and of the window and door openings lends the structure a sense of volume and austerity.
It is a great pity that this railway landmark is neglected and rapidly falling apart. Vestibules were built onto the ends of the building, and their doors vanished — not without the help of "kind benefactors". The red-tiled roof has been dismantled, the triangular pediment has tilted, and two stumps of chimneys stick up above the attic. The wooden floors have rotted through and collapsed. The sturdy walls have cracked near the entrance, and the porch is smashed. On the ground floor were the waiting hall, the ticket office and a service room. On the upper floor were the living quarters of the station staff. Clearly, more than just the weather has had a hand in the destruction.
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| Loieva. The ruined interior of the railway station |
Inside the building, a spiral concrete staircase leads to the upper floor. Into the basement, where the boiler room was located, one also descended by a spiral staircase.
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| Loieva. The spiral staircase inside the station |
The desolate two-storey building is filled with broken brick and rubbish. It is very sad that these neglected railway-station buildings — the former gateways of towns and small settlements — are turning into ruins and quickly vanishing. The tourist-friendly Ivano-Frankivsk region, and the Nadvirna district in particular, so rich in natural and cultural landmarks, would boost their excursion potential by preserving and opening up railway-themed routes. In European countries, arched bridges, passenger stations, old station buildings and water towers are popular with travellers. It is a shame that no protector or benefactor was found to preserve this architectural rarity, and so a page of the railway's history has disappeared.
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