Train to Chełm via Yahodyn: schedule, border control, connections to Warsaw

Ukrzaliznytsia trains to Chełm in Poland run via the Yahodyn – Dorohusk railway border checkpoint. This is the main way to travel from Polissia to Poland without a car: Chełm is 25 km from the border, and from there Polish trains go to Lublin and Warsaw. The checkpoint operates around the clock.

Which trains run

According to Ukrzaliznytsia, the following trains run via Yahodyn:

• No. 19/20 Kyiv – Chełm (from Kyiv in the evening, in Chełm in the morning);
• No. 23/24 Kyiv – Chełm;
• No. 119/120 Dnipro – Chełm;
• No. 93/94 Kharkiv – Chełm;
• Kyiv Express (67/68) — a direct Warsaw – Chełm – Kyiv train without transfers.

All of them run through Kovel. Schedules and tickets are available on the Ukrzaliznytsia website and app; tickets for international trains sell out quickly, so buy them in advance.

Where control takes place

Ukrainian border and customs control on trains to Chełm is conducted in the carriage — while moving on the Kovel – Yahodyn section or during stops at the Kovel and Yahodyn stations. There is no need to get off the train. Polish control is also conducted in the carriage: passports are scanned, and if you are in the EES system for the first time, a photograph is taken.

Transfer in Chełm

Ukrainian trains arrive at the broad-gauge tracks of Chełm Główny station. From there, PKP Intercity trains are coordinated with the Ukrainian ones: in the morning there is a transfer to a train to Lublin (about an hour) and Warsaw (about 3.5 hours), and in the afternoon and evening there are several more trains to Warsaw. PKP tickets can be bought on the carrier's website or at the station ticket office. The schedule of departures from Chełm for the coming days is in the table below on this page.

Where to go next

• Lublin — about 70 km from Chełm, Lublin Airport (LUZ) — about 80 km from the border.
• Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW) — about 225 km from the border, Rzeszów (RZE) — about 175 km.
• Ukrainian airports have been closed to civilian flights since 24 February 2022 — flights to Europe depart from Poland.

What to take for the journey

• Documents — as for any border, see the "Border checkpoints" page. Men aged 18–60 need a military registration document (can be in Reserv+).
• Meat, lard, sausage, and dairy products cannot be brought into the EU — they will be confiscated.
• Trains are sometimes delayed by hours — bring water, food, and a power bank.

DPSU hotline — 1598, from abroad +38 044 527-63-63.