Why do Kyiv’s metro trains not remain at stations during the night-time curfew: the official response
This was reported by the Kyiv City State Administration (KCSA).
How the Kyiv Metro operates day and night
The KCSA has reiterated (citing information from the municipal enterprise ‘Kyiv Metro’) that the capital’s underground system operates round the clock.
During the day, the metro provides passenger transport.
Meanwhile, at night, when the 825 V voltage can be disconnected from the contact rail, nearly 700 staff carry out repairs and maintenance on:
- the infrastructure;
- equipment.
“It is at this time that most of the repair work is carried out, on which the safety of train operations directly depends,” they explained to the public.
Which types of work are the most important and the most complex
One of the most important and, at the same time, most complex types of work is the maintenance and repair of tracks and tunnel structures.
“This can only be done at night, when there is no passenger train traffic,” the Kyiv City State Administration clarified.
It is reported that specialists from the relevant services replace rails, sleepers, points and other track components every night.
Work is also continuing on the maintenance of tunnel structures.
“In particular, specialists inspect and survey the tunnel linings, repair leaks and damp patches, and check the dimensions of engineering structures, etc.,” they told Ukrainians.
During the night-time maintenance ‘window’, rail flaw detection is also carried out to monitor the technical condition of the rails and detect any potential damage in a timely manner.
It is specified that during a single night shift, the team inspects around 3 km of track.
In addition to track work, during the night:
- signalling, communications and safety systems (located in tunnels) are maintained;
- repair and replace equipment for power supply systems and other utility networks.
How the necessary materials and equipment are delivered
The Kyiv Metro municipal enterprise has explained that, to carry out the above-mentioned work at night, specialised vehicles travel along the tracks to deliver the necessary equipment, tools and materials, as well as rails and sleepers.
It is noted that every night, this transport:
- travels through all the underground tunnels;
- provides vital logistics from the production workshops to the exact site where the work is being carried out.
Why metro trains do not remain at stations overnight
Residents and visitors to the capital have been informed that carrying out all the necessary work on the underground requires:
- the power to be cut from the contact rail;
- a complete halt to train services;
- the use of maintenance vehicles (motorised track maintenance vehicles).
This is precisely why rolling stock is not left on the tracks at metro stations overnight.
Results of the metro specialists’ work this year
It is reported that, in total, during the first half of 2026, specialists from the ‘Kyiv Metro’ replaced:
- 1,705 metres of track;
- 1,136 wooden sleepers;
- 335 transition sleepers;
- 212 half-sleepers;
- 195 ‘metro’-type sleepers.
Finally, the Kyiv City State Administration noted that most of this work, which ensures the safe and uninterrupted operation of the underground, goes unnoticed by passengers.
“Every night, specialists from the Kyiv Metro prepare the infrastructure for the new working day so that trains can return to service first thing in the morning and carry passengers safely,” the press office of the city state administration concluded.
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