Ukraine Has Made Me More Train-Pilled Than Ever Before

One simple way to make traveling America more sane.

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When the war in Ukraine first started, during my last trip here in February, I stopped taking trains. In the early days of the war, the stations were packed, chaotic, and dangerous — as shelling got closer or a city was hit by sporadic cruise missile or rocket attacks, guards and travelers were all extremely on edge and scared, for good reason. I had the luxury, most of the time, of traveling by car, even though the roads were clogged beyond belief and fuel was scarce. But despite the issues, the trains didn’t stop running. They didn’t stop! There hasn’t been a single day in this country since Russia invaded on Feb. 24 where you couldn’t get on a train from most major cities and end up in another one. 

As liking trains has become one of the pillars of online leftism, this blog probably isn’t a surprise. But my return to Ukraine’s train system today—I’m currently in a sleeper car on an 8-hour ride from Lviv to Kyiv—has me even more convinced that even the most marginal investment in the U.S.’ train system could change the way we see our country.