“It is hard not to be inspired” by Ukraine’s Iron People

Rail Partners’ Andy Bagnall is spearheading an appeal to provide vital safety kit to fellow railway workers in Ukraine - a campaign that is fully supported by RAIL.

The aim is simple: to make sure that those on the frontline have body armour and helmets - and it costs just £20 to provide the equipment for one person.

Launched at Rail Live in June (RAIL 1013), Kit for Kyiv aims for support from both individuals and organisations within the railway industry, such as the train operating companies that Rail Partners represents.

Here, the industry body’s chief executive explains more about why Kit for Kyiv is so important - and why you should support it now.

Why should people support the appeal?

All those in Britain with an interest in rail know the role the railway plays here in supporting the communities and businesses we serve, our people, and the wider economy. 

We also know what it takes to run a railway on a daily basis in normal conditions - the hundreds of individual operational decisions taken every day in order to deliver for passengers and freight customers.

That is why, in the midst of the current conflict with Russia, the efforts of our colleagues at Ukrainian Railways are nothing short of remarkable. 

The railway has been - and is - a critical means to transport vital supplies, evacuate civilians, and support the wider Ukrainian economy. 

It has also been a tool of political diplomacy, carrying not only President Zelensky but numerous world leaders into and out of the country as the airspace is closed. It was dubbed ‘Rail Force One’ when US President Joe Biden visited last February!

The Kit for Kyiv appeal seeks to protect railway men and women, who are providing a vital lifeline for the people and economy of Ukraine. At present, train drivers are driving trains into high-risk areas - and they are doing so without protective equipment. Just £20 can provide a train driver with a bullet proof vest and helmet. 

What made you get involved?

Rail Partners’ relationship with Ukrainian Railways (Ukrzaliznytsia, or UZ for short) started last year. 

We wanted to do what we could to support colleagues and the Global Ukraine Rail Task Force, to provide food parcels to railway workers and their families on the frontline. 

Nearly 7,500 food parcels, paid for by donations from British rail companies, were delivered to railway workers earlier this year. 

And myself, Steve Montgomery (Managing Director, First Rail) and David Brown (Managing Director, Rail, Arriva) visited Kyiv back in January to see some of that aid being assembled for distribution by the Ukrainian railway trade union. 

We have kept in touch with colleagues at UZ, and it is very hard to comprehend the new normal to which they are adjusting. 

We were struck by their need for protective equipment for their personnel, and wanted to do what we could to highlight their ongoing needs to the rail community here in Britain. 

Much is made of the ‘railway family’ here in the UK, and rightly so. But it is at times like this that you see the power of that sense of a family bond between rail workers, transcending borders, and an unwavering belief that the railway can be both supportive and transformative for a nation in the best of times and (in this case) the worst of times.

I have no doubt that this campaign will resonate with colleagues across the sector and beyond, and we will continue to play our part. 

Why is Rail Partners leading this, rather than any other industry body?

Rail Partners exists to make the railway in the UK better. But we also see ourselves and our members as part of the wider international rail family. 

Since the start of the conflict, the Ukrainian Railway has demonstrated significant strength and resilience. 

While other parts of the railway in Britain are also making important contributions, the train companies we represent wanted to do their bit to support the incredible efforts of UZ employees, and this is the way we felt best able to help.

How much difference do you think this campaign can make?

At the event we hosted at Rail Live back in June , Viaschelev Yeromin, a member of the management board at UZ, said: “I can assure you that the Ukrainian railway will stand to the last man. They will be the last to leave and the first to return.” 

This campaign, if successful, can provide personal protective equipment to train drivers to help ensure that fewer lives are lost, that our colleagues are protected, and that the railway can continue to play its critical role in the war effort. But also beyond, in the reconstruction. 

What difference can UK industry make more widely? And why should UK industry care about this?

As personal protective equipment is the most profound and pressing need, I would obviously encourage the rail industry to get behind the Kit for Kyiv campaign. 

More broadly, anyone who enters a dialogue with colleagues at UZ will immediately be struck by their focus on growth and rebuilding. 

There are significant opportunities to share best practice, learn lessons from their unique experiences, and support regrowth. 

In Ukraine, UZ colleagues are referred to as the ‘Iron People’, and they feel they are resisting on behalf of the whole of Europe. It is hard not to be inspired by them.

What experience, if any, in Ukraine stands out to you?

The resilience of everyone I have come into contact with at UZ is remarkable. 

When I visited Kyiv back in January, at the station the ticket office has been converted to ‘Iron Land’ - with a children’s rail-themed play area and library. 

Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, CEO of the Passenger Railway, explained that he did not want thousands of children’s enduring memory of the railway to be the trauma of evacuation, and in most cases separation from at least one of their parents. 

He wants to offer a better experience of the railways, especially as women and children are increasingly making return visits to see the men of their families as the war drags on and their exile becomes semi-permanent. 

That focus on the future - and the railway’s role in that - has stuck with me.

What message do you have for RAIL readers/the UK industry/UZ?

For two years, colleagues at UZ have been carrying out heroic acts almost daily. They are doing so without the most basic of PPE, and we collectively have the ability to help them.

There is no need for train drivers to be driving freight and passenger trains through occupied territories or areas that are at high risk of missile attack without PPE. We can help, so I feel we should. I hope RAIL readers will feel the same.

Every £20 donation to our Kit for Kyiv campaign will ensure one Ukrainian rail employee can be provided with a personal protective vest and helmet. 

Corporate donation packages are available, if those are of interest to organisations with slightly deeper pockets. 

To our colleagues at UZ: it has been a pleasure to get to know you in recent months, and we will continue to do what we can to support you in your vital efforts. As ever, we send all of the Iron People of Ukraine our very best wishes. 

How to support Kit for Kyiv!

• To make donations and for more information on the initiative, visit:  https://www.we-aid.org/en/initiatives/allrail-support-ukraine-rail-task-force/
• For industry colleagues, to find out more about how you can support colleagues at Ukrainian Railways, contact [email protected]
• To see a list of corporate donors and to find out more about Rail Partners with Ukraine and #KitForKyiv, visit https://www.railpartners.co.uk/ukraine
• Kit for Kyiv is being run in conjunction with the international Global Ukraine Rail Task Force, with all donations in Sterling going directly into the campaign.