The final push – help us support Ukraine’s railway workers!

Organisers of the ‘Kit for Kyiv’ campaign are calling for a final push of donations before protective gear is provided to Ukrainian railway workers.

Run by Rail Partners and supported by RAIL, ‘Kit for Kyiv’ is supplying people working near Ukraine’s frontlines with helmets and body armour; more than 2,500 Ukrainian railway employees have been killed or injured since the war started in 2022. Rail Partners is asking for donations to be made by October 16 to ensure an accurate total can be calculated for purchasing the kit. Any donations made after this date will still go towards supporting Ukrainian rail workers in other ways.  

Calling for a last push on donations, Rail Partners chief executive Andy Bagnall said: “Thank you to readers of RAIL magazine that have already donated to the Kit for Kyiv campaign.

“The protective gear is in the process of being purchased and your donations will soon be making a difference to the lives of Ukrainian railway workers travelling to the frontline.

“The Ukrainian Railway continues to play a critical role in the conflict. We are making one final call for further donations to ensure as many rail workers as possible are protected.”

As well as individual donors to the appeal, various UK railway companies have also shown their support: Arriva, DB Cargo, First Group, Transport UK (Gold Donors); GoAhead, MTR (Silver Donors); GB Railfreight (Bronze Donor).

‘Kit for Kyiv’ was launched at Rail Live in June and featured at September’s National Rail Awards. For a video of why the kit is needed, see https://youtube.com/watch?v=hJ206GUdDI0

For more information on how to donate, see https://www.railpartners.co.uk/our-work/kitforkyiv

Support Kit for Kyiv!

To make donations and for more information on the initiative, see: 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 media@railpartners.co.uk  

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.