Ukrzaliznytsia prepares 100 'Invincibility Coaches': how autonomous hubs will operate

The 'Fortress on Wheels' Project

According to ХВИЛЯ: Ukrzaliznytsia, in collaboration with international partners, has prepared 100 special 'Invincibility Coaches' for autonomous hubs during power outages. This project, named 'Fortress on Wheels', has been implemented without the involvement of budget funds. The coaches were taken from the 'non-working fleet' and retrofitted for new usage conditions.

Railway workers collaborated with All Hands & Hearts, World Central Kitchen, Hachiko Foundation, and White Stork to create comfortable conditions in these coaches. An 'Invincibility Coach' is equipped with:

• heating systems,
• generators,
• Starlink terminals,
• kitchen areas,
• compartments for animals,
• children's areas.

Such solutions will provide the necessary conditions for people and their pets during blackouts.

Operational relocation and support

It is important that the coaches can be quickly relocated to where they are needed at any given moment, strengthening local points of invincibility, including railway stations. It is worth recalling that 96 railway stations became the base for heating points during blackouts. In 2022, the railway also transported over 112 thousand pets during evacuation flights, highlighting the importance of support in difficult situations.

This project is a significant step in ensuring comfortable conditions for the population during power outages, which is becoming increasingly relevant in the context of war and energy crises. The creation of 'Invincibility Coaches' emphasizes Ukrzaliznytsia's readiness to respond to the challenges of the times and provide support to both people and their animals in difficult situations. The implementation of such a project without the involvement of budget funds also indicates effective cooperation between state and international organizations in crisis conditions.