Overview
The Kharkiv Metro (Ukrainian: Харківський метрополітен, Kharkivskyi metropoliten) is Ukraine's second metro system, opened on 23 August 1975 and owned by the municipal enterprise Kharkiv Metro. It is widely regarded as the fastest and easiest way to get around the city, carrying close to a million passengers a day in normal times. The network runs on Soviet-gauge track (1,524 mm) with 100-metre platforms built for five-car trains, and its average commercial speed is around 35.6 km/h.
Riding it end to end is straightforward: enter a station, buy or tap your fare, descend to the platform, board the train in the direction of your destination, and change lines at one of the three central interchange hubs if needed. Trains run from roughly 05:30 until late evening — sources give closing times between 21:30 and midnight depending on the line and station, so check the last train for your stop. During wartime, intervals have been extended to as much as 20 minutes on all lines, and air-raid alerts can interrupt service.
The network
The metro has three lines, 30 stations and about 38.1 km of operational track. The lines are known by colours as well as names, and the colour-to-number mapping varies between sources, so navigate by line name and station rather than colour alone.
- Kholodnohirsko–Zavodska Line (Холодногірсько-Заводська, Kholodnohirsko-Zavodska) — the oldest and longest line (13 stations, 17.4 km, opened 1975), running roughly east–west along the city's central axis from Kholodna Hora in the northwest to Industrialna in the southeast industrial zone. Key stops include Vokzalna (the main railway station and busiest station), Tsentralnyi Rynok (Central Market), Maidan Konstytutsii (interchange with the Saltivska Line), Sportyvna (interchange with the Oleksiivska Line), and factory stops such as Zavodska, Turboatom and Traktornyi Zavod.
- Saltivska Line (Салтівська, Saltivska) — 8 stations and 10.4 km, opened in 1984, running northeast–southwest from Saltivska through the huge Saltivka housing district to Istorychnyi Muzei in the centre. It includes the system's only above-ground section, a 988-metre covered bridge over the Kharkiv River between Kyivska and Akademika Barabashova. It interchanges with the red line at Istorychnyi Muzei and with the green line at Universytet.
- Oleksiivska Line (Олексіївська, Oleksiivska) — 9 stations and 11.0 km, opened in 1995 and extended in 2004, 2010 and 2016, linking the old centre with the Oleksiivka neighbourhood and the university and scientific district. Key stations include Derzhprom (interchange with the blue line beneath Freedom Square), Arkhitektora Beketova, Botanichnyi Sad and Zakhysnykiv Ukrainy (formerly Prospekt Haharina, renamed in 2022). Peremoha, opened in 2016, was the first station with disabled access.
Beyond the metro, Kharkiv has an extensive surface network. The city's tram system is one of the few surviving in Ukraine since the collapse of the Soviet Union, and tram line 12 is especially useful for reaching the far northeastern part of the city. Trolleybuses and municipal buses fill out the network, and route taxis (marshrutkas) cover many additional routes. The main railway station, Kharkiv-Passazhyrskyi, is linked to the metro at Pivdennyi Vokzal (Південний вокзал) and is also served by trams, buses and route taxis; commuter trains also call at Kharkiv-Balashovsky and Kharkiv-Levada stations, and rail buses have been introduced alongside electric commuter trains. Several suburban bus stations sit at or near metro stops, including Tsentralnyi Rynok, Kholodna Hora and Pivdennyi Vokzal.
Tickets & fares
Fares and payment rules in Kharkiv have changed repeatedly in recent years, so treat any figure here as approximate and subject to change — confirm the current price at the station.
- Single rides: Before the full-scale invasion, a single metro ride cost UAH 8 regardless of destination or transfers within the metro. Payment was by paper barcode ticket or by contactless E-Ticket metro card, both sold from machines at station entrances (cash only).
- Contactless bank cards: Contactless bank cards, smartphones and NFC devices are accepted directly at the turnstiles at some stations.
- Passes: Monthly passes have been sold at station ticket counters and automated machines, with discounted student rates (reported around UAH 120 for students and UAH 240 for adults in pre-war listings), and free travel for seniors and persons with disabilities.
- Cross-network validity: The E-Ticket metro card is also valid on city trams, trolleybuses and municipal red buses.
- Wartime status: As of February 2023, public transport in Kharkiv has been free of charge as a wartime measure. Sources conflict on whether the metro is currently charging, so do not assume a fare is due — but be ready to pay if that changes.
- Route taxis: Marshrutkas are paid separately, with single rides reported at 10–20 UAH.
There is no zone system within the metro: one fare covers the whole journey, including transfers between lines inside the system.
From the airport
Ukraine's airspace is closed to civil aviation because of the Russia–Ukraine war, so there are currently no passenger flights into Kharkiv and no airport-to-city public-transport journey to plan. When aviation resumes, check the current status before travelling; the metro does not serve the airport directly, and the main rail and bus gateways into the city are the central railway station (metro: Pivdennyi Vokzal) and the central coach station.
Etiquette & customs
- Queuing: Join the queue at ticket windows and machines rather than crowding the front.
- Escalators: Stand on the right and leave the left side free for people walking up or down — the standard post-Soviet convention.
- Priority seating: Seats near the doors are reserved for the elderly, people with disabilities, and passengers with small children; give them up without being asked.
- Quiet carriage culture: Keep phone calls short and voices low; the metro is a commuter space, not a social one.
- Food and drink: Eating and drinking on the platform or train is frowned upon; finish your snack before you go through the turnstiles.
- Rush hour: Trains are packed at peak times — let passengers off before you board, and move down the carriage rather than blocking the doors.
- Photography: Taking photos in stations is permitted, but flash is discouraged and commercial photography needs prior permission from metro management.
- Air raids: If an alert sounds, follow staff instructions; the deep central stations have served as bomb shelters and may be used again.
Official links
Survival terms
- Метро (metro) — metro / subway
- Квиток (kvytok) — ticket
- Лінія (liniia) — line
- Вхід (vkhid) — entrance
- Вихід (vykhid) — exit
- Пересадка (peresadka) — transfer
- Разова поїздка (razova poizdka) — single fare / single ride
- Проїзний квиток на день (proiznyi kvytok na den) — day pass
Before you set out, check the current fare status and last-train times for your line, since both have shifted repeatedly in wartime Kharkiv.