The Carpathian Tram – an incredible narrow-gauge railway route
The Carpathian tram is one of the many attractions of the Ivano-Frankivsk region. And while I usually oppose anything that forces you to be part of organized tourist groups, in this case, I confidently recommend it as an experience you will want to repeat more than once! It is one of the most beautiful narrow-gauge railways not only in Ukraine but also in Europe.
I read about this place a long time ago on LiveJournal, and it was on my map of locations I wanted to visit. At the same time, I forgot about it, as it is not very easy to get there from Zaporizhzhia. But when I was visiting a friend in Ivano-Frankivsk in 2023, I was strongly recommended to visit it. So I did. On June 30, we gathered in the city for my birthday, and the next day we were supposed to go on vacation to Croatia.
The second time we went was in the fall. It was just as exciting, as we managed to catch that magical time when the leaves on the trees are a veritable riot of color.
Tourist information
Today, the Carpathian narrow-gauge railway is 7 km long. The route runs from the village of Vygoda to the logging village of Mindunok.
Prices in 2024 and routes of the Carpathian tram
The standard 3.5-hour route is the most popular. It costs 200 hryvnia for adults and 150 hryvnia for children. The morning flight departs from Vygoda at 11:00 and returns at 14:30. On some days, there may be a second flight, departing at 15:00 and returning at 18:30.
The mountain route is less common. It lasts 8 hours, but unfortunately, it is not available to everyone. To go on this route, you need to gather a group of 40 to 60 people. However, it is much more intense. The tram will take you to the Mindunok station, where you can see the old production facilities and foresters’ dwellings. On the way back, you can visit the ornithological reserve in the Dzyurkach tract and climb the valley near Mount Lysaya. Departure on this route is at 10:00 a.m., and return is around 6:00 p.m.
I hope to have the opportunity to travel along the mountain route someday.
Contacts for booking a trip
To reserve seats, please call +38 050 373 2475 or +38 067 344 2870 on weekdays, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Kyiv time.
Official website – https://kartram.com.ua/
How to get to Vygoda
By car
From Ivano-Frankivsk, drive through Kalush on the H10 to Dolyna, where you turn onto the P21 and drive straight to Vygoda. In the village itself, you will need to cross a railroad crossing, where you will definitely have to slow down. Immediately after it, turn right into the parking lot. The landmark is a monument to a steam locomotive.
Parking coordinates – 48.93369378210057, 23.9101469485123
The road is good all the way, except for Ivano-Frankivsk itself.
By bus
You can get to Vyhoda directly from Ivano-Frankivsk, from the Ivano-Frankivsk No. 2 bus station. However, there is only one bus that departs from the regional center at 11:20 a.m. and arrives at its destination at 1:30 p.m., which is inconvenient if you are going on a morning excursion.
Therefore, I recommend traveling with a transfer in the city of Dolyna. Buses run there very frequently from both bus stations in Ivano-Frankivsk, and the price ranges from 100 to 125 UAH per person.
You can easily get from Dolina to Vygoda by suburban bus (timetable available on the city council website), intercity bus, or hitchhiking. There will be no transportation problems here.
My impressions of the trip on the Carpathian tram
Review of a birthday trip (in summer)
Early in the morning, we loaded up the car: me, Yulia, Lena, and Anya. Our small group drove to the village of Vygoda. It was a beautiful day, which made us very happy. It was my birthday, and we planned to spend it first riding on a narrow-gauge railway, and then having a picnic in the countryside.
When we arrived at the starting point, we easily parked in the spacious parking lot.
There was utter chaos in front of the station. More than a hundred people, most of them children, were moving chaotically along the platform. It was like platform 9¾. It wasn’t entirely clear where to go, but I spotted a woman selling tickets at the front of the train, which was standing a little way off. I introduced myself and started to pay when I was told some pleasant news: in honor of the holiday, I would get a free ticket. It was very nice.
Then the train pulled into the platform and everyone began to board, spreading out evenly according to the seats indicated on their tickets. We got a car with standard seating, like on a commuter train.
The first part of the trip is the journey to the station near the waterfall. It takes about 40 minutes, during which passengers can enjoy the beautiful views on both sides of the train.
My advice: buy tickets on both sides of the carriage for your group, and then swap seats on the way back. That way, you’ll be able to see much more.
Here, passengers disembark and the train departs for maneuvers before the return journey. You will have 30 minutes to descend the rocky rapids to the waterfall and take pictures. I would say that you can also enjoy the freshness and beauty, but this is debatable, as there are a lot of people and everyone is practically walking on top of each other. It might be a good idea to return to this place by car.
The train takes you back to the station near the abandoned Dzherelo Prykarpattya sanatorium in about 20 minutes. Here, you will find vendors offering honey, liqueurs, and magnets at inflated prices, but I recommend taking a walk around the hotel grounds instead.
In addition, on the other side of the railroad tracks, there is an old bridge across the Mizunka River, which is a bit scary in terms of safety. It offers an excellent view. The only thing is, I don’t recommend going on it with a large group of people.
After your free time at the station, you are invited to return to the train carriage, which will take you back to Vygoda.
On the route, the train’s loudspeakers will play a song by the Ukrainian band “Піккардійська Терція” called “Старенький трамвай” (The Old Tram), dedicated to the Vygodskaya narrow-gauge railway.
Review of a trip during golden autumn
One beautiful autumn day, when we were living in Ivano-Frankivsk for a short period before moving to Montenegro, we decided to go back to Vygoda. My girlfriend had never been there before, and I wanted to repeat this wonderful experience at a different time of year.
Of course, not all the leaves had turned yellow at that point. But we were experiencing what we call “Indian summer” — a very warm and sunny period in autumn. At this time of year, everything here looks just as attractive.
The history of narrow-gauge railways in Vygoda
These lands were formerly part of Austria-Hungary. Back then, in the 19th century, industry was booming, and these territories on the edge of the empire were an excellent source of timber. Massive logging began here.
Initially, timber was floated down the river. However, this method had many complications and certain nuances that led to delays in deliveries and flooding of local residents’ farms. Therefore, it was proposed to consider more modern methods of delivering large volumes of felled timber. [1]. Railway transport, which was widespread at the time, could have handled this role perfectly well.
On October 20, 1869, a law was passed that exempted all developing railway companies from taxation. This gave a strong impetus to the development of railway construction throughout Austria-Hungary, including narrow-gauge railways. [2].
Baron Leopold Popper-Podhragy, owner of local sawmills, initiated this promising project. In 1890, the first section was built. It was 3 kilometers long and connected Vygoda with the sawmill in Stary Mizun. [3].
It is interesting to note that when the railway first began operating, horse-drawn traction (known as a horse-drawn tram) was used, but at the beginning of the 20th century, it switched to steam (locomotives).
With the outbreak of World War I, the baron sold the narrow-gauge railway to the British joint-stock company Silviniya. Thanks to this, on February 19, 1918, the design of the railway extension began.
Work on laying the new track was completed in 1920. The result was the extension of the main line to the Sobol tract, the appearance of branches, and the first use of the road not only for industrial purposes but also for tourism.
There were plans to extend the railway to Khust via the Torun Pass, but they were never implemented.
However, this was not the only narrow-gauge railway in the Svitcha River valley. The second was laid by the German company Orenstein & Koppel. Initially, it was 21 km long and ran from Vyhoda to Lyudvikivka. In 1936, it was extended and a branch line was built: one branch ended at the Beskid station, and the other at Svecha. By 1939, the narrow-gauge railway was 65 km long.
After World War II, these lands became part of the USSR. A great deal of timber was required to rebuild the Donbas mines in eastern Ukraine. Around 700,000 m³ of timber could be harvested annually in these areas.
Both narrow-gauge railways are being combined and are beginning active operation for their intended purpose, as well as the construction of numerous branches. The length has reached 180 km. [4].
In the 1960s–1990s, timber harvesting declined and the importance of the road diminished. In addition, severe flooding in 1998 destroyed half of the roads.
Today, the small surviving section (7 km) is used for tourism purposes.
- Худіш, П. М. (2022, October). РОЗВИТОК ПРОМИСЛОВОСТІ СЕЛИЩА ВИГОДА ДО 1939 РОКУ. In The 7 th International scientific and practical conference “Modern research in world science”(October 2-4, 2022) SPC, Lviv, Ukraine. 2022. 1320 p. (p. 735).[↩]
- Бердниченко, Є., Михайлов, О., & Ворошилін, М. (2023, January). ПЕРШІ ЛОКАЛЬНІ ЗАЛІЗНИЦІ ГАЛИЧИНИ. In The 3th International scientific and practical conference “Theoretical aspects of education development”(January 24-27, 2023) Warsaw, Poland. International Science Group. 2023. 569 p. (p. 132).[↩]
- Бердниченко, Є., Михайлов, О., & Ворошилін, М. (2023, January). ПЕРШІ ЛОКАЛЬНІ ЗАЛІЗНИЦІ ГАЛИЧИНИ. In The 3th International scientific and practical conference “Theoretical aspects of education development”(January 24-27, 2023) Warsaw, Poland. International Science Group. 2023. 569 p. (p. 132).[↩]
- Stetsyuk, O., & Perih, T. (2023). Туризм вузькоколійками в Україні: пропозиція, особливості, розвиток за умов воєнного стану. Розвиток методів управління та господарювання на транспорті, 2(83), 118-130.[↩]
