Kyiv Children's Railway, railway line in Ukraine

The Kyiv Children's Railway is a 2.8 km narrow-gauge loop in Syretsky Park, run as a vocational school by Ukrzaliznytsia. Its two stations are Kyiv-Pasazhyrskyi Dytiachyi (formerly Yablunka) and Zaliznychna (formerly Vyshenka). The line crosses a 100-metre-long, 19.5-metre-high viaduct over a ravine, built in 1954.

The railway opened in 1953 as part of the Soviet educational system and remains one of few such lines surviving in Ukraine today. It has continuously combined vocational training for children with recreational train rides throughout its history.

The railway's name reflects its purpose as a place where children learn real railway work through hands-on practice. Young staff in uniforms handle tickets, board passengers, and announce stations, creating a functional miniature railway that lets visitors experience a Soviet-era approach to teaching children about professional skills.

The railway operates mainly on weekends and holidays from May to September when children conduct hands-on training. Start your visit at the ticket office at either station and keep in mind that young staff may have limited English, so pointing and gestures work well for communication.

The Gr-336 steam locomotive that opened the line in 1953 was sold off in the 1990s to a firm that used it to carry foreign tourists. In May 2005, largely through the efforts of Anatoliy Stetsenko, one of the young drivers on that first run, it returned to the railway after repairs at the Shchors depot, repainted in an unusual bright red and now hauling a retro train on holidays.