Transportation in Kyiv

Kyiv's first major transportation corridor was the Dnipro [Dnieper] River. It runs a basically north to south course through the city, eventually emptying into the Crimean Sea.

The river was the major artery of trade for Kyivan Rus, providing a natural transportation corridor from the Russian gorods in the north to the Byzantine trading centers in the south. Because the river was one of the only north-south trading routes in the area, it was used by a great number of people. Some smaller east-west routes were also established with Kyiv as a hub because of it's river port.

The city now has a system of paved streets featuring a number of boulevards. Central Kiev is served by the Kreshchatyk, the central traffic artery of the city. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union the number of cars in Kiev has increased greatly. This presents a series of problems for the city including greatly increased pollution and congestion.

Kyiv is also served by a communter rail line, the Kyiv Metro. This system was constructed during soviet rule of Ukraine. It is one of the typical marks left on many large cities by the soviet governement. The system is, however, still under construction, this time under the financing of the city of Kyiv and the Ukrainian government. Through the central city it is a subway system but does have above ground tracks in some outlying areas. The picture to the right shows one of the above ground stations in the Livoberezhna area east of the Dnipro, opposite central Kyiv

Besides the commuter rail line Kyiv is also served by railroads that connect to other Ukrainian and European cities. Below is the central railroad station in Kyiv.