The International Transport Game

[DasLunatic]

Is there not an earlier flight to another destination?

 

[A Challenge]

We change our flight to the 07:10 Ryanair flight to Brussels South Charleroi Airport (CRL), arriving at 09:30, local time unchanged.

 

[me123]

We wait here until 12 noon, at which time we board Belavia flight B2 818 to Minsk National Airport, Belarus. The flight touches down at 15:40 FET on Saturday afternoon.

Source: Google Flights

 

[A Challenge]

Then get 17:15 Belavia Flight 829 to Kiev (IEV), arriving at 18:15, same local time

 

[me123]

After clearing customs and immigration, we make our way to the airport bus stop in time for the 19:00 Skybus service (322) towards the city centre. We take the bus as far as Kharkivska Metro Station, and arrive there at 19:15 on Saturday evening.

Source: Google maps - because the Skybus website is laughably terrible.

 

[johnnychips]

Is there not an earlier flight to another destination?

You were right, and indeed A Challenge has amended his post accordingly:

You shouldn't wait for more than three hours after the first available service (to any destination) has left, after allowing for the minimum interchange time.

I can't see anything wrong with waiting at an airport at night after the last flight has left, even if it's more than three hours, to take a flight in the early morning. Much better than a succession of night buses to and from the airport!

 

[godfreycomplex]

AND YOU KNOW WHAT'S IN KIEV THIS SATURDAY EXCLAMATION MARK EXCLAMATION MARK
Making our mind up; we make our way to the International Exhibition Centre every way that we can; and whilst running scared full of euphoria like a puppet on a string; we believe we can catch the 19:36 108 Kyivpastrans bus from Kharkivsa; operating a satellite route towards Andreia Sheptytskoho street. Like the rock 'n' roll kids we are; we refrain from being heroes as the bus swings around. "Hold me now!" we cry; as the bus does wild dances through the holes that somebody was dig (gi-loo diggi-ley) ging in the road; and after nearly killing an insect (a fly on the wings of love; if you will); we have a quick ding-a-dong on the bell (which isn't working; so we knock; with a boom bang a-bang; on the roof) we let the other bus passengers have a little peace and; with a merci Cherie to the driver; we alight at the closest stop - Mykilska-Slobidska St at 20:14 this Saturday evening
Source - Google maps

 

[Bodie]

Brilliant post Godfrey.

Whether our trip to Kiev was planned I don't know but it has as pointed out proved to be excellently timed. Even on a Saturday!

We thus pop our head in the door of the International Exhibition Centre and see the annual party is well under way. We've somehow stumbled into the backstage area. We partake of the free nibbles and drinks on offer.
Before we are rumbled we make our escape not before wishing the contestants we see good luck.

Back outside we walk the 600m to (124) Livoberezhna Metro station.
Here we can take our first ride on the Kiev Metro. This line 1 and we leave at 2030 and go to (117) Vokzalna arriving 2050 on Saturday night.

Source: Google Maps

 

[DasLunatic]

Now feeling an urge for some railway action behind a Soviet locomotive, we enter the railway station and look at the departure board. We see one such train, the 21:22 departure to Kovel, in the west of the country. However, we elect to alight a few stops early, namely in the town of Lutsk (Луцьк) at 05:11 the following (Sunday) morning.

Google Maps/transport.marshruty.ru

 

[me123]

It's time to explore a city using a public transport network described as "confusing and unfriendly". We walk to the wonderfully named "School #5", where amazingly buses are already running at this ungodly hour on the holiest of days. The number 19 trolley(?)bus operated by KP "Lutske pidpryemstvo Elektrotrans" takes us off at 05:30am. We travel to the more central location of Senatorky Hulechivny St, Lutsk, Ukraine and arrive at 05:43 on Sunday morning.

Source: Google Maps

 

[A Challenge]

Then get the 06:09 KP Lutske pidpryemstvo Elektrotrans service 1 to Hnidava (LRZ), arriving at 06:35 Sunday morning.

 

[DasLunatic]

Let's try and board a train out now.

450m walk to Druzhby Narodiv Blvd, then the 0732 Elektrotrans 9A service to KHP #2,
Polonka, Ukraine, alighting at 0749 Sunday morning.

The railway station is a 650m walk
Google Maps

 

[me123]

We walk to the station, called Hnydava/Hnidava (depending on who you romanise it) and find that there are no trains . Ever. (I tried a few websites, including Google Maps. Lots of them were in Cyrillic scripts, but this one seems to definitively say that there are no trains at the station).

This leaves us with little other choice but to get back on the 9A bus at 08:05, and head back towards civilisation. It takes us back to where we were earlier - School #5, Lutsk, Ukraine; arriving at 08:53 on Sunday morning.

Source - Google Maps

 

[A Challenge]

Then get the 09:00 Lutske biuro podorozhei ta eksskursii service 8 to Hushcha (KRZ), arriving at 09:26 Sunday morning.

 

[Bodie]

Back towards the railway station.

A Lutske Pidpryemstvo Elektrotrans (KP) bus number 5 at 0939 is our conveyance to the bus stop named Zavokzalnyi Rynok arriving 1005 on Sunday morning.

Source: Google Maps

 

[me123]

The train I'm going to take only seems to run if the day of the week divides evenly by two. Since this Sunday falls on an even numbered day of the week, I shall assume that the train is running.

So we now take the number 88 Ukrzaliznytsia service, which departs at 11:24am. We ride to the terminus at Kovel Pas, arriving at 13:32 on Sunday afternoon.

Source: Ukraine State Railways

 

[A Challenge]

I'm confused!

 

[johnnychips]

We take the 702O train at 1523 to Lviv, arriving at 1835 on Sunday evening. Think it's operated by Ukraine Railways, but it's in Cyrillic script.

Google Maps

 

[me123]

We continue to assume that the date is an even number, which allows us to transfer onto the waiting 18:53 Ukrzaliznytsia service 231. We take this overnight train East on its long journey towards Henichesk. We decide to alight at Melitopol Pas station, arriving at 15:30 on Monday afternoon.

Source: Ukraine State Railways

 

[johnnychips]

Hi, this route doesn't appear to start operating till the 12th June.

http://www.uz.gov.ua/en/passengers/timetable/?station=22670&by_station=Search

 

[me123]

Oops. Sadly lots of the trains to the South are seasonal and we're a bit early.

Let's instead wait and take the 20:05 Ukrzaliznytsia service 144 to Kyiv-Pas (Kiev), arriving at 05:52 on Monday morning.

 

[johnnychips]

We take the Ukraine Railways Intersiti+ service 722 at 0646 to Kharkiv-Pas arriving 1123 on Monday morning.

http://www.uz.gov.ua/en/passengers/timetable/?ntrain=36850&by_id=1

 

[me123]

Time to explore Ukraine's second city. We leave the main railway station and descend into the adjacent Pivdennyi Vozkal metro station. At 11:35, an eastbound 1 train arrives and we take it on a short trip to Prospekt Haharina Station, arriving at 11:41 on Monday morning.

Source: Google Maps

 

[johnnychips]

Let's try something a bit different. We take shared minibus - marshrutka - 119e, operated by TOV Ukratotrans plius. We board at Vernads'koho St, two minutes walk from the Metro station and get off at Kharkiv Opernyi teatr im Lysenka. This looks a nice building in itself, thought there is not likely to be a noon performance. It is as well in walking distance of the zoo and university, and the "Nemo" Dolphinarium and a Planetarium - lots to keep us busy!

As for the times, they operate every 22.5 minutes precisely but neither source says when. So if we assume we just missed one at 1143, the next one will be at 1205.5 at the latest; it takes 8 minutes, so we arrive by 1213.5 on Monday afternoon.

The fare is 6.50UAH, and if you get on in the middle of the minibus, you pass it forward to the driver via the other passengers.

Sources: Google Maps
https://www.eway.in.ua/en/cities/kharkiv

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshrutka

 

[me123]

It's a 600m (7 minute) walk back onto the city metro system, with our nearest stop being Architecture Beketova on the number 3 (green) line. We take the next Southbound train at 12:29. We ride to its terminus at Metrobudivnykiv station, arriving at 12:35 on Monday afternoon.

Source: Google Maps

 

[johnnychips]

We walk 400m to Sportyvna, then take the number 1316 bus, operated by PP Trans Servis at 1248 to Kharkiv Aeroflotska St, a few minutes walk from the airport, arriving at 1309 on Monday afternoon.

 

[me123]

It's not a busy airport here in Kharkiv, and as we pull up AtlasJet flight 250 is on its way to the runway. The next flight departs at 17:30. This is over four hours away, and with the airport served by the bus network that unfortunately means we must soldier on and take to the skies at a later time.

The 13:32 "KP Trolleibusne depo #2" trolleybus number 5 shall therefore be our next move. We take this bus back to Kharkiv City Centre, arriving at Universytetska St at 14:16 on Monday afternoon.

Source: Google Maps

 

[johnnychips]

It's not a busy airport here in Kharkiv, and as we pull up AtlasJet flight 250 is on its way to the runway. The next flight departs at 17:30. This is over four hours away, and with the airport served by the bus network that unfortunately means we must soldier on and take to the skies at a later time.

Yes I only looked up the flight times after we got to the airport! Will try and find a tram tomorrow, then I think we've done all forms of transport.

 

[johnnychips]

On a map from 2011, there is a tram route from just near Universytet, which doesn't show in the Route Planner. However, in Wikipedia, it says the network is in bad repair, so it may not be running.

In that case we take a no.2 trolleybus to Kharkiv Lisopark, where there is a tram if we want. It runs every 7.5 minutes and takes 18 minutes, so if we leave Universytetska St at 1420, we should arrive there by 1445 at the latest on Monday afternoon.

Source: https://www.eway.in.ua/en/cities/kharkiv

EDIT: Bonus! There's an operating Kids' Railway in Lisopark:

http://photo.ukrinform.ua/eng/photosets/photo.php?id=538303

 

[Bodie]

Our first taste of Kharkiv's tramways sees us on route 26.

This leaves at 1512 and we travel to Kyivska adjacent to the Metro station of the same name. We arrive here at 1538 on Monday afternoon.

Source: Google Maps and urbanrail.net