Residents demand return of 27 cancelled commuter trains

Nearly three dozen suburban trains were canceled in Voronezh region from January 1, 2026. Residents in multiple districts are outraged: for many, the trains are not only the most convenient but the only way to get to work, school, or the hospital. A petition from Voronezh residents demanding the return of the trains was sent to the editorial office of Voronezh1.ru.

A total of 27 electric trains have been canceled in our region. Another seven in Lipetsk region, two each in Tambov and Kursk regions. The full list can be seen below.

«For thousands of passengers, this came as a surprise and led to serious difficulties in daily life. Suburban trains are not an »additional service« but a basic mode of transport for trips...» write the authors of the petition against the cancellation. «Alternative bus transport in many cases does not compensate for these changes due to irregular schedules, limited capacity, and unstable operations.»

There are also more emotional reactions to the disappearance of the trains — they are collected in a separate group on VKontakte (VK), created for concerned Voronezh residents. Here are some opinions found there.

«I live in Divnogorye and work in Liski. My schedule is day, night, two days off. After a day shift, I have no way to get home. I sleep at the station, essentially homeless. There are many like me. Thank you, our government, for taking care of us! It feels like they want to completely destroy the countryside,» wrote Lyudmila A.

«Bring back the train from Liski to Evdakovo departing at 17:36. Don»t mock people. How are we supposed to get home from work — by taxi? And to the villages on the right bank of the Don, there«s a PAZ minibus serving three villages? Moreover, many students study in Voronezh and will have no way to get home; they»ll have to wait in Liski for the next train to Rossosh,« notes Lyudmila B.

«The trains ran for decades, not for shopping trips. Each route was precisely timed for work schedules, whether a five-day workweek or shift work, at least on the Liski-Ostrogozhsk route. This step has deprived people of the ability to work. It»s a strange decision amid talk of rural development. After all, recently a lot has been done for people«s convenience in settlements: FAPs (rural medical clinics), kindergartens, schools, roads. This doesn»t gel with stripping people of the ability to get to work,« believes Aleksandr U.

People are not only outraged on social media and creating online petitions. They have also appealed to Russian Railways (RZD), Governor Alexander Gusev, and State Duma deputy Alexei Gordeev, who is no stranger to the Voronezh region.

Meanwhile, the only response authorities have repeatedly given to Voronezh residents are statements from the regional Ministry of Industry and Transport. Explanatory comments from the ministry appear under most posts about the canceled trains.

In short, the essence of the responses is as follows. This year, the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) increased rates for railway rolling stock rental services. No funds were allocated in the regional budget for renting rolling stock given the changed rates. Therefore, the suburban passenger company Chernozemye (PPK Chernozemye), which operates the trains, had to optimize the route network — that is, reduce it.

Voronezh1.ru«s editorial staff has asked the Ministry of Industry and Transport for more detailed explanations, but they promised that information on the matter should come soon from the regional government»s press service. We will monitor the situation as it develops.