Life Train

Life Train (also known as Train to Life) is a Ukrainian feature-length documentary directed by Oleksandr Timenko and produced by Kalyna Film. It tells the remarkable stories of Ukrainian railway workers during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, highlighting their courage, dedication and essential role in saving lives.

The film follows the evacuation of millions of Ukrainians, the operation of medical trains, the rescue and transportation of the wounded, and the maintenance of vital railway connections under dangerous wartime conditions.

Based on firsthand testimonies from more than 60 employees of Ukrainian Railways (Ukrzaliznytsia) and over 100 hours of footage, the film presents authentic personal experiences without a traditional voice-over narrator. Among the participants are railway workers such as conductor Iryna Yurchenko, as well as Boris Johnson, Orlando Bloom and Andriy Shevchenko.

Life Train is a story of courage, resilience, humanity and solidarity, paying tribute to the railway workers who helped save lives and keep Ukraine moving during the war.