The Irshava narrow-gauge railway - a unique tourist attraction of Transcarpathia
The Borzhava narrow-gauge railway (Vynohradiv - Irshava) is one of the few operating narrow-gauge railways in Ukraine. Today similar objects have survived only in Prykarpattia and in the Kirovohrad and Rivne regions. The Irshava narrow-gauge railway connects the district centre of Irshava with the village of Khmilnyk and has long been known among the people as Antsia Kushnytska. This name comes from the name of the terminus, the village of Kushnytsia, to which the train used to run, and from the popular local name Anna. This is a century-old unique heritage of the past, not only for Transcarpathia but for the whole country.
The Irshava narrow-gauge railway: the past and the present day
In the post-war period there were about a dozen such narrow-gauge railways in the western regions of Ukraine. Built at the start of the last century, the country’s narrow-gauge railways were intended to serve cutting areas, mines, pits and industrial enterprises. They were two or three times cheaper to build and operate than railways with a standard track gauge.
In addition, narrow-gauge lines allowed curves of smaller radii than ordinary railways, which made them popular in mountainous areas. In all, from the end of the 19th to the 1930s, narrow-gauge railways of various economic purposes with a total length of 1,000 km were built in Transcarpathia. Traffic on them was moved by horse, locomotive and motor traction.
The Irshava narrow-gauge railway has a length of 123 km and a track gauge of more than 700 cm. On it a small train with amusing little carriages moves slowly, at a speed of no more than 12 km/h. Along the way you can see the picturesque corners of the Irshava and Vynohradiv areas, the little-known ruins of Bodul castle, and a unique Austrian bridge. The narrow-gauge railway ran through three districts of Transcarpathia - Irshava, Berehove and Vynohradiv. In Soviet times, in the 1980s, the narrow-gauge line in the Irshava district carried 40 thousand tonnes of freight a month.
Historical facts
The Irshava narrow-gauge railway was ceremonially opened in December, on the eve of Catholic Christmas, in 1908. Even ministers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire attended the opening ceremony. In those days the narrow-gauge railway was used to transport timber from the Carpathian forests and mountain massifs of the villages of Borzhava and Velykyi Dil to the lowland area, where the 
For Ukrzaliznytsia the Borzhava narrow-gauge railway is completely unprofitable and loss-making. The public organisation «Borzhava Initiative» works selflessly to save and restore the narrow-gauge railway. Thanks to it, the preservation of the historical heritage of Ukraine’s narrow-gauge lines has moved off dead centre. New projects are being developed, contacts are being established with foreign organisations, new interesting tourist routes are being created, and a number of events are being held to draw the attention of tourist organisations and businesspeople to the narrow-gauge railway.
Today the international seminar «Carpathian Tram» is held here, on the first Sunday of August the day of the Borzhava narrow-gauge railway is traditionally celebrated, and the «Uhocha Vine» festival is celebrated in Vynohradiv. As part of these events you can ride along the narrow-gauge railway, enjoy Transcarpathian wine and snacks in the carriage, listen to the stories of guides and tour leaders about the history of this remarkable object, and enjoy the performances of local folk artists and folklore ensembles.
