One of the trains stopped in a tunnel of the Kyiv metro due to an accident in the Ukrainian power system on January 31. Passengers were evacuated in an organized manner, there were no injuries.
This was reported to Suspilny by Oksana Nikiforuk, a representative of the Kyiv Metro, and also by the Kyiv State Emergency Service.
“In accordance with current safety protocols and proven algorithms, the evacuation of passengers from the rolling stock to the nearest station was organized. We note that there were no injuries,” Nikiforuk said.
Rescuers of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine evacuate people from a metro train that got stuck in the middle of a tunnel due to an accident in the Ukrainian power system, Kyiv, January 31, 2026. State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Telegram
According to her, during the train stop, the driver informed passengers about the current situation, and all subsequent actions were carried out in a coordinated manner, in clear coordination between the specialized services of the subway, the State Emergency Service and the metro line police, in compliance with all safety requirements.
Rescuers of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine evacuate people from a metro train that got stuck in the middle of a tunnel due to an accident in the Ukrainian power system, Kyiv, January 31, 2026. State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Telegram
Emergency services added that two trains stopped: one 100 meters from the Vokzalna station, the other 1 km from the Vydubychi station in the direction of the left bank of the capital. Rescuers and law enforcement officers helped passengers safely reach the stations. A total of 481 people were evacuated.
Rescuers of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine evacuate people from a metro train that got stuck in the middle of a tunnel due to an accident in the Ukrainian power system, Kyiv, January 31, 2026. State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Telegram
As a reminder, the temporary suspension of the metro occurred on the afternoon of January 31 due to a sudden power outage in Kyiv due to an accident in the Ukrainian power system. Suspilne spoke with several Kyiv public transport passengers about how they are reacting to the metro stop.
Rescuers of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine evacuate people from a metro train that got stuck in the middle of a tunnel due to an accident in the Ukrainian power system, Kyiv, January 31, 2026. State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Telegram
What is known about the power system accident on January 31
As a reminder, emergency power outages were introduced in a number of regions of Ukraine — in particular, in Kyiv and Kyiv region — on the morning of January 31. Water and heating were also cut off in various areas of the capital. The metro stopped working for several hours, and several trains of the city's ring electric train were also delayed for 20-30 minutes.
As of this evening, critical infrastructure in Kyiv had already been restored, and in the Kyiv region, energy workers were able to return to the stabilization schedules of power outages. Water supply was restored on the left bank. However, 3,419 residential high-rise buildings remain without heating — mostly on the right bank.
The cause of the accident, according to the Ministry of Energy, is a large-scale technological failure with the simultaneous shutdown of the 400 kV power transmission line between the power systems of Romania and Moldova, as well as the 750 kV line between the western and central parts of Ukraine.
According to Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal, the incident caused a cascade outage in Ukraine's power grid and triggered automatic protection at substations. As a result, the nuclear power plant units were unloaded. In Kyiv, Kyiv, Zhytomyr and Kharkiv regions, dispatchers applied special emergency outage schedules.