World’s First Autonomous Kitchen Train Delivers Support to Kharkiv Frontlines

An autonomous kitchen train, Food Train, a collaborative effort between Ukrzaliznytsia, a Ukrainian state-owned railway company, and the Howard Buffett Foundation to aid frontline areas, is currently set on providing humanitarian support in the Kharkiv region.

“It helps the region to get through the difficult times, because the Food Train is not only a source of food, but also a center of hope and faith in humanity and goodness,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated.

The meals will be distributed in collaboration with local authorities to hospitals, temporary accommodation for those displaced by the crisis, and residents of remote areas most severely affected by the power outages.

The initiative was launched in November 2023. An autonomous kitchen train can produce roughly 10,000 meals daily, and the train is made up of 6 carriages, including a generator with a capacity of up to 400 kW, refueling station wagon, a refrigerator, and a kitchen carriage, as well as a separate carriage for staff and chefs.

The Food Train can operate autonomously for 5-7 days, and the train’s equipment allows for the preparation of full-fledged meals: soups, porridges, salads, meat, and so on. Special thermos boxes installed inside the train make it easy to transport pre-prepared portioned food containers from the kitchen train to the end consumer.

Overall, the Food Train’s specialized carriages work together to create a self-contained and fully functional mobile kitchen unit, capable of providing meals and essential services in remote or disaster-stricken areas.

“Providing comprehensive support to Ukraine and equipping our state and society with all the tools they need to combat Russian aggression and save lives is the most effective defense of humanity. It is a defense that truly matters,” Zelenskyy said.

Humanitarian missions in Ukraine are a crucial driving force amid the renewed Russian offensive in the Kharkiv region. At the end of May, Zelenskyy warned that Russia is amassing another troop grouping near the Ukrainian border, preparing for an offensive 90 kilometers northwest of Kharkiv.