The Italian railway worker who takes care of Ukrainian children on German trains: “It’s good for the spirit”

Enrico Agostoni, 36, from Milan, in some respects a “brain on the run”, left Italy five years ago to move to Munich

Railwayman and gentleman. Indeed, a railway worker, a gentleman and also a successful photographer. But above all a man with a big heart. In these dark days, passengers on German long-distance trains, the ICEs, may find themselves in front of the scene of a conductor who is dedicated with particular enthusiasm to traveling Ukrainian refugees and discover that he is an Italian: Enrico Agostoni, 36, Milanese, in some respects “brain on the run”, given that with a degree in agronomy in his pocket that did not ensure him any job 5 years ago he left Italy to move to Munich. In the German city he decided to put aside the profession for which he had studied to devote himself to his great passions: trains and photography. And he did it successfully. For 2 years he has been working as a controller on the trains of Deutsche Bahn, the German Railways, and in his spare time as a photographer: his photos have been bought all over the world, from media and tourism portals but also from institutions and companies.

Reached at the Munich station, in front of the welcome point for arriving Ukrainians, he says: “There are more and more refugees traveling on our trains, they have started to be more present in large groups since last Saturday, especially women with children, the first I saw came from Odessa and Kyiv ». The Milanese controller-photographer immediately worries that they will be offered something to drink, coffee, tea or water “because they have almost always been on the road for hours and hours and are exhausted”. For the little ones there are sweets, chocolates, toys, crayons and drawing sheets, supplied by the German railways themselves but which – in the case of crayons – can also be brought from home because “they are never enough”. Each distribution is a celebration, the children’s eyes shine and “there is a lot of gratitude on the part of the women, you can see that they are grateful for these small gestures of solidarity”.

Communicating with them is not easy, hardly anyone speaks English or German, “but on the train there is almost always someone who knows a little Russian and helps with the translation, or I get by with the” Italian “gestures and we manage to understand us “. The Milanese gentleman railway worker takes care of his “special” passengers until they arrive at their destination, usually the big cities, Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich, which Ukrainians can reach for free from the border towns with the “Help Ukraine” ticket which they can get for free at the ticket offices, or by simply showing the Ukrainian passport. “I personally go to warn them when it’s time to get off, in some cities there are more stations, God forbid they end up in places where there is no one to welcome them, they are already tried enough”. For the Italian controller with a heart of gold, who says “it is good for the spirit to take care of these people”, the engagement with the Ukrainians does not end when he finishes his shift. At home, Timoscha is waiting for him, 5 months old who arrived with his mother and grandmother last Saturday on the run from Kyiv. They are relatives of his wife Kateryna who still has parents in Rivne, 200 km from Lviv. The house is not big, friends have helped them by providing everything that could be needed for the child, “we are a little tight, but the atmosphere is beautiful,” he adds.