The Ukrainian government, Ukrainian Railways (UZ) and the Connecting Europe Facility will invest 85,91 million euros for the development of a standard gauge rail infrastructure in the country. This is the first time that state funds and CEF money will be combined for such a project, UZ specified.
The initiative includes four projects. First, the development of technical and economic and project documentation for the development of a standard gauge track crossing Lviv, Chernivtsi, Vadul-Siret and then reaching the border with Romania. Moreover, the funds will be deployed for the construction and electrification of standard gauge track in small sections near checkpoints, the electrification of the Chop-Uzhhorod line (near the borders with Hungary and Slovakia), and to develop a strategy for the Lviv railway junction.
Implementing a standard gauge rail infrastructure in Ukraine is a key step for the complete development of the TEN-T network. Four TEN-T Corridors will in fact cross Ukraine: North Sea – Baltic Sea, Baltic – Black – Aegean Sea, Baltic – Adriatic Sea and Rhine – Danube. Despite the difference in rail gauge is a significant hiccup for rail freight transport between Ukraine and the rest of the EU, there are other issues.
European Model of Rails to be adopted soon
For example, Ukraine needs to join the European Model of Rails, which enforces the separation of the tasks of infrastructure manager and railway undertaking. To this regard, the Ukrainian government drafted a regulation in mid-October, which should soon be transposed into a law. The draft includes the introduction of the principal of equal access to infrastructure services, the basic requirements for operators, carriers and rolling stock and establish the legal framework for technical regulation and approval of railway transport for operation.
Over new 1,500 containers ordered
Other than the investments to be integrated into a European railway network, UZ is also planning on upgrading its container fleet. Lisky (Ліски in Ukrainian), UZ’s subsidiary carrying out container transport, said it will purchase 1,520 containers. Two thirds of them will be 20-foot Open Top containers, while the remaining 500 will be 20-foot Pallet Wide containers. The latter are especially designed to boost trade with the EU, as they allow the load of European pallets in two rows, increasing capacity.