What was supposed to be a quick military operation has now entered its fourth year. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has turned the world upside down, the world of Ukrainian Railways (UZ) no less. The railways in Ukraine have taken on an entirely new role and meaning, with some calling it the country’s “second army”. How has UZ transformed in the past three years?
When Russia invaded Ukraine, many citizens rushed to the railways to bring themselves to safety. UZ faced an immense task: the evacuation of millions of citizens from active war zones. Now that the war has been ongoing for three years, the counter stands at 3,8 million evacuees.
Those first evacuations marked the beginning of a transformation of Ukrainian Railways’ role in the country. Not only did the company itself become a target for Russian attacks, famously illustrated by Russia’s attack on an ongoing evacuation in Kramatorsk, killing dozens, but the railways also became a lifeline for the army, diplomacy and freight operations.
The onset of war required quick responses and operational change. UZ entered emergency mode and became a military actor of great importance. The company has helped move troops, vehicles and other supplies to places where they are needed, putting it in the centre of Ukraine’s defense effort. It introduced so-called “hospital trains” with intensive care wagons to evacuate and take care of soldiers and civilians alike. Moreover, the overnight train from Poland to Kyiv became the go-to route for allied leaders to make their way into Ukraine.
In support of the economy
Importantly, UZ also became a crucial player in securing Ukraine’s economic health. Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian ports made maritime export impossible. That was not only a problem for Ukraine’s economy: the grain question became a global problem.
It was partially resolved via rail. Grain (and other products) made their way onto the global market through Poland and Germany. To this day, that is not always an ideal solution, considering that trains need to switch from Ukraine’s 1520-millimetre broad gauge onto standard gauge infrastructure, making transportation more complex, time-consuming and expensive.
Nevertheless, rail export volumes grew significantly. Between January and April 2024, UZ recorded a 48,8 per cent increase compared to 2023. Most of the exports consisted of grain, with iron and manganese ore taking second place.
Turn to Europe
UZ’s turn to Europe is still ongoing, and supported by European partners. There are plans to integrate Ukraine with the standard gauge network, with the city of Lviv taking on a central role as the rail hub to connect Ukraine’s rail to Europe. What’s more, the rail operator plans to launch 18 new freight routes into the EU.
To facilitate Ukraine’s integration with Europe, the country can count on various international support measures. Among those are dozens of millions of EU funding and French rail deliveries.
Resistance from Poland
International support has not always been a given for Ukraine during the war. With Ukrainian grain now going through Poland rather than the Black Sea, Polish farmers (and later truckers) launched protests blocking border crossings out of concern for their own livelihoods. As a result, Ukraine had major issues getting its export products out of the country.
Here too, UZ provided a solution. In order to circumvent the blockades Ukrainian Railways introduced rolling highway services to Poland, carrying tractors with semi-trailers. Avoiding the road helped get Ukrainian goods out of the country, even if some Polish protesters later on resorted to blocking the railways too.
Domestic production
It is clear that UZ should best rely on itself, and it has been making an effort to that end. The operator is working to improve its operations domestically. For a long time, it only produced semi-wagons, but it has started producing containers, dump trucks, hopper-dosers for track repair and developed its own hopper wagons for grain transportation. It managed to save 2,4 million euros by producing domestically between 2022 and 2023.
Even amid war and the subsequent attacks on its infrastructure and operations, UZ managed to break-even in 2023. Only in the summer of 2024 did it record a first financial downturn – which it blamed on energy costs, exchange rates and a change in the makeup of transported freight.
Ukraine’s second army
UZ’s crucial role during the war has not gone unnoticed. Some have started calling railway workers “Ukraine’s second army”, or “the Iron People of Ukraine” as it manages to sustain military, freight, medical and diplomatic operations. All the while, it remains a prime target for Russian attacks.
That does not seem to be stopping the company from expanding its operational portfolio even further – it plans to launch a Middle Corridor ferry service across the Black Sea, attracting China – Europe traffic onto the Ukrainian network.
