European-standard rail to launch in Uzhhorod by July, Lviv, Chernivtsi Lutsk next
The European-standard rail line from Chop to Uzhhorod is set to launch in July 2025, enabling direct passenger train services from Uzhhorod to Budapest, Košice, Vienna, and Bratislava, Deputy Finance Minister Oleksandr Kava said in an interview with Ukrinform on June 23.
Preparations are underway to extend similar rail infrastructure to Chernivtsi and Lviv, with Lutsk planned as the next city to receive European-standard tracks.
“This is essentially the option that can provide quality connectivity in the next four to five years,” Kava said.
For freight transport, the official noted that Ukraine’s wider 1,520 mm gauge is more efficient than the European 1,435 mm standard due to differences in axle loads, wagon sizes, and train weights.
“In the EU, freight trains don’t exceed 2,000 tons, while in Ukraine, trains of 5,000 to 6,000 tons are common, directly tied to economic efficiency,” he said.
“Passengers also feel the difference in standards. For example, many passengers traveling from Ukraine to Europe, for example, from Kyiv to Warsaw, do not like to ride in narrow European cars that are only 2.8 meters wide, while Ukrainian cars are 3.2 and 3.5 meters wide.”
Kava highlighted a global trend toward containerization, with cargo being reloaded at border terminals.
“Reloading containers from one standard to another isn’t a problem, and the number of container terminals at Ukraine’s EU borders is steadily increasing,” he said.
“But simply ‘re-sewing’ is a very expensive project, and even Finland, which has long been a member of the European Union, does not ‘re-sew’ its track, which is of the same standard as in Ukraine.”
In April 2024, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced the start of construction on the Chop-Uzhhorod European-standard rail line.
The military war may be swinging in our favor, but the information war continues.
Just as an army needs soldiers, so does a free society need its journalists to ensure that people have access to honest, trustworthy voices to understand the world around them.
For the past five years, The New Voice of Ukraine has been working tirelessly to push back against Russian narratives and defend democracy. But we cannot do it alone.
Please consider supporting us on Patreon for just $5 a month – your donation does directly to supporting journalists and ensuring that this front of the infowar says solid and defended.
Thank you.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
