Ukrzaliznytsia to lay European gauge railway tracks to Lviv and Chernivtsi: a new stage of integration with the EU

New European-style railway routes are set to connect Lviv, Chernivtsi, and western Ukraine with EU countries. This will make travel more convenient and freight transport faster and more efficient. Find out how the development of European gauge railways will change Ukraine's transport links with Europe

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Ukrzaliznytsia intends to expand its network of European standard railways. The company plans to lay European gauge tracks to several cities in western Ukraine, including Lviv and Chernivtsi. This was announced by the chairman of the board of Ukrzaliznytsia, Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, writes Obozrevatel.

Why is a European gauge railway needed?

A European gauge railway is a European-style railway track with a different width than the Ukrainian one. Thanks to its construction in the western regions, convenient transfers to international routes will become possible.

“It takes too long to travel from Kyiv to Vienna by train. But from Lviv, taking a night train or Intercity train to Vienna, Prague, Krakow, or Warsaw is already a very competitive option,” said Pertsovsky.

The Ministry of Community, Territory, and Infrastructure Development also confirmed these plans. They emphasized that Lviv could become a powerful transport hub at the junction of Ukraine and the EU.

“The European gauge railway from the Polish border to Lviv is no longer just an idea, but a project that has preliminary agreements with international partners to start construction,” the ministry said.

Current international train routes from Ukraine to Europe - here!

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Future plans

In addition to Lviv and Chernivtsi, Ukrzaliznytsia plans to expand the European gauge in Zakarpattia and Volyn. This will allow for the creation of new routes to Central European countries:

Czech Republic

Hungary

Poland

Such projects will contribute to the development of a full-fledged freight corridor from Ukrainian industrial centers to European ports and markets. The ministry reported that a total of 10 directions have been identified where new sections are planned to be built.

Why not the whole country?

Despite the expansion of the European gauge, its full integration throughout Ukraine is not planned. This is because the broad gauge currently in use is better suited for heavy freight transport.

“We have trains weighing 6,000 tons. There are no such trains in Europe. We will never ‘rebuild’ the entire Ukraine for the European gauge — it is technically and economically impractical,” Pertsovsky concluded.

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