By the end of this year, the first Eurotrack from Lviv to the border in Rava-Ruska should be built.

This was reported by the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita on March 3 with reference to the representative of Ukrzaliznytsia , reports Promyslovy Portal with reference to ZAXID.net .

“Ukrzaliznytsia” plans to build several railway tracks according to the European standard.

It is noted that in Ukraine about 40% of goods are transported by rail, while in Poland this share is only 10%. However, due to the difference in track width between Ukraine and the countries of the European Union and the blockade of ports, queues of trucks with goods for export at the border with Poland and Romania reach 20 km.

Therefore, in order to increase the number of railway transportation, Ukraine began to build the first section of the Eurotrack from Rava-Ruska and Grebenny. This will connect Ukraine with Warsaw by a direct railway line.

“By the end of 2023, we will extend this section to Lviv along the existing broad track. In the future, this will create the possibility of running direct trains from Warsaw to Lviv, without transfers and chassis changes,” Volodymyr Shemaev, director of the international projects office of Ukrzaliznytsia, told the publication.

However, Rzeczpospolita notes , from the point of view of freight transportation, the more important projects for other countries are the construction of a branch from Medyka to Lviv and from Dorohusk through Yagodyn to Kovel. In this way, the standard Eurotrack will go several tens of kilometers deep into Ukraine and connect the European railway system with important railway hubs and cargo transshipment points.

“These areas are the most important for us, and we will not delay their construction. We are finalizing negotiations with international financial organizations regarding funds for these investments,” Volodymyr Shemaev reports.

There are also plans to build another branch – a line for high-speed trains from Kraków through Medyka and Lviv to Ivano-Frankivsk. Potentially, this route can be extended through the territories of Romania and Moldova to the Odesa port.

“By May 2023, we want to prepare the technical and economic justification of this project. This line may be important not only for civilian reasons but also for military reasons, and this will increase the chances of its funding. At least we receive such signals from the European Commission,” added the Ukrzaliznytsia official.

Currently, “Ukrzaliznytsia” has already concluded an agreement with the Polish Central Communication Port on the development of a technical and economic feasibility study for the Warsaw-Lviv high-speed railway. This project will be implemented separately from the previously announced branch to Rava Ruska. There are also plans to build a high-speed line between Warsaw and Kyiv.

Volodymyr Shemaev added that the new lines will not replace the old ones, they will be built next to the existing ones. After the war, he says, rail travel could compete with airplanes.

According to the president of the Pro Kolej association Jakub Majewski, the plans of Ukrzaliznytsia may also be beneficial for the Polish economy, primarily due to the improvement of cargo flow through the currently congested border.

“This is also an opportunity for Polish railway carriers, who will be able to enter Ukraine with their own rolling stock. Polish companies will also be able to invest in intermodal terminals in Ukraine,” predicts Jakub Majewski.

We will remind you that the construction of the Eurotrack from Lviv to the Polish border has been talked about for several years. In August 2022, the project for the construction of the Eurotrack was presented, the total cost of this project is about UAH 100 million.

(C)NATIONAL INDUSTRIAL PORTAL 2023