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Ukrainian Railways (Ukrzaliznytsia), Ukraine’s state-owned rail company, has been the backbone of the country’s economy since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
The rail service has been evacuating millions of people from the frontline regions, delivering goods to all corners of the country, and exporting grain abroad to help sustain global food security.
“At the time when everything stopped, when the airlines halted flights to Ukraine, Ukrainian Railways remained the key lifeline, not just for passenger movement, but also for cargo and our economy," recalls Oleksandr Pertsovsky, CEO of Ukrainian Railways.
But with constant attacks on critical infrastructure, Ukrainian Railways endures daily strikes, leaving the railway network repeatedly damaged. At least 126 railway stations and over 500 km of tracks have been damaged as of November 2024.
Restoring and increasing carrying capacity is vital to ensure essential goods reach both communities and businesses.
Through its Repairing Essential Logistics Infrastructure and Network Connectivity (RELINC) project, the World Bank and partners are helping to restore critical rail and road connections, as well Ukraine’s Danube ports operations. RELINC is financed by a $280 million grant from the Ukraine Relief, Recovery, Reconstruction and Reform Trust Fund (URTF).
Emergency Repairs
Through RELINC, Ukrainian Railways procured 18 sets of modular bridges and close to 90 pieces of equipment, including loaders, excavators, heavy-duty truck cranes, dump trucks, drilling rigs, truck-mounted concrete pumps, and other tools needed to repair and maintain the railway infrastructure. This equipment was used to restore 17 destroyed railway bridges and repair more than 80 engineering structures, reconnecting communities that were cut off during the invasion. It was delivered through the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS).
With this equipment, Ukrainian Railways was able to restore train service between regions and within liberated territories, which previously had been cut off. It has allowed the company to restore damaged tracks and engineering structures three times faster and carry out this work without relying on contractors.
"The use of the equipment has yielded results. In fact, we can say that a significant part of the work would have been more complicated or virtually impossible without this equipment,” says Ihor Yavnyi, Ukrainian Railways Deputy Head of Department of Tracks and Constructions. “The staff are extremely satisfied. It’s a completely different experience working with modern excavators compared to those from the 1980s. This equipment not only improves working conditions but also boosts motivation among the team."
“Given the constraints of sea transportation, the primary goal of flatbed wagons is to help boost the country's export capacity. By using flatbed wagons for container transport, we can export goods, particularly grain, to other countries via European border crossings. Conversely, we can also receive humanitarian aid and other essential supplies,” highlights Yurii Niemchykov, director of the Ukrainian Railways corporate finance department.
The delivery of flatbed wagons to transport cargo containers will enhance the freight capacity of Ukrainian Railways, enabling the country to better meet the demands of its economy.
00:00 At the times when everything stopped,
00:01 the airlines are not flying to Ukraine,
00:03 Ukrainian railways remains the key lifeline,
00:06 not just for the passenger movements,
00:08 but also for the cargo,
00:09 for our economy.
00:11 And rein is something that allows
00:13 to sustain this lifeline.
00:15 For example,
00:15 the equipment that was purchased 89
00:18 different pieces of equipment
00:20 allows us to rebuild and repair.
00:22 We have tens of bridges destroyed,
00:24 and this equipment helps to rebuild those.
00:26 We have tens of kilometers of our track being
00:29 attacked by the enemy,
00:30 and this equipment
00:31 allows us to react swiftly and to repair
00:36 those rail connections.
00:38 Also using this equipment via.
00:40 Opening new opportunities,
00:42 namely we are right now building tracks,
00:45 European tracks already 1435 European standard
00:48 gauge we built from the western border to the city of Ugorod.
00:52 So this is something that in the mid 2025 we will be able to open,
00:56 and this is something that will connect
00:58 the regional center of Ugorod with the rest of Europe,
01:01 something that was never the case for Ukraine.
01:03 So we are
01:03 using war not as an excuse.
01:05 We are using war as
01:07 something that can open up new opportunities.
Building Bridges with Europe
The Ukrainian government seeks to transform the railway infrastructure in the western part of the country and adapt it to European standards—replacing the 1520-mm broad-gauge track commonly used throughout the countries of the former Soviet Union.
Ukraine has begun construction of a 1435-mm European railway gauge from Chop, a town along the western border, to Uzhhorod. The opening of a 22-kilometer European-standard railway is planned for mid-2025.
“This will connect the regional center of Uzhhorod with the rest of Europe, which has never happened in Ukraine. We are using the war as something that can open up new opportunities,” says Pertsovsky.
Adapting the European railway gauge is expected to increase the capacity of railway lines to the EU and allow local logistical hubs to gain a substantial portion of the added value from rail trans-shipment operations. Accelerating the modernization of Ukraine's railway connections is essential considering the prospect of EU membership.
"It will show businesses across Europe and worldwide that Ukraine is open for business. There are opportunities. There are reasons to adapt their products for the Ukrainian market,” emphasizes Pertsovsky. “This is important for investors' confidence, for the future, for the new economy of Ukraine."
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