In April 2024, the construction of the Euroline was launched, which will connect Uzhgorod with the cities of the Euro п. The project was financed on a 50/50 basis: an EU grant within the CEF (22.8 million euros) and an EIB loan for the Ukrainian part.
Flights to Bratislava, Vienna and Budapest are expected to start at the start, followed by Kosice and Prague. Lviv, Chernivtsi and Lutsk may be the next to receive a direct connection with the West. In the long term, the most significant project is the connection of Kyiv with Poland via the Euro-gauge, which will provide a direct European connection for more than a million residents of regional centers and nearby settlements.
It was announced that the launch of the railway connection from Uzhgorod via the new track will take place in July of this year. However, as the Central Railways of Ukraine knows from its own sources, the line is still "under construction". UZ commented that they are ready for the launch and stated that it will happen "soon".
The Central Railways spoke with Oleksandr Kava, Deputy Minister of Finance of Ukraine, about the details of the implementation, challenges and long-term prospects for the development of the Eurotrack.
Why did the launch of the Eurotrack become possible now? What prevented the project from being implemented earlier?
Previously, unfortunately, these were nothing more than the words of politicians, which were not supported by any real actions. Neither the feasibility study nor the design and estimate documentation were even started to be prepared after the statements. Just slides and words. In our case, a goal was set, tools and implementation mechanisms were developed - all this helped to implement the project even in such a difficult time, when the country is in a state of war. In addition, the need has increased: the number of passengers crossing the border has indeed increased significantly. It is worth noting the positive changes and more proactive position of the current railway management.
How much did this stage cost and from what sources of financing was it financed?
The first stage was completed in 2021: the state budget allocated funds for the preparation of a feasibility study in the amount of UAH 5 million, and in 2022 - UAH 7.3 million for the next stage: the preparation of design and estimate documentation, as well as the state examination of the project. The availability of design documentation allowed in 2022 to submit an application for a grant to the European Commission within the Connecting Europe Facility fund, and this application received funding under a 50:50 scheme: part of the amount - EUR 22.8 million - EU grant funds, the second - the Ukrainian component. In this case, Ukrzaliznytsia attracted loan funds from the European Investment Bank (EIB). This allowed the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, to solemnly launch the construction of the Eurotrack at the station in Uzhhorod on April 11, 2024.
What work was carried out on the Chop-Uzhhorod section to launch the Eurotrack?
A few words about the benefits of the project. Currently, Uzhgorod does not have a connection to the European railway network of the 1435 mm standard. Previously, the Euro-gauge from Chop to the Uzhgorod-2 freight station existed, but in the second half of the 90s it was dismantled. The idea was to build, or rather restore, 22 km of railway track along the previously existing route and thus connect the regional center of the Transcarpathian region, where more than 200 thousand residents currently live, to the European network at the Chop station. This would allow direct trains from Uzhgorod to Vienna, Budapest, Bratislava, Prague, Košice and Bucharest. We took advantage of the fact that the railway preserved the land plots under the dismantled tracks, as well as engineering structures, in particular the bridge over the Latoritsa River, about 260 meters long. Thus, we significantly reduced the project’s time and budget. It is worth noting that we not only restored the old road, but also brought the Euro-gauge to the station in Uzhgorod and equipped the first track at the station in the combined gauge version - wide and narrow.
What other work is planned to be done?
After the start of train traffic, we plan to begin electrification of the section with direct current at a voltage of 3 kV. This will allow electric trains and locomotives from Slovakia to enter Uzhgorod directly, since the electrification standards and the type of current on adjacent sections coincide with us. In the future, electric traction will also be available in the direction of Hungary, but given that the electrification there is 25 kV alternating current, it is necessary to additionally equip a neutral insert and use dual-system rolling stock.
Ukrzaliznytsia is able to complete the Chop-Uzhgorod electrification work within a year, but it all depends on how quickly the company purchases the necessary materials and installs the contact network.
The electrification project also received a grant of 23 million euros from the Connecting Europe Facility fund, moreover, the remaining 50% of the project cost will be financed from the state budget. Until then, diesel traction will be used on the section.
Certain difficulties arose with the restoration of a short section of the Eurogauge, 8 km long, from Uzhgorod to the Pavlovo-Matevce border crossing. This route, in synergy with the previously mentioned project, would have reduced the distance from Uzhgorod to the second largest city in Slovakia - Košice - by a quarter from 120 km to 90 km. But, unfortunately, even after receiving support from the European Commission, the Slovak side abandoned plans to allow trains from Ukraine to use the Eurogauge through the Pavlovo-Matevce railway crossing. Although on their side there is all the necessary infrastructure behind the Eurotrack, and the track approaches directly to the neutral strip on the border of the two countries.
Where will the trains from Uzhhorod go?
At the first stage, as far as I know, it is planned to launch connections with Bratislava, Vienna and Budapest. Later, flights are planned to Kosice and Prague. In the longer term, the route network may expand to Dresden and, possibly, other points in Switzerland, Germany and Austria, but European operators plan schedules for several years ahead, so they need to include rolling stock in their plans in advance.
You previously mentioned preparations for the construction of the Eurotrack in Chernivtsi, Lviv and Lutsk. At what stage are these projects?
In the short term, after Chop-Uzhgorod, it's Lviv: the European Commission has already selected a project from Mostysk to Lviv, where the Euro-gauge line now ends on the territory of Ukraine. The next project could be Chernivtsi: the feasibility study and search for design solutions are underway. Lutsk is considered a more distant stage.
What other cities or areas are being considered in the 5-10 year perspective?
Such a planning horizon, oddly enough, does not look like a distant prospect for a new railway construction. The most significant project is the Euro-gauge connection of Kyiv with Poland. The promising corridor is as follows: the border with Poland - Kovel - Lutsk - Rivne - Zhytomyr - Kyiv. Such a routing will allow the facilities to be introduced in stages and, in addition to the capital, to provide a direct European connection for more than a million residents of these regional centers and nearby settlements.
You mentioned that freight transportation is more efficient with a broad gauge. Does this mean that the Euro-gauge in Ukraine will be used only for passenger transport?
For domestic transportation, we remain on the broad gauge. Even between Ukraine and Poland, as well as Slovakia, freight mostly travels on the broad gauge. In Poland, the 1520 mm standard line goes 395 km deep to the suburbs of Katowice - this is the LHS line, and in Slovakia - to the suburbs of Košice with a total length of 80 km. On the other hand, to develop freight traffic, infrastructure must first be created, not vice versa. Therefore, freight traffic will also appear on the Chop-Uzhhorod section in the future. The presence of the Euro-gauge in Uzhhorod opens up the possibility of creating a freight fleet of the European gauge and building access roads to enterprises focused on the EU market.
Under what conditions will the Euro-gauge be effective for freight as well? Do you already see interest from businesses and operators in using this route?
When the freight fleet and access roads appear, there will be no need for additional cargo handling, which will immediately reduce business costs. I do not exclude that Uzhhorod manufacturers will want to lay the Euro-gauge directly to their workshops: the presence of the track already in the city makes such an access road fast and inexpensive.
How will the launch of the Euro-gauge affect the speed of transportation, cargo volumes and passenger traffic?
Currently, we are planning a speed of about 100 km/h on the Chop-Uzhhorod section, the project provides for 140 km/h. After electrification, the speed will be higher. But the main thing is saving time and the possibility of direct connections with European cities.