The European standard railway line on the Chop – Uzhhorod route (Zakarpattia region) is in the final stages of construction. It is planned to be put into operation in July, which will allow direct passenger transportation from Uzhhorod to European cities such as Budapest, Košice, Vienna, and Bratislava.
This is reported by Finway
Plans for the expansion of the European railway to western Ukraine
According to Deputy Minister of Finance Oleksandr Kava, preparations are currently underway for the construction of the European railway in Chernivtsi and Lviv. After these projects are completed, the next city to potentially receive the European railway will be Lutsk. This will significantly improve Ukraine’s railway connections with European Union countries over the next four to five years.
“That is, passenger trains will already run directly from Uzhhorod to Budapest, Košice, Vienna, and Bratislava,” he added.
Economic feasibility and logistical prospects
Oleksandr Kava emphasized that a complete replacement of railway tracks across Ukraine is economically unfeasible. In particular, he cited Finland, which, after joining the EU, did not switch to the European standard gauge, maintaining a width identical to that of Ukraine. According to him, the wider gauge has significant advantages for freight transportation: Ukrainian trains can carry 5,000–6,000 tons of cargo, while in the EU this figure is about 2,000 tons, and the wagons are larger in size.
For integration with the European transport network, a promising direction is the containerization of freight transportation and the creation of a network of modern container terminals at Ukraine’s western borders, which will optimize logistics and enhance cooperation with EU countries.