photo: Archives/Ukrainian Railways calls for the construction of terminals in western territories for rail connections to Europe
Ukrzaliznytsia (Ukrainian Railways) offers its railroad infrastructure to boost traffic to central Europe and the west. It is asking private companies to invest in building new terminals in the country's western territories.
Oleksandr Kamyshin, Ukrainian Railways board chairman, said, "In peacetime, the railway was the main artery of the economy. During the war, we became a pillar of security. Therefore, we need to build infrastructure for the exports and imports development across the western borders". The chairman states that the railroad has been and will remain to be the most reliable mode of transportation after the war is over.
"Together with the Ministry of Economy, we offer private businesses to build terminals at the junctions with Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania. We will provide the main thing – railway infrastructure. The local authorities, which already support this initiative, will help do the rest," he added.
It seems that Ukrazaliznytsia has already clearly decided on the strategy it will follow after the war. Given that new terminals have already begun to be created on the western border, with increased investment, rail freight will become a leading player in the supply chain.
For example, the Container Terminal Mostyska was a significant development in the Lviv region near the Polish border. It was supposed to start operating in April 2022, but the developments were temporarily frozen due to Russia's attack on Ukraine. Nevertheless, the potential of these developments remains strong, and it is only a matter of time before Ukraine succeeds in facilitating rail freight traffic to and from its western neighbors.