The Odesa Regional Military Administration, together with Ukrainian and Moldovan border guards, customs officers and representatives of the EUBAM mission, continues preparations for the launch of the first Odesa-Chisinau air shuttle, said Oleh Kiper, head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration.
“This should speed up the passage of Ukrainians traveling to Chisinau International Airport and relieve the border crossing points (primarily in the area of the Mayaky-Palanka-Udobne checkpoint). Organized transportation of passengers will also reduce the load on the region’s roads by cars and improve the level of service for the population in the field of international transportation,” Kiper wrote in his telegram channel.
He noted that the transfer will be carried out in several stages: passenger registration in the electronic system with a copy of the plane ticket departing from Chisinau, the formation of passenger groups 2-3 days before the departure of flights, after which buses with pre-registered passengers will depart from Odesa. Passengers of the air transfer will undergo customs and border procedures in an expedited mode.
The total planned travel time is 4 hours.
“We will do everything to launch the first buses in the near future,” added Kiper.
A study of the prospects for EU rail links with Ukraine and Moldova provides a basis for launching a project to use European gauge railway gauges on key lines, the European Commission (EC) has said.
The study was published on Tuesday by the European Commission and the European Investment Bank (EIB).
“The construction of the first European rail gauge in Ukraine and Moldova, which will connect their railroads with Poland and Romania, will bring these countries closer to the EU single market. With this study, we are laying the groundwork for long-term solutions, supporting Ukraine in its trade and recovery,” said Adina Velian, EC Member for Transport.
The conformity of the railroad lines of Ukraine and Moldova to the European standard of gauge, she said, will also improve conditions for citizens of these countries to travel to Europe.
The study suggests that the European gauge on the lines to Lviv and Chisinau should be implemented “as a first step to improve communication between Poland and Ukraine, as well as between Romania and Moldova”.
The study also assesses how the new European standard gauge lines will interact with the rest of the rail network in these countries, where broad gauge will continue to be used, the EC communiqué said.
