Ukrzaliznytsia plans to start restoring international passenger traffic in June, according to a message posted on the company’s website on Thursday.
According to it, in particular, preliminary agreements have already been reached on the resumption of railway communication with Austria and Hungary. In addition, negotiations are underway with PKP Intercity and the Polish railway to restore high-speed communication between the countries.
“Now in Ukraine and neighboring countries, there is a stabilization of the situation with the spread of coronavirus infection. This allows negotiations with the railway administrations of neighboring countries to restore international routes. Last week, we examined the readiness of infrastructure in the west of the country, bordering on European countries. There we started a number of projects. Therefore, I can say with confidence that Ukrzaliznytsia is ready to restore these transportations,” the press service quoted acting head of the company Ivan Yuryk as saying.
According to the company, Ukrzaliznytsia has already received approval for the running of Kyiv-Vienna direct cars since June. In addition, there are plans to restore trains running on the Chop – Zahony (Hungary) route. The message states that after the restoration of international passenger traffic, passengers will also be able to purchase tickets to Belarus and back online.
At the same time, Yuryk stressed that control over compliance with anti-epidemiological measures will be strengthened on international routes.
Investment projects in the framework of Trans-European Transport Network TEN-T investment plan include construction projects in the Eastern Partnership countries, including 4,800 km of roads and railways, six ports and 11 logistic centers in Ukraine, the press service of Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze has reported.
Klympush-Tsintsadze at a meeting with Director-General of the European Commission on Mobility and Transport Henrik Hololei said that projects implementation in the framework of Trans-European Transport Network TEN-T investment plan is among government priorities, which includes Eastern Partnership countries. All projects stated in the plan require nearly EUR 13 billion of investment.
“All projects stated in the plan require nearly 13 billion euros of investment. It is planned to build 4,800 kilometers of roads and railways, 6 ports and 11 logistics centers for these funds,” the mission said.
Klympush-Tsintsadze also said that Ukraine is also counting on EU support, as well as on the timely signing of the Common Aviation Area Agreement, which will give impetus to the development of Ukrainian aviation industry, as it will increase the number of flights and passenger traffic.
France’s Alstom, the producer of rolling stock and infrastructure solutions, is interested in cooperation with public joint-stock company Ukrzaliznytsia, Managing Director for Western and Central Asia at Alstom Bernard Peille said during the presentation of the first freight electric locomotive for Azerbaijan Railways in Astana (Kazakhstan), an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent has reported.
“We recently held talks with Ukrzaliznytsia. According to them, they will need about 210 locomotives of four different types in the next five years. Basically, as we know, they are freight locomotives. We are ready to do this, but everything depends on financing, as well as on what percentage of localization is required,” he told Interfax-Ukraine.
Peille also said that Alstom is actively seeking various options for financing supplies of traction to the Ukrainian railways.
Prima T8 AZ8A freight electric locomotive presented in Astana on Wednesday is made under a contract signed by the company and Azerbaijan Railways for supply of 50 locomotives, including Prima M4 AZ4A passenger locomotives.
General Electric Transportation with 10% participation of Kriukov Car Building Works (KCBW) at the end of 2018 will start delivering 30 TE33A locomotives of Evolution series to Ukrzaliznytsia in line with the earlier approved program of localization of locomotive production in Ukraine, acting Ukrzaliznytsia Board Chairman Yevhen Kravtsov wrote on his Facebook page on Tuesday. “Ukrzaliznytsia jointly with GE Transportation gives green light to the program of localization of locomotive production in Ukraine. Personally for me this is a large victory and the landmark for Ukrainian railways and the entire sector. Localization at the initial stages was the key principal moment during the negotiations with GE. I can say that neither in India nor in Kazakhstan the similar contract does not envisages the localization from the first sample. First TE33A locomotives of the Evolution series will be made with participation of KCBW,” he said.
Kravtsov said that for the first locomotives the Ukrainian contract provides for 10% of localization. Later the locomotives will be consisted of at least 40% of Ukrainian spare parts.
“Now General Electric is selecting the production facilities among Ukrainian enterprises. We also plan to create a center for servicing and modernizing the operating locomotive fleet,” Kravtsov wrote.
He said that a batch of locomotives, which General Electric will deliver in cooperation with KCBW is the largest one during Ukraine’s independence. “The final stage of locomotive production for Ukrzaliznytsia has started in Pennsylvania. At the end of 2018 we would receive first diesel locomotives adapted to our climate, environment-friendly, effective in servicing, comfortable and safe for locomotive crews,” Kravtsov said.
