KYIV. March 29 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukrzaliznytsia (UZ) has made the procedure for delivering humanitarian aid in passenger trains more clear, 50 wagons in 32 trains have been allocated for this.
As UZ reported on its Facebook page, on certain routes these wagons will be specially meant for the delivery of humanitarian cargo.
“This will make it possible to clearly separate the humanitarian mission of Ukrzaliznytsia from our direct work: the transportation of passengers and cargo, and will also provide additional security for humanitarian cargo,” the message says.
Since the beginning of the war, Ukrzaliznytsia has transported more than 7,800 tonnes of humanitarian cargo in passenger cars and sent 1,670 cargo cars with humanitarian aid throughout the country. Most of all – to Kyiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhia and Odesa.
Since the beginning of hostilities in Ukraine, Ukrzaliznytsia has evacuated more than 2 million people, Deputy Head of the President’s Office Kyrylo Tymoshenko said live on the information marathon.
“This is really a big figure, and many thanks to Ukrzaliznytsia, which carries people to safe regions,” he said.
According to Tymoshenko, about 150,000 more people were taken by buses from the cities where the most active hostilities are taking place.
“This applies to Luhansk region, Donetsk region, Sumy region, Kyiv and Zaporizhia regions. For all the time, 26 humanitarian corridors have been worked out,” he specified.
Separately, Tymoshenko dwelled on the issue of evacuation from Mariupol.
“We have been trying to get to Mariupol for the fourth day already – now a humanitarian convoy is standing 60 km from the city, but they are not letting it through,” he said, adding that on Monday, March 14, it was possible to ensure that people were able to leave at least in private cars.
Those who managed to evacuate from Mariupol were accepted in Zaporizhia region.
JSC Ukrzaliznytsia, taking into account the material losses inflicted on Ukraine by the Russian Federation and Belarus, will not return their freight cars to Russian and Belarusian owners, Deputy Director of the Department of Commercial Work of Ukrzaliznytsia Valeriy Tkachev said on his Facebook page on Thursday night.
According to him, over the past 24 hours, the owners of Belarusian and Russian railcars began to contact the Center for Transport Logistics of Ukrzaliznytsia with demands for redirection and return of their rolling stock, which is now in Ukraine.
“Looking at the material damage caused to Ukraine – the aggressor country (Russia) and its ally (Republic of Belarus); and most importantly, given the thousands of innocent victims killed by the invaders… all rolling stock, cargo and other things will not be returned to the occupying countries!” Tkachev said.
Ukrzaliznytsia will take humanitarian cargo to its warehouse in Lviv for further shipment by rail to Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhia and Odesa.
“The priority types of cargo are medicines, hygiene products, long-term storage food, clothing, bottled water, baby products [food, diapers, etc.], sleeping bags and mats,” Ukrzaliznytsia said on the Telegram channel.
The company asks to provide goods in whole packages, preferably on pallets.
Cargoes are accepted at the address: Lviv, 2 Shyroka Street.
JSC Ukrzaliznytsia received UAH 21 million in net profit in January 2022 versus a loss of UAH 693 million in January 2021, Oleksandr Kamyshin, head of the company’s board, said on his Telegram channel on Monday.
According to him, revenue increased by 63%, to UAH 9.3 billion (versus UAH 5.7 billion in January 2021). EBITDA increased five times to UAH 2.6 billion (January 2021 – UAH 506 million).
“This is despite the fact that now we have received UAH 1.8 billion exchange loss, and last year there was UAH 117 million exchange income,” he said.
As reported, JSC Ukrzaliznytsia received UAH 457 million in net profit in 2021 versus a loss of UAH 11.9 billion a year earlier.
The World Bank may provide the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine with financing in the amount of $250 million for the modernization of the railway.
According to a report on the bank’s website, the project is intended to increase the efficiency and financial stability of JSC Ukrzaliznytsia.
Financing of the project may begin in FY2022, which ends on June 30 at the World Bank.
In addition, according to a posting on the bank’s website, it may also provide Ukraine with $400 million in financing for the Road Safety Facility.
The purpose of this project, as noted in the report, is to support the implementation of the Vision Zero concept in Ukraine (an international program to improve road safety and reduce mortality in road traffic accidents).
Financing of the project may begin in FY2023, which starts at the World Bank on July 1, 2022.
