Business news from Ukraine

“Ukrzaliznytsia” has increased container transportation by 34%

In 2023, Ukrzaliznytsia (UZ) transported 201.26 thousand twenty-foot equivalent containers (TEUs), up 34% from 2022 and in line with the figures for 2019 before the war, Valery Tkachev, deputy director of the company’s commercial department, said on Wednesday at a meeting on the development of intermodal transportation.

According to him, before Russia’s full-scale invasion, UZ’s container transportation had been growing by 11-22% for four years, including 14% in 2021, but after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, it fell by 46% to 150 thousand TEUs.

“If in 2021 we already reached 279,792 thousand TEU, in 2022 we fell to 150 thousand TEU, that is, 46%,” Tkachev emphasized.

He noted that the rapid recovery of container transportation in 2023 was due to the blocking of Ukrainian seaports.

“If you look at the traffic, 62% of all container transportation is export, 19% is domestic transportation, and 19% is import,” he described the market.

The UZ representative added that grain is the most popular containerized cargo, accounting for 49%. Ferrous metals are in second place (17%), followed by oil cake (14%) and oil (10%).

Tkachev emphasized that the 2023 figures, although positive, are significantly lower than those set out in the development strategy of Ukrzaliznytsia, which provided for the transportation of more than 1 million TEUs per year.

He reminded that in March 2023, UZ launched the intermodal train service, and almost 200 trains were sent.

At the same time, the deputy director of the commercial work department noted that after testing the counter-rail transportation to Poland in December 2023, problems with tariffication arose.

“We are still receiving invoices from the Polish side. There was an agreement on a comprehensive rate, but for some reason the Polish colleagues continue to adjust it, so we are now working with the Polish side to get a single comprehensive rate for this service, and then we will be able to work more rhythmically and transport container trains,” added Tkachev.

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“Ukrzaliznytsia” reached average daily load of 99.5 thousand tons of grain

Over 10 days in January, Ukrzaliznytsia JSC (UZ) reached an average daily load of 99.5 thousand tons, which is 37.3% more than in December, said Valery Tkachev, deputy director of UZ’s Commercial Department, at a meeting with agricultural market participants on Thursday.

“I hope that these figures will be maintained, and this will allow us to transport more than 3 million tons of grain per month,” Tkachev said.

He specified that on January 1, UZ loaded 24 thousand tons of grain, on January 2 – 63 thousand tons, but starting from January 3, this figure reached 105-123 thousand tons per day.

According to him, the share of grain cargo in the total network load is growing and has already reached 26%.

According to Mr. Tkachev, over 10 days of January, UZ transported 991.3 thousand tons of grain cargo in export traffic, including 196.9 thousand tons towards the western borders and 794.4 thousand tons towards the ports of Greater Odesa.

He noted that Chornomorsk became the leader among the ports with 257.2 thousand tons, followed by Odesa with 249.1 thousand tons and TIS in Pivdennyi with 93.4 thousand tons.

At the same time, according to Tkachev, on the western border, Yagodyn received the most grain cargo – 41.8 thousand tons of grain, followed by Vadul Siret with 36.2 thousand tons and Chop with 33.1 thousand tons.

Mr. Tkachev noted that Poland averages 85.6 railcars per day, including 51 railcars through the Yagodyn-Dorogusk crossing, 23.7 railcars through Mostyska-Medyka, and 11 railcars through Izov-Khrubeshuv.

“Over the past week, the average daily rate of railcar transfer at the Polish border increased by 10 cars per day, which is an increase of more than 13%,” Tkachev added.

According to him, Romania receives about 100 railcars with grain daily, and over the past week this figure has deteriorated by 14 w/d, or 12.3%. The Vadul-Siret crossing is followed by 66.2 v/d, Dyakove – 2.5 v/d and Reni – 31 v/d.

He clarified that Hungary averages 45.5 cars per day, and over the past week the figure has improved by 4.5 v/d, or 11%, while Slovakia – 59.3 v/d with an increase of 5.6 v/d, or 10.5% over the past week.

Tkachev emphasized that if we take oilcake and grain, the average daily transfer across all crossings is 385 v/d. Over the past week, this figure has increased by 15 vdpd, or 4%.

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On December 29, Ukrzaliznytsia will launch additional run of Lviv-Rakhiv train

On December 29, Ukrzaliznytsia JSC (UZ) will launch an additional run of train No. 816 Lviv-Rakhiv, the UZ press service said on Friday evening.

“We are strengthening the peak transportation day on December 29 with the flight of the regional train No. 816 Lviv – Rakhiv! The train will be useful not only for residents of Lviv, but with a transfer at Lviv station – for passengers from Kyiv, Kharkiv, Poltava, Zaporizhzhia and other cities,” the message posted on UZ’s Telegram channel reads.

The company specifies that train No. 816 will depart from Lviv on December 29 at 15:22, Ivano-Frankivsk at 17:39 – 17:43, Yaremche at 19:10 – 19:14, Tatariv-Bukovel at 19:39 – 19:41, Vorokhta at 19:52 – 19:56, Yasinia at 20:34 – 20:36, Kvasy at 20:59 – 21:01, arriving in Rakhiv at 21:19. The train will also stop at the stations Khodoriv, Burshtyn, Halych, Delyatyn, Mykulychyn, Voronenko, Lazeshchyna, Svydovets, and Bilyn.

It is also reported that in Lviv, this train can be transferred from trains #79 Dnipro (22:06) – Kyiv (05:42 – 06:10) – Lviv (12:59), #86 Zaporizhzhia (18:48) – Lviv (14:15) and #63 Kharkiv (22:38) – Kyiv (05:35 – 06:35) – Lviv (13:39).

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Railway section near Medyka in Poland is open for traffic

Movement of trains on the railway station Medyka (Peremyshl direction), stopped due to the derailment of a freight train in Poland, resumed, reports the press service of “Ukrzaliznytsia”.

“The section near Medyka (Poland) is open for traffic, the train №74 “Peremyshl – Kharkiv” has just departed with a delay of 4 hours 30 minutes. Passengers of flight No. 31 “Zaporizhzhya – Peremyshl” are already waiting for buses for transfer to Krakow,” Ukrzaliznytsia’s Telegram channel said on Wednesday evening.

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Ukrzaliznytsia will launch analog of City Express in Dnipro

Starting December 20, Ukrzaliznytsia JSC (UZ) will launch an analog of Kyiv City Express in Dnipro. Dnipro City Express will connect the city with the suburbs and satellite cities, the company’s press service reports.

“Ukrzaliznytsia is launching a new urban mobility project in another region. The Dnipro City Express system will be launched in Dnipro on December 20 this year,” the statement said.

It is noted that at the first stage, Dnipro City Express will run on the Dnipro-Kamianske route and will stop at Horyainove, Diivka, Sukhachivka, and Zaporizhzhia-Kamianske stations.

Trains will depart from Dnipro at 5:14 (except weekends), 6:20, 10:00, 11:30 (except weekends), 15:40, 17:10 (except weekends), 19:10. Trains will depart back from Kamianske at 6:14 (except weekends), 9:00, 11:26, 12:42 (except weekends), 16:41, 19:12 (except weekends), 20:14.

The travel time in both directions from the initial to the final station will be approximately 40 minutes, and the cost will be from 12 to 18 UAH.

UZ reported that the updated and modern rolling stock will be used for trips on the route: electric trains of the EPL2T series, restored at the facilities of Ukrzaliznytsia, will run on the route.

The trains will be equipped with ramps, seats for people with disabilities and inclusive restrooms, Braille navigation, bicycle racks, and Type-C and USB ports for charging gadgets.

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“Ukrzaliznytsia has built first grain carrier adapted for transportation both on Ukrainian gauge and Euro gauge

JSC “Ukrzaliznytsia” (UZ) has built at its own facilities a grain carrier adapted for transportation both on the Ukrainian gauge of 1520 mm and on the Euro gauge of 1435 mm, the company reported on Friday.

“For the first time in the history of Ukraine made a grain carrier at the production facilities of “Ukrzaliznytsia”, maximally adapted for transportation of cargoes on the territory of Ukraine and the gauge 1435 mm of the European Union countries,” – the release quotes the words of the head of the board of directors of UZ Evgeny Lyashchenko.

According to him, Ukrzaliznytsia plans to launch serial production of such cars.

According to the UZ release, the new development is a hopper car of model 19-8005-U, designed for transportation of grain and other bulk food cargoes. Its load capacity is 70 tons, body volume 104 cubic meters, 02-VM gauge, five loading and six unloading hatches, design speed of 120 km/h.

UZ noted that the use of the new car will reduce the cost of logistics and simplify the procedure for approval of international rail transportation, as it meets the requirements applicable to the infrastructure of EU countries.

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