As part of its integration into the EU, Ukraine intends to change its railway system to meet European standards. Find out what they want to change and how it may affect rail transport

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The Ukrainian railway will operate according to EU standards. These changes will begin after the law is passed. This was stated by the government's representative in the Verkhovna Rada, Taras Melnychuk. 

What does this mean?

The draft law on the functioning of the railway transportation market was approved at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers on 18 October. 

This draft law provides for the following

- introduce a new model of the railway transportation market in line with European standards;

- define the basic requirements, obligations and rights of infrastructure operators, carriers, and requirements for rolling stock

- to establish the principle of equal access to infrastructure services for all market participants;

- create a safety management system in accordance with EU legislation to improve the level of transport safety;

- establish the legal framework for technical regulation and approval of railway transport for operation;

- introduce a European approach to rolling stock maintenance and responsibility for its condition;

- create training centres for the training, retraining and advanced training of drivers.

It should be noted that the European Union has previously initiated a project to create a railway corridor connecting European countries. According to this concept, it will stretch from southern Spain to Lviv in Ukraine. This corridor will cover the Mediterranean region and will be the first route to cover continental distances. 

By the way, Ukrainians can now travel to Europe by train. There are a number of international flights from Ukraine, tickets for which can be purchased through the booking system on the Visit Ukraine portal.

After that, Ukrzaliznytsia began construction of the Chop-Uzhhorod European railway, one of the projects of the strategic railway infrastructure development programme for Ukraine's integration into the EU.

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How can this affect passengers?

The railway in the EU is a combination of individual national railways and EuroCity (EC) and InterCity (IC) trains that are not tied to any particular company. Thus, there is no monopoly in the European Union, and thus there are different carrier companies.

Just like in Ukraine, there are fast and superfast trains, as well as regional and suburban trains. However, unlike the European railway, the Ukrainian railway has the majority of trains with sleeping cars (reserved seats, compartments, suites, and SV). 

It is likely that EU standards require that most of the trains will be switched to high-speed trains.

Why does Ukraine need changes in the railway?

First of all, the changes are important for Ukraine's integration into the European Union.

It should be remembered that the difference between Ukrainian and European railway gauges is 8.5 centimetres wide. In EU countries, the width between railway tracks is 1435 mm, while in Ukraine it is 1520 mm. To deliver cargo by rail to a destination in Germany, for example, from Ukraine, it is necessary to transfer the cargo from a carriage designed for Ukrainian gauge to a carriage running on European gauge at a logistics centre near the border. 

The same principle applies to passenger transport.

The changes, including the gauge, will allow Ukraine to unite its railway with European countries, which will speed up the movement of people and the delivery of goods.

By the way, if you are planning a trip to or from Ukraine, we recommend taking out an insurance policy to avoid unforeseen medical expenses. At the same time, we advise you to take out insurance with military risks when travelling to the country. 

We remind you! Ukrainian trains are launching the Internet for passengers. Find out which flights will be equipped with Wi-Fi systems, who will be able to use it, and whether it will be free here.

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