The European Union is preparing a preliminary feasibility study for the construction of the Eurotrack in Ukraine and Moldova. This was announced by Deputy Director of the Investment Department of Ukrzaliznytsia Volodymyr Shemaev.

At the end of May, the government of Ukraine confirmed plans for the phased construction of European railway lines to connect the Ukrainian railway with the EU – one of the largest infrastructure projects on the way to Ukraine’s entry into the EU . According to the plan, several main hubs and large cities will be connected first, and then the Eurotracks will be gradually expanded throughout the country.

The development of the feasibility study was entrusted to the technical advisory service JASPERS of the European Investment Bank – the process is also monitored by the European Commission’s director for mobility and transport. The deadline for completing the work is May 1, 2023 .

In Ukraine, 1520 mm gauges are used. The European standard gauge of 1435 mm will connect the national railway network with Poland, Romania, Moldova and other countries. This will greatly simplify everything, because now on the border with the EU it is necessary to rearrange from wide to narrow wheelset, which in turn imposes restrictions on the volume and time of transportation – it is for this reason that Ukrzaliznytsia is not yet able to fully satisfy the demand for the Kiev train –Warsaw, therefore forced to sell tickets exclusively online .

In fact, even before the war, Ukraine planned to build a European standard gauge of 1435 mm in four sections: Kyiv-Lviv-state border; Kyiv-Odessa; Kyiv-Kharkov; Kyiv-Dnepr-Zaporozhye. At the same time, a full-scale Russian invasion forced the government to speed up the transition.

At the end of July, the Kryukov Carriage Works produced the first cars for the European track with a width of 1435 mm – mass production is planned to be launched from the first quarter of 2023.