Due to Russian aggression, Ukraine actually lost the opportunity to use its own maritime transport infrastructure at its discretion. Even the Odesa seaport is currently blocked. The exception is only for the transportation of goods under the grain agreement. The blockade of the ports led to an increase in road and rail traffic through the western border crossings. But try to meet the needs of such a large country (and even in conditions of war) across the western border in conditions of inconsistency of Ukrainian railway tracks with European ones.
Lviv — Europe
Due to the different standards of the railway network in Ukraine and neighboring European countries, freight trains must be reloaded at border terminals. Of course, this not only lengthens the delivery time, but also significantly increases the cost of transporting goods.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal at a government meeting in May last year announced the beginning of the process of building the European railway, which will finally integrate the country into the European Union. For modernization to the standard of 1435 mm (currently, the width of the Ukrainian track is still the Soviet 1520 mm), first of all, three main directions are taken into account:
1) the border with Poland – Lviv – Kyiv;
2) Poland – Lviv – Odesa;
3) the border with Poland – Lviv – Kryvyi Rih.
However, let's not forget that there is a war going on in Ukraine, and accordingly, its economy is not ready for grandiose projects. After all, it is clear that it is not only about replacing the track, but also about replacing wagons and traction. Therefore, in our opinion, it is too early to talk about such a huge project. Instead, it is already possible (and necessary) to start reconstruction and completion of the existing border sections of the European track with the involvement of funds from European partners.
And, it would seem, they have already summoned up the courage to start the process. They began with a direct Eurorail connection (without changing wheel pairs or transfering to another train) on the Lviv-Warsaw route (via Rava-Ruska). After all, a non-stop passenger service between the town of Rava-Ruska in the Lviv region and Warsaw (330 km in total) already existed before. However, in the summer of 2005, a direct train connecting Rava-Ruska and the Polish capital departed for the last time.
Thus, the years of empty talk about the restoration of the route have come to a close. All the more so since it is a project that is predicted to yield a high revenue. It is clear that if it were not for the difference in track width, rail transportation from Poland (or other European countries) to Ukraine could be much faster, without the need to transfer passengers and transship cargo in border “dry ports.”
Finally: no transfers and changing the chassis
The Polish village of Hrebenne and Rava-Ruska lie just 9 km away from each other. The distance from Rava Ruska to Lviv is a bit longer: 50 km. An old electric train covers it in two hours.
Taking into account the tens of billions of dollars and euros of Western finance flowing into our economy, finding several tens of millions of dollars for a fantastic – from the point of view of profitability and prospects – project of renewing the already existing, but abandoned Eurotrack to Rava-Ruska and extending it to Lviv does not look like an extremely difficult task even for Ukraine as a country at war.
Accordingly, last year the matter did get off the ground. Officials finally began to act. And as of the beginning of 2023, officials of the Lviv region announced the completion of the first stage of the planned route with the repair of the station, the arrangement of the railway platform and the restoration of the Rava-Ruska-Hrebenne (Poland) customs post.
By the end of 2023, the track should reach from Rava-Ruska to the city of Lviv, connecting it with Warsaw via the European track without transfers and changing the chassis.
We will remind you that these same few kilometers of narrow gauge railway were planned literally for years before construction. However, it was not until the war broke out that the matter got attention. After all, almost a year was needed to restore 8 km of Eurotrack to the border with Poland...
The project undoubtedly has a particularly important strategic significance. Eurorail is the implementation of high-quality passenger and cargo transportation from the informal capital of Western Ukraine to the European Union. As a result, we will get an increase in passenger traffic, the simplification of movement of goods and cargo, an increase in diplomatic and business contacts and tourism and the unloading of checkpoints in the Lviv region.
Almost like an airplane
Then the Lviv-Warsaw project will be extended to Kyiv with a European 1,435 mm wide track. The construction of the Kyiv-Warsaw high-speed railway is planned for 2026–2032. In January 2023, the Ukrainian Railways signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Central Communication Port of Poland, which includes, in particular, the construction of the Warsaw-Lviv-Kyiv high-speed line (via Rava-Ruska).
At the same time, it is worth noting that the maximum speed of the train will reach 250 km/h (average — 180 km/h). There will be only three stops between the two capitals: in Zamosta, Lublin and Lviv.
After the implementation of the project, it will be possible to reach Warsaw in 4–5 hours, not from Lviv, but from Kyiv. At the same time, the new railway track will also ensure the functioning of freight transportation.
By train to Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey as early as 2024
High-speed railways are currently projects of a bright tomorrow. But the railway connection between the Bulgarian coast of the Black Sea, fantastic in terms of comfort and unbelievable in terms of affordability, and Ukraine can be launched as early as 2024. If the Ukrainian Railways make use of this free piece of advice.
What is its essence? It is common knowledge that Ukrainians were already able to get to Varna, the sea capital of Bulgaria, by rail several years ago. And Varna, as is widely known, is not far from the famous Golden Sands and Sunny Beach. For obvious reasons, however, the Belarusian train Minsk-Varna, which ran through Lviv, has fallen into oblivion.
That said, there are only 42 km of railway track between the Romanian Vadul-Siret station and Chernivtsi, which can easily be converted to a narrow one. All the more so since Romanians offered to do it at the expense of the EU back in 2018. (However, it seems that the offer was rejected by our railway executives and then forgotten.)
You can get from Lviv to Chernivtsi by train in four hours. And with the construction of the “narrow gauge” to Chernivtsi, Ukraine could get not only direct non-stop passenger connections with three countries at once – Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey – but also the much-needed cargo access to the Black Sea and Mediterranean ports.
This is another strategic project that is timely. It would help three countries to immediately enter the “treasury” of the Ukrainian Railways, with the involvement of EU funds at that.
Let’s see what the railway executives have to say.