UKRAINE: A further step towards the technical harmonisation of the railway systems of Ukraine and the European Union has been taken with the signing of an administrative arrangement by the Ministry of Communities, Territories & Infrastructure Development and the EU Agency for Railways.
ERA will provide expertise to support Ukraine in becoming part of the Single European Railway Area, with structured exchanges on topics including safety, interoperability and train driving legislation. A steering committee will set priorities in support of the overall objectives.
‘The development of the Ukrainian railway is one of the prerequisites for full-fledged transport integration into the EU’, Deputy Minister Serhiy Derkach said on August 8. ‘We have several challenges in this regard, but with the support of ERA, we will be able to work together to adapt the Ukrainian railway to European standards, both physically and in terms of regulations.’
ERA Executive Director Josef Doppelbauer said ERA has provided support on strategic topics, including development of the Solidarity Lanes to ensure transport continuity following Russia’s full scale invasion; transposing EU legislation; technical harmonisation; reconstruction; and TEN-T projects.
‘The wartime efforts of the Ukrainian railway sector are nothing but heroic, and an inspiration to us all’, he said, adding ’we have a lot to learn from our Ukrainian friends when it comes to modal split of freight, as they are putting more than 50% of their overall transport volume on rail’.
