UKRAINE’s reconstruction of its war-torn railways will get a helping hand from Korea, Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport (Molit) has announced.
On November 20, at the start of a three-day visit to Ukraine, a delegation from Molit, Korail, and Korean National Railway (KNR) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Ukrainian Railways (UZ) to assist with seven reconstruction projects. The One Team Korea delegation also toured damaged lines and facilities in and around Kyiv to survey possible further needs.
While full details have not been disclosed, the projects under the MoU include a new high-speed railway to link Ukraine with Poland, increasing capacity of the existing line between Odesa, Izmail, and Reni in the southwest, and building a new railway traffic control centre.
They are also said to include joint training for high-speed railway operation and fleet maintenance personnel, rolling stock maintenance, and the construction of a rolling stock repair facility base, according to the Korean news agency Yonhap. KNR will undertake preliminary studies for construction, while Korail will assist with operation and maintenance. In addition, Korea’s Hyundai-Rotem will build and maintain the rolling stock required, as well as the maintenance facility in Ukraine.
No financial details concerning the plans have been disclosed.
There are currently no publicly available figures by which to fully assess the total damage to the Ukrainian railway network following the Russian invasion. However, in UZ’s 2024 budget, Hryvnia 38bn ($US 1.05bn) has been allocated to repairing war damage and build new links with neighbouring countries in the European Union. This work will be funded by UZ. As a result, UZ has announced a 20% increase in freight ratesat the end of this year, which has been met with dismay by shippers.
