According to the ministry, the nine-car PLT200s have been successfully tested at up to 200km/h on the Kiev – Lvov line, and an order for production trains is expected to be placed soon.

Ukraine's prime minister Mr Mykola Azarov said at a press conference that the PLT200 will give UZ an alternative to acquiring more Hyundai-Rotem inter-city emus, which have suffered poor reliability during recent cold weather.

The Ukranian government has pledged to provide Krukov Wagon works with a grant to adapt its facilities for the production of the dual-voltage trains, which can operate on 3kV dc and 25kV ac electrification systems.