Ukraine restores line to Moldova after 25 years
The restoration will give Ukraine access to ports on the Danube.
As of yesterday, Ukraine has opened a railway line connecting the country with neighboring Moldova. The section from Berezyne in the Odessa Oblast to the Moldovan town of Basarabeasca has been restored. The repair of the line was completed less than two months after an agreement with Moldova was signed. The line was last operated 25 years ago.
Serhiy Leshchenko, adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, tweeted about the line restoration.
Today after 25 years of sabotage was restored the railway connection between Moldova and Ukraine. For @Ukrzaliznytsia it took less than 1 month (!) to construct a 21-km long link Berezine – Basarabyaska. This transport corridor will let to fix the bottleneck between 2 countries. pic.twitter.com/tFtrEWlfyG
— Serhiy Leshchenko (@Leshchenkos) August 22, 2022
The line should be used mainly for freight transport, especially for grain exports from Ukraine. The shortest route connecting the south of Moldova with Ukraine allows trains to avoid the problematic Transnistria region. The line is 25 kilometers long.
This gives Ukraine access to the port of Reni on the Danube, and may provide an alternative for grain exports. Although the blockade of the Odessa port ended in early August, it is unclear when the traditional sea export route may be threatened again.
Edited and translated by Lucie Trávníčková.