Ukrzalyznica and CPK sign cooperation agreement for high-speed rail to Ukraine
For Ukraine, changing the gauge to 1435 mm is essential.
During the Railway Direction Days in Warsaw, Ukrainian Railways (Ukrzalyznica) and Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK) signed a cooperation agreement with the intention to develop a high-speed railway line between Warsaw, Lviv and Kyiv.
CPK wants to link Ukraine to its planned high-speed rail network, including a connection to the Solidarity Transport Hub, the future central Polish airport between Warsaw and Łódź. The operating speed on the cross-border connection is expected to be 250 km/h on European standard gauge. “The shortest route to Europe for Ukraine is via Poland. This is a historic moment,” said CPK chief Mikołaj Wild.
TENT-T map of future Three Seas region HSR lines. Credit: CPK
Volodymyr Shemaev, Head of International Projects at Ukrainian Railways, emphasized that Ukraine needs a high-capacity and reliable connection with the European Union. “The high-speed line will be an important part of our integration into the EU,” he added.
The objectives of the three-year agreement are the exchange of experience and the search for financing. “The standard gauge connection is a key issue for Ukraine,” Shemaev said, adding that South Korea has already approached Ukraine about constructing the high-speed line.
Also at the Railway Direction Days conference, a cooperation agreement to create the Three Seas HSR network was signed by Správa železnic, Rail Baltica, and CPK.
Edited and translated by Lucie Trávníčková