Ukrainian Railways curtails its operations to save electricity

MOSCOW. June 10 (Interfax) - Ukrainian Railways is reducing the frequency of a number of electric trains on their routes and changing their routes in order to save electricity, Ukrainian media reported, citing the rail company.

Ukrainian Railways will temporarily adjust the schedules of 74 commuter trains throughout Ukraine in June. It is noted that the changes will not affect the most critical commuter trains, which provide transportation of the population to work and back, the statement said.

"Ukrainian Railways is assisting the entire country to save electricity by introducing a number of measures. The rail operator temporarily makes changes to the schedule of commuter electric trains in order for the country to avoid a blackout," it said.

The company noted that a number of trains will not temporarily run, while some will change the frequency of their trips or will have their routes reduced.

The company said that it will make every effort to maintain rail communication between all communities.

The first changes to the schedule on certain routes of the Lvov and Dnepr railroads have already been made since June 7. Similar changes will be introduced on the South-Western and Southern railroads.

"Ukrainian Railways is closely monitoring the power supply situation and if the situation improves and the limits are raised, it will gradually restore the traffic of commuter electric trains," the statement said.

The company is planning to implement power generation projects in various Ukrainian regions. This refers to dozens of distributed power generation facilities with a total capacity of up to 250 MW, which will partially cover the power supply needs of Ukrainian Railways' critical infrastructure facilities and consumers throughout Ukraine, who are connected to the company's distribution network.

Ukrainian Railways is looking for sources of funding, in particular, negotiations are underway to attract grants and international financial assistance. Consultations with equipment suppliers are also ongoing, the statement said.

Ukrainian Railways CEO Yevgeny Lyashchenko said earlier that the company might launch construction of dozens of gas-fired power plants in various regions with a total capacity of up to 250 MW and with a total demand of 300 MW this summer.