Ukrainian Railways to finish designing European gauge track from Polish border to Lvov with USAID support
MOSCOW. Nov 27 (Interfax) - JSC Ukrainian Railways will carry out a feasibility study with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for a project to build a European gauge railway to link the Mostiska railway station on Ukraine's border with Poland and the village of Sknilov on the outskirts of Lvov, Ukrainian media said, citing the Reconstruction Ministry.
A memorandum on that score was signed by Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for Reconstruction Alexander Kubrakov, U.S. Ambassador Bridget Brink and Ukrainian Railways CEO Yevgeny Lyashchenko and board member Vyacheslav Yeremin.
As part of its further development, the 1,435 mm gauge track section will lead to Uzhgorod, Kovel and Chernovtsy, and will reach Kiev and the east of Ukraine at a later stage, the ministry said.
"The rail line will be used to transport not only cargo but also passengers to EU countries," Kubrakov said.
Upgrading and replacing rail tracks and building new railroads if necessary are key to enhancing the export capabilities, he said.
"The signing of the memorandum with USAID will have a noticeable impact on the recovery of the Ukrainian economy and will facilitate European integration processes in general," the deputy prime minister said.
Lyashchenko told Ukrainian media earlier that the designing of a 1,435mm gauge rail line from the border with Poland to Lvov (the Mostiska-Sknilov section) would be completed before the end of the year.
The implementation of the project will help launch train services from Lvov to Krakow, Prague and Vienna using a European gauge railway, he said.
As reported, the construction of a European (1,435mm) gauge railway between Mostiska and Sknilov was initially scheduled to begin back in 2020. That year, the government also added it to the list of priority investment projects for the period until 2023.
The Sknilov station in Lvov is located 5.5 kilometers from the Lvov railway station, 3 kilometers from the Lvov airport and 1 kilometer from the city's bus terminal.