Paths of Ukraine-EU solidarity – Integration of the railway system of Ukraine into the EU transport system (Connecting Europe Facility 2023)

The Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) 2023 project covers European Union (EU) support for the Ukrainian railway system. 

The main focus is on:

• improvement of important checkpoints and related transshipment capacities;
• development of a strategy for the development of a modern track system with a width of 1435 mm in Ukraine;
• development of related projects in the area between the EU/Ukraine border and Lviv.

The main strategic goals of the project, provided by the EU strategy, are:

• further development of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) and related corridors;
• providing the necessary capacities for the export of Ukrainian agricultural products to markets (Paths of solidarity);
• improvement of interoperability between the railway systems of the EU and Ukraine;
• providing the necessary capacities for the supply of strategic goods from Europe to Ukraine (dual-purpose military mobility);
• increasing the sustainability of logistics between Ukraine and the EU;
• increasing the reliability of freight transportation between the EU and Ukraine;
• reducing the negative impact of transport on the environment and climate;
• facilitation of intermodal logistics.

Investment project components:

• project management;
• development of the project from the level of technical and economic feasibility studies to the working documentation for the reconstruction of the track on the Uzhgorod - Lviv section (275 km) with the replacement of a track with a width of 1520 mm for a track of 1435 mm with the corresponding reconstruction of facilities and engineering structures.
• development of the project from the level of technical and economic feasibility study to working documentation for the construction and electrification of a track with a width of 1435 mm on the section Lviv - Chernivtsi - Vadul-Siret - State border;
• development of a strategy for the development of the Lviv railway hub, taking into account the prospects of expanding the TEN-T railway network of 1435 mm gauge on the territory of Ukraine;
• restoration and electrification of the closed 12-kilometer track 1435 mm checkpoint Matyovtse/Pavlovo 2 (Slovakia/Ukraine) - Uzhhorod. Electrification of the 22 km long 1435 mm Chop-Uzhhorod railway track;
• restoration and electrification of the closed track with a length of 12 km 1435 mm PP Matyovtse/Pavlovo 2 (Slovakia/Ukraine) - Uzhhorod;
• development of NoBo verification at various stages of project preparation.

The implementation of the project takes place on the terms of co-financing, where 50% of the cost of the works is a grant from CINEA, and the remaining 50% - own funds or other sources of funding. The total cost (100%) of the project is 4,181,180,517.00 (85,908,784.00 euros), of which:

• the amount of grant funds (50%) from CINEA is UAH 2,090,590,259.00 (EUR 42,954,392.00);
• the need for allocated budget funds (46%) for project implementation is UAH 1,931,183,841.14 (EUR 39,649,142.00);
• the amount of own funds (4%) is UAH 159,406,417.50 (EUR 3,275,250.00).