Lviv plans to lay a European-standard railway track: when will work begin?
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“Ukrzaliznytsia” plans to lay a European-standard Euro-gauge railway to Lviv. The work is planned to begin in 2026, and part of the cost will be financed by the European Union.
This was reported by the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine.
As noted in the department, in the future they want to extend the Eurorail to two more cities in the west of the country – Chernivtsi and Lutsk. Ukraine already receives grant co-financing from the EU in the amount of 50 percent of the cost of the projects.
“This year, a 1,435 mm standard Eurotrack from Chop to Uzhhorod, 22 kilometers long, has already been built. The electrification of the Chop – Uzhhorod section of the Eurotrack is also underway, which is planned to be completed by the summer of 2026,” the Ministry of Finance reported.
Oleksandr Pertsovsky, Chairman of the Board of Ukrzaliznytsia, noted that the company does not plan to switch to Euro-gauge throughout Ukraine. According to him, the current broad-gauge format is better suited for freight transportation.
“We have very heavy trains — 6,000 tons each. There is nothing like that in Europe. We will never convert all of Ukraine to European track. And that would be wrong,” he stressed.
At the same time, the ministry reported that the production of double-decker passenger cars will begin in Ukraine in the near future. Financing for this project, as well as the construction of conventional cars, is included in the draft State Budget for 2026 in the amount of 5.7 billion hryvnias.
“Double-decker passenger cars will make it possible to significantly optimize passenger transportation costs. The costs of servicing single- and double-decker cars differ by approximately 10 percent, while the number of seats in a double-decker car increases by almost 80 percent,” the department said.
It is noted that in the future, such cars will be produced in two modifications – for night services with sleeping berths and for daytime trips with seating.
By the way, Ukrzaliznytsia has opened ticket sales for the new international train Kyiv-Bucharest , which will start operating on October 10. The new route aims to strengthen Ukraine’s transport integration with the countries of the European Union.
Recall that Ukrzaliznytsia announced the launch of five additional trains that will run to various regions of Ukraine in the fall . The new schedule should facilitate travel during peak dates and provide more opportunities for passengers planning trips to the West and East of the country.
The day before, it was reported that in the context of strengthening bilateral cooperation , Ukraine and Romania launched a test railway connection between Kyiv and Bucharest . The first cars have already set off on a journey via Chisinau, which was an important step in expanding transport, economic and defense cooperation between the countries.
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