REUTERS
The implementation of this project is part of the EU Investment Plan for Ukraine, which was passed on October 15, 2018.
Ukraine's Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan says the European Union will allocate EUR 50 million worth of credits for improvement of speed, comfort and efficiency of transportation in Western Ukraine, as well as a EUR 10 million grant for Ukrainian state-owned railway operator Ukrzaliznytsia (Ukrainian Railways).
"Another big win to come out of Brussels today was the signing of the 'Transportation Connections in Ukraine – Phase 1' Financial Agreement between Ukraine and the EIB [the European Investment Bank]. For the first time, Ukrainian infrastructure got not a credit but rather non-returnable European Commission grant funding, which will be directed towards roads and railways," the minister wrote on Facebook on December 17.
"Some EUR 50 million worth of credits from the European Investment Bank and EUR 50 million in grant from the EU will be allocated under the project. These will be directed towards improvements of speed, comfort and efficiency of transportation, as well as increased road safety in Western Ukraine. Ukrzaliznytsia will additionally receive EUR 10 million, once again as a grant," he added.
In particular, the funds will be used for the improvement of road infrastructure in Lviv, Rivne and Ternopil regions, construction of interchanges, overpasses and bypass roads around cities, improving road safety, implementing traffic control and optimization with the help of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), the development of programs aimed at removing bottlenecks in railway transportation, and an analysis that will determine the feasibility of creating a network of interconnected logistics centers and multi-modal terminals in the largest transport hubs and checkpoints across the Ukraine-EU border.
"The implementation of this project is part of the EU Investment Plan for Ukraine, which was passed on October 15, 2018, and which took us over a year to prepare," the minister added.
As UNIAN reported earlier, following the Eastern Partnership (EaP) Summit held in Brussels, the European Union and the partner countries in November 2017 agreed on indicative maps providing for the extension of the EU Trans-European Core Transport Network to the territory of the Eastern Partnership countries as a basis for transport interconnection and determining common infrastructure priorities.
In May 2018, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the National Transport Strategy of Ukraine until 2030, titled "Drive Ukraine 2030." The strategy is aimed at integrating Ukraine into the global economy and a technological leap in infrastructure.