Ukrzaliznytsia top official elaborates on company's issues

Chairman of the Board of the Ukrainian national railways company PJSC Ukrzaliznytsia Volodymyr Zhmak says overhaul of locomotives, which account for about 40% of the company's relevant rolling stock, is overdue, as well as disrepair of the contact wire is observed.

Read alsoNew chairman appointed at Ukrzaliznytsia railway operator's board

"The weekend was restless at Ukrzaliznytsia: a locomotive caught fire at one of the railroad hauls in Lviv region, while a decommissioned flared up in [the city of] Mariupol. All the circumstances of the incidents are being clarifiied," he said on Telegram on September 7.

The official also noted the disrepair of the contact wire (as a result, the movement of trains on the Lviv railway stopped for an hour and a half) and the company's unsatisfactory financial standing.

Ukrzaliznytsia's forthcoming upgrades

The Ukrainian government is working on the 2021 budget programs to upgrade Ukrzaliznytsia's passenger rolling stock and infrastructure.

This refers to the program related to the renewal of rolling stock for passenger transportation, which envisages the allocation of UAH 3.3 billion (US$119 million) for the purchase of 100 railroad passenger cars, as well as the Railway Infrastructure Upgrades program worth UAH 1.2 billion (US$43.3 million).

Transportation operator

• Ukrzaliznytsia is a public joint stock company wholly owned by the state. The company is included in the list of state-owned enterprises not subject to privatization.
• Ukrzaliznytsia, the Ukrainian Railways, accounts for 82% of freight transportation and about 50% of passenger traffic carried out by all types of transport.
• In terms of freight traffic, the Ukrainian Railways rank fourth on the Eurasian continent, staying behind the railways of China, Russia, and India.