European standard for the railroad: the European gauge track will soon connect Chop and Uzhhorod
9 April 09:42
The construction of the Euro-gauge railway between Chop and Uzhhorod is entering its final phase, and the work is scheduled to be completed by August 2025. This was announced by the Minister of Community and Territorial Development Oleksiy Kuleba after getting acquainted with the progress of the work, Komersant ukrainskyi reports.
This project is part of Ukraine’s strategic course towards integration into the European transport space. It is being implemented as part of Ukraine’s participation in the European Union’s Connecting Europe Facility program.
One of the key locations is the new construction site of the European railway between Chop and Uzhhorod.
What benefits will Ukraine receive?
According to Oleksiy Kuleba, the Chop-Uzhhorod European railway opens direct access to the European railway network, will significantly reduce logistics costs, increase the efficiency of international passenger and freight traffic, and create new opportunities for the development of Ukraine’s transit potential.
Another official, Deputy Finance Minister Oleksandr Kava, agrees with the Minister.
“This European gauge will not only allow us to launch direct passenger trains from Uzhhorod to Budapest, Bratislava, Prague, Vienna, and Dresden, but will also enable shippers operating in Uzhhorod to send goods via the European gauge to partners in Europe and to receive goods, containers, and materials from European countries directly to Uzhhorod,” the official explained during a recent conference on Logistics as a Driver of Economic Growth.
What has already been done on the Chop-Uzhhorod section
According to the Ministry of Communities and Territories Development, 8 km of new “wide” track has already been completed, 7.6 km of European standard track has been laid (40% of the work).
Almost 2 km of combined track has also been prepared (100% of the work), all the necessary earthworks have been completed, work is underway to electrify the broad gauge, lay cable networks, build engineering infrastructure, upgrade passenger platforms, and work has begun on the renovation of the Chop railway station.
This project is among the government’s priorities
Recently, the Cabinet of Ministers approved Ukrzaliznytsia’s capital investment expenditures in 2025, which it can spend before the financial plan is approved. This was announced by Taras Melnychuk, a representative of the Cabinet of Ministers in parliament.
The money will be spent on major repairs of railroad tracks and switches, measures to develop border infrastructure and checkpoints across the state border of Ukraine. In total, 174 km of tracks are planned to be repaired.
Funds are also provided for railway infrastructure development projects (1435-millimeter gauge tracks) in Zakarpattia, Lviv, and Chernivtsi regions.
As you know, the construction of the Chop-Uzhhorod European railway is funded by 50% from the EU’s Connecting Europe Facilities (CEF) program and 50% from the state budget.
Where else will the European standard railroad appear
In 2026, it is planned to begin construction of a 1435 mm European gauge railway from Chernivtsi to the Romanian city of Suceava.
“Under the optimistic scenario, construction of the European gauge railway to Chernivtsi may already begin next year… We are currently preparing a feasibility study for the project,” Deputy Minister of Finance Oleksandr Kava said during the conference “Logistics as a Driver of Economic Growth.”
Thus, according to him, Chernivtsi has the opportunity to become the second regional center after Uzhhorod to get access to the European gauge directly in the city.
The Strategy for the Development and Construction of Border Infrastructure, which was approved by the government at the end of December 2024, stipulates that Ukraine will build a European gauge railway from Chernivtsi to Romania by 2030.
