Ukrainian Railways to receive 25,000 t of Japanese rails from JICA

MOSCOW. May 29 (Interfax) - The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will deliver 25,000 tonnes of Japanese-made railway rails to Ukrainian Railways, Ukrainian media reported, citing the company's press service.

Ukrainian Railways has already received the first batch of the rails, which was delivered as part of an emergency restoration program from the Japanese government, the company said, adding that it will use the R-65 rails to restore and repair 1520-mm tracks.

The first batch was unloaded at the Mostiska station and the rest of the 25,000 tonnes of rails are expected to arrive before the end of 2024.

Japan's ambassador to Ukraine, Matsuda Kuninori said he was pleased to give Ukraine 25,000 tonnes of high-quality Japanese-made rails on behalf of the Japanese government. The rails, which are equivalent to 190 km of track, were purchased and shipped through the JICA to strengthen the resilience of Ukraine's railway network, so as to subsequently facilitate recovery and economic growth thanks to an increase in freight and passenger traffic, he said.

The plant of Ukraine's only manufacturer of railway rails has been destroyed, so rails are now a critical item for Ukrainian Railways and it needs 70,000-100,000 tonnes per year just for repairs, the company said.

The company plans to use the received rails to repair the main railways on the Kiev-Lvov, Kiev-Odessa, Kiev-Uzhgorod and Kiev-Dnepr routes, Ukrainian Railways CEO Yevgeny Lyaschenko said in the press release.