Ukraine planning to open European-gauge railway line between Chop, Uzhgorod in 2025

MOSCOW. April 9 (Interfax) - Construction of a European-gauge railway line between Ukraine's Chop and Uzhgorod near the border with Hungary and Slovakia has entered the final state and will end by August 2025, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration, Communities and Territories Development Minister Alexei Kuleba said.

"A key location is the section of a new European-gauge railway line between Chop and Uzhgorod. This project is part of Ukraine's strategic course towards integration with the European transport space. It is being implemented within the framework of the EU' Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). [...] The project is entering the final stage, and we are planning to complete the work by August 2025," Ukrainian media quoted Kuleba as saying on a social network after a working trip to the Transcarpathian region.

Eight kilometers of the new wide gauge have been finalized, 7.6 kilometers of the European-gauge line have been constructed (40% of the work), almost two kilometers of the combined line have been prepared (100% of the work), and earthmoving work has been done. Electrification of the wide gauge, cable laying, construction of engineering infrastructure, and renovation of passenger platforms are in progress, he said.

The Chop railway terminal is being renovated to improve customer service.

"The European-gauge railway line opens direct access to European railways, significantly cuts the cost of logistics, raises the efficiency of international passenger and cargo transportation, and unlocks new opportunities for the development of Ukraine's transit potential. The network of European-gauge railway lines will continue to develop in Ukraine. This is an important strategic course, which not just makes travel more comfortable and faster but also develops a new quality of passenger and business service," Kuleba said.

As reported earlier, Ukrainian Railways has started selling tickets for transit trains to Chop for transfers to international destinations during the construction of the European-gauge railway line between Chop and Uzhgorod.

It also said it had temporarily adjusted the schedule of certain passenger trains to Uzhgorod between March 31 and July 31 due to building the European-gauge railway line between Chop and Uzhgorod.