Poland opens the door for Ukrainian Railways
Months of blockades on the Polish-Ukrainian border have long shut the door for much of Kyiv’s transport to the EU. For Ukraine, which seeks to keep its exports flowing, that has been a thorn in the eye. However, a positive change has now just arrived. Poland is now opening the door for Ukrainian transportation rather significantly by granting Ukrainian Railways (UZ) a license to operate on its market.
Even though Poland gave in to months of border blockades, banning the import of Ukrainian grain but allowing its transit, the Poles are now opening up for Ukrainian logistics again. UZ announced that its Polish cargo subsidiary acquired a license to âfully enter the European market of rail freight transportationâ on 27 June.
The entry into Poland does not seem to be the end of UZâs international ambitions, as it strives towards European integration. âWe continue to systematically work on the European integration of railways and the development of international servicesâ, UZâs CEO Yevhen Lyashchenko said.
Full-fledged international operator
âObtaining a license is another step on the way to creating a full-fledged international railway operator that will be able to offer its customers a single cross-border transport serviceâ, Lyashchenko added. âWe are also working on the development and coordination of new international routes.â
UZâs Polish operator, which the company already registered in June 2023 and carries the name âUkrainian Railways Cargo Polandâ, will focus on increasing freight volumes through Polish-Ukrainian border crossings. In the future, it wants to operate on both standard and broad gauge. Operations will likely start next year, UZ says.
Also read:
- Amid looming threat of Polish border blockades, UZ asks: Why not rail?
- Ukrainian Railways breaks container volume records and grows capacity
- Ukrainian Railways receives half a billion euros in international support
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