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 “fully enter the European market of rail freight transportation” on 27 June.

The entry into Poland does not seem to be the end of UZ’s international ambitions, as it strives towards European integration. “We continue to systematically work on the European integration of railways and the development of international services”, UZ’s CEO Yevhen Lyashchenko said.

Full-fledged international operator

“Obtaining 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 service”, Lyashchenko added. “We are also working on the development and coordination of new international routes.”

UZ’s Polish operator, which the company already registered in June 2023 and carries the name “Ukrainian Railways Cargo Poland”, 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.

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