Ukraine is trying to ‘connect itself’ to Europe with railways — Foreign Policy

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the country’s railway network has gained significant strategic importance in military operations: transporting troops and weaponry to the front lines, delivering hundreds of foreign diplomatic delegations to Kyiv, and moving large quantities of cargo out of Kyiv.

This was reported by Foreign Policy.

As a result, Ukraine has recognized the necessity to expand and modify its railway infrastructure with a focus on Europe. However, this work is far from complete, and Kyiv’s ambitions are complicated by the inherited infrastructure. Many of the locomotives and wagons still in use were manufactured in the countries of the former Soviet Union, and those produced in Ukraine were designed for operation on post-Soviet tracks, which are wider than those in European countries.

For example, this means that a train traveling from Warsaw to Kyiv must adjust the width of its wheel axles when crossing the border, which can add several hours to the journey.

In response, hundreds of kilometers of European-gauge railway tracks are being laid in Ukraine. However, experts warn that given the thousands of kilometers of wide-gauge railways across Ukraine, replacing all tracks is an unrealistic and financially impractical task. According to estimates by the European Commission and the European Investment Bank, modernizing just 1 km of Ukrainian railways on flat terrain costs about €1 million, and converting to European gauge could cost up to eight times more.

On the other hand, the cost of not meeting this requirement could have real strategic consequences for the country, which currently relies on the support of Western countries. Foreign Policy highlights the strategic importance of Ukraine’s transition to European gauge, explaining that delays at the border affect not only passengers and commercial exports but also the efficiency of arms supplies.