Brussels, – The European Commission is to explore how to improve Ukraine and Moldova’s railway connections with the rest of Europe, the EU executive arm said in a statement on Friday.
The study, conducted with the European Investment Bank (EIB), is part of the European Union’s support for “post-war trade and reconstruction,” EU Transport Commissioner, Adina Vălean, said.
It said that shipping goods to and from Eastern Europe had been difficult as the width of the railway tracks differs from the rest of the EU.
“Extending the EU’s railway gauge from Poland and Romania to Ukraine and Moldova might resolve the issue and the announced analysis is the first step toward improving the connections,’’ the commission said.
It added that improving Ukraine and Moldova’s rail connections was a long-term project included in EU efforts to export grain trapped due to a Russian embargo of Ukraine’s Black sea.
In September, state-owned Ukrainian Railways boss, Oleksandr Kamyshin , said that the county needed “real integration into the European infrastructure.”
Kamyshin said that it was necessary to expand freight corridors through European ports, explaining that Ukrainian Railways exports 1.5 million to two million tonnes of grain a month.
“We could do five million to seven million tonnes a month,” Kamyshin said.
Ukraine’s rail lines and stations have been targets of attacks by Russian forces.
The deadline to complete the study is May 2023. (dpa/NAN)
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