The Georgian side is ready to provide its own locomotives to Ukraine to avoid a collapse in freight traffic during the peak period in the autumn. The locomotives may be delivered in the period of August-September. Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Viktor Dovhan, who is currently on an official visit to Georgia, announced this in comments to the CFTS.
"They want to provide locomotives to the Odesa railway, where problems involving transportation of cargoes, particularly grain cargoes, to ports are expected in the autumn. There are questions about delivery of these locomotives to Ukraine, but I think it can be done with the help of ferries," Dovhan said.
According to him, Georgia expressed this intention as a gesture of goodwill. At the same time, according to him, Georgia is not averse to benefiting from this transaction. He said that tractive rolling stock would most likely be leased to Georgia.
As reported, there was an acute shortage of locomotive traction, wagons, and fuel last autumn, with idling of rolling stock jeopardizing the implementation of export contracts by Ukrainian shippers. The shortage of locomotive traction at the time was about 600 units.
This year, the situation involving cargo flows at portside stations may become even more complicated: in addition to export grain, the peak period for transportation of imported coal is in autumn. Exports of iron ore through ports are also forecast to increase.
