There are plans to add 11,850 new freight cars of Ukrainian manufacture to Ukraine’s fleet of railway rolling stock within two years, the press service of Ukrzaliznytsia has announced. Infrastructure Minister Maksym Burbak and the general director of the State Railway Administration (Ukrzaliznytsia), Borys Ostapiuk, held a meeting with the management of Ukrainian manufacturers of railcars and other railway machinery and equipment on May 14 to discuss placement of future orders.
According to Burbak, railway enterprises hope to purchase 2,800 gondola cars and 2,400 grain cars this year and buy 3,650 gondola cars and 3,000 grain cars next year. In addition, funds will also be spent on modernization of tracks, diesel locomotives, and electric locomotives, as well as on acquisition of track equipment in 2014.
In general, according to forecasts by Burbak, UAH 12.5 billion is expected to be obtained under government guarantee for financing modernization and upgrade of rolling stock this year. "Prime Minister Arsenii Yatseniuk has said that these funds should be spent on orders with domestic enterprises with at least 85% localization of components of Ukrainian manufacture," said the minister.
Furthermore, according to Burbak, the Finance Ministry is studying the possibility to finding UAH 1.2 billion in the state budget for upgrading passenger rolling stock, including UAH 400 million for purchasing two interregional electric trains manufactured by the Kryukov Railway Car Building Works.
