The Ukrainian Ministry of Infrastructure expects to determine the participants in the pilot project to allow private locomotive traction to use the railway infrastructure of the Ukrainian Railways joint-stock company (Ukrzaliznytsia) by May 10, the CFTS portal reports, citing the Interfax Ukraine news agency.

"The commission in charge of the pilot project on private traction has already been set up, the relevant railway stretches have been selected, and we expect to determine the participants in this pilot project by May 10. It will not be easy because the pilot project provides for limited participation but everyone wants to participate in it," Minister Infrastructure Vladyslav Kryklyi said.

According to him, several dozen companies have expressed their desire to participate in the pilot project. "They are basically all the members of the European Business Association and the American Chamber of Commerce. We want to select several companies so that we can understand the most difficult part of determining the tariff for using the railway infrastructure when working with them," the minister said.

Kryklyi also emphasized that there was no need to isolate this part of the tariff component because Ukrzaliznytsia previously used its own railway infrastructure.

According to the minister, the Ministry of Infrastructure plans to re-submit a bill on creation of an independent transport regulator to the Ukrainian parliament, and it expects this bill to be adoption this year.

“Firstly, we would like to eliminate the political component from the formula for determining tariffs because it is an unusual function for the Ministry of Infrastructure. Naturally, we would like it to be implemented in the same way as it was implemented in the energy sector. That is the right working model, we want it to be implemented as soon as possible, and then a lot of issues will be resolved, including the issue of tariffs and the railway and the issue of approval of port charges," he said.

As the CFTS portal reported earlier, both completely new and used locomotives that have not reached the end of their service lives could be allowed to participate in the pilot.