The Ukrainian Railways public joint-stock company (Ukrzaliznytsia) is considering the possibility of electrifying the Zhytomyr-Novohrad-Volynskyi railway segment. This will improve transport links between Zhytomyr and other Ukrainian cities and shorten the route of the Intercity+ Kyiv-Przemysl high-speed train. Ukrzaliznytsia board member Remigiusz Paszkiewicz held the relevant talks with Parliamentary Deputy Boryslav Rosenblat, who represents the region in the parliament.
"We discussed the issues of electrification in the Zhytomyr-Novohrad-Volynskyi railway segment with the aim of launching 12 trains in the future to connect almost the entire Ukraine. We cannot live in the 21st century without a high-speed rail service. Therefore, one of the main goals is to launch an Intercity+ high-speed train on the Kyiv-Przemysl route through Zhytomyr," Rosenblat wrote on his Facebook page.
The Kyiv-Przemysl and Kyiv-Truskavets high-speed trains currently bypass Zhytomyr, making a detour through Korosten-Novohrad-Volynskyi. "After electrification of the Zhytomyr-Novohrad-Volynskyi line, a new Kyiv-Zhytomyr-Zdolbuniv-Lviv high-speed passenger route will be created. As a result, Zhytomyr will have direct daily rail links with 12 regional centers of Ukraine through rerouting of 12 existing passenger trains through the city. This could become a reality in 2018," said transportation expert Oleksandr Kava.
Currently, an electrified railway line is approaching Zhytomyr only from the direction of Fastiv.
