The head of the State Railway Administration (Ukrzaliznytsia), Oleksandr Zavhorodnyi, paid an official visit to Lithuania on 16 October. He attended in the opening of a railway stretch from Kaunas to the Polish border (the Baltica Rail project), which uses the European gauge. Representatives of the European Commission and the Lithuanian authorities also attended the event, the press service of Ukrzaliznytsia said.
Lithuanian Railways donated a modernized 2M62K-1163 mainline locomotive to Ukraine during the visit. The locomotive is intended for use on the Lvov railway. The act of transfer of the locomotive from the Vilnius depot to the Kovel depot was also signed.
The locomotive was donated in accordance with the Protocol of Technical Assistance to Ukraine that the Lithuania Ministry of Transport and Communications and the Ukrainian Ministry of Infrastructure signed on 28 August 2015.
Zavhorodnyi thanked Lithuania for its technical support and understanding of the needs of the Ukrainian railway industry. He also said that locomotives are now used more intensively in Ukraine because the fighting in the east of the country has damaged many electrified railway lines.
A powerful diesel engine is installed on the Lithuanian locomotive. Lithuanian Railways also donated spare parts for the locomotive. The diesel locomotive is planned for transportation to Ukraine next week.
