Moldova has confirmed its readiness to repair its section of the Basarabeasca-Berezino railway before the end of 2017, the CFTS portal reports, citing information from Ukrainian Parliamentary Deputy A. Kisse.
Meetings of a Ukrainian-Moldovan intergovernmental commission headed by Ukraine’s Minister of Economic Development and Trade Stepan Kubiv and Moldova’s Minister of Economy Octavian Calmic took place in in Chisinau from 14 to 15 November.
During discussion of the issue of restoration of the Basarabeasca-Berezino railway, the Moldovan side expressed its intention to repair the Moldovan section of the railway before the end of next year.
It was also stated that restoration of traffic on the Ukrainian section of the Basarabeasca-Berezino railway would require construction of 20 kilometers of tracks and overhaul of a 36.5-kilometer stretch of the Artsyz-Berezino railway. Work to restore rail traffic between Ukraine and Moldova in this area will cost Ukraine UAH 830 million (EUR 27 million).
As the CFTS previously reported, the Ukrzaliznytsia public railway company will overhaul 6 kilometers of tracks on the Artsyz-Berezino railway stretch in the direction of Moldova before the end of 2016.
When the Berezino-Basarabeasca interstate railway crossing opens, Ukraine and Moldova will have a railway line that bypasses Transnistria, and they will be able to operate passenger trains on the Artsyz-Basarabeasca-Reni route.
The distance that trains travel on the territory of Moldova will reduce from 240 to 127 kilometers if freight transportation is organized through the Artsyz-Basarabeasca railway line towards the seaports of Reni and Galati. As a result, transportation through the territory of Moldova will become cheaper and it will be possible to switch cargo flows to the Berezino station (near Basarabeasca).
