Private railway carriers will begin operating in Ukraine within five years at the earliest and eight years at the latest. First Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Yevhen Kravtsov expressed this opinion at a meeting with representatives of international financial organizations, ambassadors of European countries, and members of the business community, the CFTS portal reports, citing UAprom.
"By signing the Association Agreement with the European Union, Ukraine undertook to allow private operators of locomotive traction on its railway market within 8 years. It works all over Europe," Kravtsov said in comments to UAprom.
According to the official, the Ukrainian Railways public joint-stock company (Ukrzaliznytsia) currently needs a transition period, during which it will be able to stabilize its markets and draft the rules by which those carriers will be able to enter the market, pay for access to infrastructure, pay for the use of rail tracks, sleepers, the network, and the entire railway infrastructure.
The deputy minister stressed that the Ministry of Infrastructure believes that such a transition period for Ukrzaliznytsia will be five years.
"We do not want a repeat of the current situation involving private railcar operators," said Kravtsov. According to him, private railcar operators are currently competing with Ukrzaliznytsia unfairly.
