The Ukrainian Railways joint-stock company (Ukrzaliznytsia) has completed the electrification of the Kovel-Izov-Polish border railway section.
This was discussed during an online meeting between Ukrzaliznytsia representatives and Polish carriers on 15 June, the CFTS portal reports, citing the Rail Insider publication.
The number of Ukrzaliznytsia freight railcars that pass through the Izov-Hrubieszów (Poland) border crossing will soon increase due to the completion of the project.
Currently, more than 12,700 railcars go to this crossing.
As reported earlier, it was stated before the war that the electrification of the Kovel-Izov-Polish border railway section is strategically important for the industry and the country because it will significantly increase the volume of export freight transported by rail. In particular, it will increase the weight of freight trains from 4,600 tons to 5,500 tons, increase the throughput of the railway section, reduce the delivery time of goods, and reduce the operating costs of the railway by UAH 136.4 million per year.
The main type of freight that was transported through this railway section before the war was iron ore from enterprises in the Kryvyi Rih region, which were intended for steel plants in Poland.
As reported previously, Ukrzaliznytsia resumed the work on the electrification of the Kovel-Izov railway section in March and intended to complete the project on schedule by 1 June. "This will allow us to increase the capacity of the main crossing into Poland, which is now our key partner in freight transport," Ukrzaliznytsia’s Board Chairman Oleksandr Kamyshin said at the time.
