The Ukrainian Railways joint-stock company (Ukrzaliznytsia) has compiled a list of the rolling stock and equipment it hopes to receive from Ukraine’s foreign partners. In particular, the list includes 40 locomotives manufactured by the Wabtec company (United States), Ukrzaliznytsia’s Board Chairman Oleksandr Kamyshyn has said.
The CFTS portal reported this, citing the Rail Insider publication.
“We need to develop the partnership with our Western partners. We are talking about a ‘Marshall Plan’ for Ukrzaliznytsia, a lend-lease… Out of the important ones, there is a request for 40 locomotives worth USD 250 million, engines for modernizing our other locomotives, special vehicles for rebuilding infrastructure, etc.," Kamyshyn said.
He added that this list needed to be approved by a working group.
As reported, Ukrzaliznytsia has raised the issue of obtaining 40 additional U.S.-made locomotives several times before. In particular, the company noted in autumn 2021 that this number would fully cover its need for diesel locomotives.
Before the war, Ukrzaliznytsia operated 30 TE33AS locomotives manufactured by the U.S.-based GE Transportation company (now known as Wabtec).
Ukraine and the United States reached an agreement on transport cooperation in May. "We expect a renewal of the entire fleet of locomotives and wagons by 2030 to be one of the outcomes of the implementation of the memorandum," then-Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said.
