Ukrainian Railways (UZ) is planning a rail ferry to Poti, Georgia. The company already has ferries at its disposal, and wants to use them for Middle Corridor traffic. At the same time, January’s numbers for Ukraine – Poland traffic dropped rather significantly.
“We will become an operator not only of rail transportation, but also of sea transportation. The ultimate goal is to create a corridor that will provide turnkey services to our clients from China to Europe,” said Timofiy Murakhovsky, commercial director at UZ. There is no timeframe yet for the launch of the ferry, according to Ukrainian media.
The ferry would not only carry containers, but also rail wagons. In addition to launching a rail ferry, UZ plans to launch a new entity in Kazakhstan, UZ Cargo East.
Ukraine – Poland traffic decline
At the same time that UZ is coming out with the ferry plans, Poland – Ukraine traffic has declined rather significantly. January’s numbers are 24 per cent lower than during the same month in 2024. The total volume amounted to 1,4 million tonnes of freight.
A notable exception in traffic between the two countries is ore transport – its total volume grew by 43 per cent compared to January 2024. On the contrary, grain transportation dropped by 64 per cent.
– Ore: 385 thousand tonnes, +43 per cent
– Oil: 192 thousand tonnes, -19 per cent
– Construction materials: 118 thousand tonnes, +17 per cent
– Ferrous metals: 113 thousand tonnes, -27 per cent
– Grain: 102 thousand tonnes, -64 per cent