Ukraine has finalised the construction of the Chop – Uzhhorod railway in the west of the country. The line provides a direct link to Hungary and Slovakia. The first trains will run on the new railway starting 12 September.
Ukrainian Railways (UZ) began construction on the line in 2024, and the entire process was completed in less than a year.
“For the first time in modern history, we built a 22-kilometre long section of the 1435-millimetre European standard [gauge] from scratch between Chop and Uzhhorod”, explained the Deputy Prime Minister for the Reconstruction of Ukraine and Minister of Community and Territorial Development Oleksiy Kuleba. “Thanks to this, Uzhhorod became the first regional center to receive a direct rail connection with the European Union.”
UZ sees the project as an important step in the development of the standard gauge railway network in Ukraine. The company aims to speed up that development in the future. “Already in 2026 we plan to electrify this section and begin construction of the Eurotrack in the direction of Lviv, which we intend to complete within 2–3 years”, Oleksandr Pertsovsky, UZ’s board chairman said.
Vital artery for the economy
“Ukrainian railway workers impressed European partners with this project – despite the war, we managed to implement it ahead of schedule. With such work, Ukrainians have proven that they are ready to implement even more ambitious European integration projects, and the invested funds are quickly converted into tangible results for people”, Pertsovsky added.
The Chop – Uzhhorod railway was co-financed by the EU through the Connecting Europe Facility and the European Investment Bank (EIB), both providing half of the funds. “This is a historic step on the path to integration with the EU. Especially in wartime, when the railway is a vital artery for the economy and for Ukrainians, strengthening these transport links is more important than ever”, EIB Vice-President Tereza Czerwinska commented on the project.
The project amounted to 28,6 million euros, covering the construction of the tracks from Chop station to Uzhhorod station, as well as the modernisation of the signalling, communication, radio, and microprocessor-based centralised control system, with the aim to increase capacity and improve the safety of rail operators.