Another standard-gauge (1,435-millimetre) railway is in the pipeline in Ukraine. It will connect the Ukrainian Carpathian region to Slovakia.
The Ukrainian Minister for Restoration, Infrastructure and Transport, Volodymyr Shemayev, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Ukrainian Railways and PPP Agency UA for the project.
The MoU includes two rail projects. One concerns the construction and electrification of a new standard-gauge railway on the Uzhhorod–Pavlovo–EU border section with Slovakia. The second relates to infrastructure modernisation on the Korolevo–Khust route, which connects to neighbouring Romania, Hungary and Slovakia.
For now, Ukraine plans to assess the state of infrastructure, bring in expert support and develop feasibility studies. “This is what turns ideas into bankable, investment-ready projects that can attract financing from international financial institutions and the EU”, Shemayev says. The plans are supported by the World Bank under the PREPARE programme.
Integration with Europe
For Ukraine’s Carpathian region, the rail projects could translate into new opportunities for cross-border and industrial infrastructure, the country’s infrastructure minister says. For the rail network, improved standard-gauge infrastructure equates to deeper integration with the European network, more capacity and stronger logistics for Ukrainian businesses, Shemayev adds.
Earlier, Ukraine finished a standard-gauge railway between Uzhhorod and Chop. This connected the two cities to Slovakia and Hungary via European-gauge infrastructure. Ukrainian Railways started working on that project in 2024 and completed it within a year. The first trains have been running on the railway since 12 September 2025.