{"id":179407,"date":"2025-02-24T20:47:52","date_gmt":"2025-02-24T10:47:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=60132"},"modified":"2025-02-24T20:47:52","modified_gmt":"2025-02-24T10:47:52","slug":"three-years-of-war-have-made-the-railways-ukraines-second-army","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=179407","title":{"rendered":"Three years of war have made the railways \u201cUkraine\u2019s second army\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

What was supposed to be a quick military operation has now entered its fourth year. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has turned the world upside down, the world of Ukrainian Railways (UZ) no less. The railways in Ukraine have taken on an entirely new role and meaning, with some calling it the country\u2019s \u201csecond army\u201d. How has UZ transformed in the past three years?<\/strong>
\n<\/span>When Russia invaded Ukraine, many citizens rushed to the railways to bring themselves to safety. UZ faced an immense task: the evacuation of millions of citizens from active war zones. Now that the war has been ongoing for three years, the counter stands at 3,8 million evacuees.<\/p>\n

Those first evacuations marked the beginning of a transformation of Ukrainian Railways\u2019 role in the country. Not only did the company itself become a target for Russian attacks, famously illustrated by Russia\u2019s attack on an ongoing evacuation in Kramatorsk, killing dozens, but the railways also became a lifeline for the army, diplomacy and freight operations.<\/p>\n

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Illustrative image from 2024. Image: Shutterstock. \u00a9 Fotokon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The onset of war required quick responses and operational change. UZ entered emergency mode and became a military actor of great importance. The company has helped move troops, vehicles and other supplies to places where they are needed, putting it in the centre of Ukraine\u2019s defense effort. It introduced so-called \u201chospital trains\u201d with intensive care wagons to evacuate and take care of soldiers and civilians alike. Moreover, the overnight train from Poland to Kyiv became the go-to route for allied leaders to make their way into Ukraine.<\/p>\n

In support of the economy<\/h2>\n

Importantly, UZ also became a crucial player in securing Ukraine\u2019s economic health. Russia\u2019s blockade of Ukrainian ports made maritime export impossible. That was not only a problem for Ukraine\u2019s economy: the grain question became a global problem.<\/p>\n

It was partially resolved via rail. Grain (and other products) made their way onto the global market through Poland and Germany. To this day, that is not always an ideal solution, considering that trains need to switch from Ukraine\u2019s 1520-millimetre broad gauge onto standard gauge infrastructure, making transportation more complex, time-consuming and expensive.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, rail export volumes grew significantly<\/a>. Between January and April 2024, UZ recorded a 48,8 per cent increase compared to 2023. Most of the exports consisted of grain, with iron and manganese ore taking second place.<\/p>\n

Turn to Europe<\/h2>\n

UZ\u2019s turn to Europe is still ongoing, and supported by European partners. There are plans to integrate Ukraine with the standard gauge network, with the city of Lviv<\/a> taking on a central role as the rail hub to connect Ukraine\u2019s rail to Europe. What\u2019s more, the rail operator plans to launch 18 new freight routes into the EU.<\/p>\n

To facilitate Ukraine\u2019s integration with Europe, the country can count on various international support measures. Among those are dozens of millions of EU funding and French rail deliveries.<\/p>\n