The Management Board of Ukrzaliznytsia JSC (Ukrainian State railways) approved a statement for the admission of private locomotives to work on their railways.

We are waiting for the first private companies to enter the path of Ukrzaliznytsia. I hope that the contract will be drawn up as soon as possible. The selection of participants to participate in the pilot project continues, the interest from the market was significant. Thanks to him, we will be able to test the functioning of the rail transport market in the conditions of the operation of several rail carriers. It will also allow to work out the technical and technological features of the implementation of access to the railway infrastructure and to investigate the risks in organizing traffic safety when operating private trains on the public railway network.

Vladislav Krikliy, Minister of Infrastructure

The first participant of the experiment determined "Ukrainian lokomotivnostroitelnaya Company", which will implement the running of private locomotives once in nine railway stations in western Ukraine. The corresponding decision was formalized by order of the Ministry of Infrastructure No. 540 "On determining the list of participants in the pilot project and sections of public railways for the operation of private locomotives" dated August 26, 2020. Then the ministry informed that seven applicants were recognized as participants in the pilot project.

In April 2020, the Ministry of Infrastructure established a commission to select participants in a pilot project to allow private locomotives to operate on selected routes and sections of public railways, as well as to monitor the implementation of the pilot project. Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Dmitry Abramovich became the chairman of the commission. The commission includes representatives of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Ukrzaliznytsia, Ukrtranssecurity, the American Chamber of Commerce and the European Business Association.

Source and picture: Ports of Ukraine