The European Union has approved a €76 million grant to fund the first phase of constructing a European-gauge railway line in Ukraine. The project involves laying a 1435 mm standard-gauge track along the Sknyliv–Mostyska II section, which will connect Lviv to the Polish border and create an additional direct rail link between Ukraine and the EU.
The funding became possible through extensive joint efforts by the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development and Ukrainian Railways (Ukrzaliznytsia). It will be provided under the 2024 Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) — the EU’s main instrument for developing strategic infrastructure.
“This is a major strategic decision,” said Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration and Minister for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine, Oleksii Kuleba. “European gauge means shorter travel times, no need for passenger transfers, improved transit capacity, and relief for border checkpoints. It’s also an investment in Ukraine’s economic resilience, trade development, export capacity, and logistics potential — all especially critical during wartime conditions when the country’s ability to maintain stability, movement, and cooperation is under pressure due to closed airports, blocked ports, and damaged infrastructure.”
The project will create the first full-fledged European-gauge segment from the Polish border to Lviv. Upon completion, Ukrainian passenger and freight trains will be able to travel directly to Poland and other EU countries — without changing wheelsets, transferring passengers, or stopping at the border.
This Sknyliv–Mostyska II line is not the only Euro-infrastructure project underway in western Ukraine. The construction of the European-gauge track between Uzhhorod and Chop is also nearing completion, and the border checkpoint has already been relocated from the border to the Mostyska II station to speed up processing and streamline logistics.
Under CEF 2024, the EU is investing over €2.8 billion in transport infrastructure across the continent, with 77% allocated to rail projects. Ukraine’s participation in this initiative reflects its real integration into the European transport system and the irreversible nature of its European course.
Ukraine’s Ministry for Communities and Territories Development and Ukrzaliznytsia, together with international partners, continue working on integrating Ukrainian infrastructure into the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), which includes rail, road, and intermodal links, as well as border crossings and logistics hubs.
