Ukrzaliznytsia has built its first grain wagon adapted for Eurotrack

The Ukrainian railway carrier "Ukrzaliznytsia" has independently constructed a grain wagon adapted for transportation on the so-called Eurotrack.

This was announced by the press service of "Ukrzaliznytsia" on Friday.

The wagon is designed for transporting grain and other bulk food cargoes and can operate on both the 1520 mm gauge (common in Ukraine) and the Eurotrack gauge of 1435 mm.

"Most of its components and materials are of domestic production," said the carrier.

As the grain wagon complies with the standards of the European Union infrastructure, it allows for a reduction in logistics costs and simplifies the coordination process for international rail transportation, according to "Ukrzaliznytsia."

Eugen Lysyenko, the head of Ukrzaliznytsia's board, states that the carrier aims to put such wagons into serial production.

The most common rail gauge width worldwide is 1435 mm (4 feet and 8.5 inches). This gauge is used by 60% of the world's railways, including those in North America, China, and Europe (excluding CIS countries, the Baltic states, Finland, Ireland, Spain, and Portugal).

In Ukraine, the current rail gauge width is 1520 mm. Historically, from the mid-19th century until the early 1990s, the standard rail gauge in the Russian Empire (later the USSR), Finland, and Mongolia was 1524 mm. From May 1970 until the early 1990s, the railways of the USSR were converted to the 1520 mm gauge.