The “Ukraine Declaration”, expressing support, is expected to be signed on Saturday during the annual meeting of the European Union of Railways (CER) in Vienna. ÖBB boss Andreas Matthä spoke of a “visible sign” in a press conference on Friday.
“The colleagues at Ukrainian Railways work every day under unimaginable circumstances and risk their lives. They need our support so that rail traffic in Ukraine can continue. It is therefore only logical and right that we as European railways are sending a strong message and commit ourselves – across all national borders and track widths – to helping together,” explained Matthä, current President of the CER.
The declaration on Ukraine was presented ahead of the two-day summit by Matthä, Krzysztof Maminski, CEO of the Polish State Railways and President of the International Union of Railways (UIC) and CER Vice-Chair, and Richard Lutz, CEO of Deutsche Bahn and CER Vice-Chair. At the press conference, Ukrainian Ambassador to Austria Vassyl Khymynets emphasized the relevance of the statement.
The joint declaration underlines the solidarity of the partner railways in Europe and the common European values. The railway chiefs pointed out that the Ukrainian railway infrastructure is the backbone of the humanitarian corridor for displaced people and aid supplies such as food and medical products. By June, four million people had been evacuated by train. “In times of crisis, you can rely on the railways,” says Matthä.
After the end of the war, the European railways want to be involved in the reconstruction of the railways and their infrastructure. They are appealing to the EU to set up a “Rebuild Ukraine” fund to make funds available for Ukraine’s railways and railway infrastructure quickly and unbureaucratically. Lutz said that the Ukrainian railways need to be integrated into the trans-European transport network in parallel with the admission process to the EU. According to the CER, 21 train stations, 49 railway bridges and 7,000 kilometers of rail infrastructure were destroyed.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine also brought international railway projects with Austrian participation to an abrupt halt. Nine years ago, the railway bosses from Russia, Ukraine, Slovakia and Austria signed a “Memorandum of Understanding” in Vienna on the planned extension of the Transsib broad-gauge railway to Vienna. ÖBB left the project company this spring as a result of the war, and this will now be dissolved, Matthä said on Friday.
The course is now set for the integration of Ukraine into the European rail network. The rail infrastructure is an important lever for growing together, said DB boss Lutz. Matthä also said there was “a certain logic” when the Ukrainian railways, the Ukrsalisnyzja, switched from the Russian broad gauge to the standard gauge of 1,435 mm, which is common in Europe, as part of the reconstruction process.
The different track gauges also delay grain transport from Ukraine to seaports in the west. At the moment, around 800,000 tons per month are transported overland, and the trend is rising, said Lutz. But in order to bring the total of 22 million tons to countries like Egypt, additional capacities are needed. It could be years before the sea route through the Black Sea can be reactivated, Lutz referred to the mines in the Ukrainian ports.
Source: Nachrichten
