CPK And Ukrainian Railways Have Signed A Cooperation Agreement

Centralny Port Komunikacyjny and Ukrainian Railways (Ukrzaliznyca) signed a cooperation agreement during Railway Direction Days in Warsaw. The document stipulates closer cooperation in the construction of new transport infrastructure, including High Speed Rail. The signatories also declared their willingness to contribute to the reconstruction of Ukraine once the war is over. One of the most important objectives of the three-year agreement is the development of new cross-border connections on the 1,435 mm gauge, in particular the construction of a high-speed railway line. 

The document provides for the joint preparation of a feasibility study for the planned new railway lines between Poland and Ukraine. It identifies the construction of a HSL on the Warsaw - Lviv - Kiev route (an extension of CPK railway spoke no. 5 to Lviv, and ultimately to Kiev), with an assumed maximum operating speed of 250 km/h. Therefore, CPK has declared its readiness to exchange knowledge and experience, and to transfer its technical standards of the HSL, as well as the Passenger Transport Model.

“A modern, high-capacity and efficient infrastructure is a key element for safety in the Three Seas region. In the long term, the development of transport infrastructure will be a very important element in the reconstruction of Ukraine”, says Mark Brzezinski, US Ambassador to Poland. This is a historic moment. Together with Ukrainian Railways, we are starting joint work on the Warsaw-Lviv-Kiev HSR line. The shortest route from Ukraine to the EU goes through Poland and CPK", says Mikołaj Wild, CEO of CPK.

“Today's agreement aims to improve railway links between Ukraine, Poland and the EU, facilitate passenger traffic, improve economic exchange and strengthen the safety of our transport corridors. I hope that cooperation with the CPK will bring us closer to the construction of the first HSR with a European gauge and will be an important step towards Ukraine's integration with the EU", says Volodymyr Shemaev, Director of the Office of International Projects of Ukrainian Railways.

The agreement provides for the creation of a working group to fulfil the objectives of the signed agreement through workshops, joint research, exchange of documentation and experience. Centralny Port Komunikacyjny and Ukrainian Railways will jointly seek opportunities to obtain EU funding for the planned lines. EU standards for the design, construction and maintenance of railway infrastructure, including signalling and GSM-R, are to be implemented as part of the partnership. In the future, both parties also agreed to jointly develop a management model for the constructed lines.