At the end of 2022, Ukrzaliznytsia reduced the transportation of iron and manganese ores by 45.9 million tons, or by 59.2%, compared to 2021 – to 31.7 million tons. The volume of ferrous metals transportation during the same period decreased by 57.8% – to 9.2 million tons.
From the very beginning of the war, Ukrainian iron and steel companies experienced difficulties in exporting both finished products and raw materials. The blockade of ports forced the companies of the industry to reorient shipments to the railway and ports located in the EU countries.
Border railroad crossings could not cope with the influx of cargo, because of which the wagons with products stood in queues for weeks. To a certain extent, the queues of wagons at the border were associated with the inability of European ports to process cargo coming from Ukraine. As of February 9, 2023, the line with iron ore was 7,700 wagons, with steel – 666 wagons. The longest queue is at the Chop border crossing – 4165 wagons with iron ore, at the Uzhgorod crossing – 2383 wagons with iron ore.
The main challenges for Ukrainian exports by rail in 2022 include the following:
In total, UZ transported 150.6 million tons of cargo in 2022, which is 52.1% less than in 2021. Export traffic through western border crossings increased by 12.4% y/y – up to 34 million tons.
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