UK to allocate $12.3 million for the repairs of Ukraine’s railway tracks

United Kingdom plans to allocate up to £10 million ($12.3 million) for the repairs of Ukrzaliznytsia’s railway tracks to facilitate the export of grain from the country, Interfax-Ukraine reported citing a statement by the Office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson.

“The United Kingdom will allocate up to £10 million for materials and equipment for Ukrzaliznytsia to repair the railway infrastructure and assist the export of grain from the country by rail,” the statement said.

United Kingdom is negotiating with the Government of Ukraine on how to “maximize the capacity of railways and ensure the movement of both trains and grain.”

UK is ready to increase support for Ukraine by another £429 million, or $525 million, in the form of loan guarantees from the World Bank. Thus, the volume of economic and humanitarian aid to Ukraine from the United Kingdom will increase to £1.5 billion ($1.8 billion). The economic part is £1.3 billion ($1.5 billion).

Earlier GMK Center reported that Ukrzaliznytsia in May 2022 maintained freight traffic at the level of the previous month – 9.152 million tons. Compared to May 2021, rail freight decreased by 65.5%. In January-May 2022, Ukrzaliznytsia transported 74.2 million tons of cargo, which is 39.2% less than in the same period last year.

As of May 18 Ukrzaliznytsia updated 195.8 km of railways. Thus, 55.9 km of tracks were reconstructed, 25.2 km of tracks were overhauled, and 114.7 km was repaired.