Ukraine and Bulgaria consider the development of railway communication as a priority

The countries discussed the construction of a third bridge across the Danube, which will facilitate the movement of goods and people

Ukraine and Bulgaria expressed readiness to work together to improve communication between the countries and identified the development of railway transport as a top priority. It was discussed at a meeting of the Ukrainian ambassador in Bulgaria Olesya Ilashchuk with the Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of transport and communications of the Republic of Bulgaria Hristo Alexiyev.

The interlocutors discussed the construction of a new third bridge across the Danube River, which will facilitate the movement of the growing flow of goods and people and help Ukraine in its recovery process.

Hristo Alexiyev emphasized Bulgaria’s efforts to ensure solidarity corridors to guarantee food security.

As GMK Center reported earlier, EBRD plans to provide credit support in the amount of €200 million to Ukrainian Railways (UZ). The board of directors of the bank plans to consider the relevant project at a meeting on May 10, 2023. The loan will enable UZ to increase its cross-border capacity with the European Union by eliminating bottlenecks at border crossings, as well as to repair relevant sections of railway tracks that were damaged as a result of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation.

Ukrainian Railways in 2022 reconstructed and overhauled 470 km of railway tracks. In addition, last year UZ electrified 82 km of tracks, which is a record for the last 10 years. Railway workers are also restoring the infrastructure destroyed by the enemy – 25 of the 69 destroyed bridges have been rebuilt.

The Ukrainian government plans to stimulate the process of creating joint railway checkpoints of Ukraine on the border with the neighboring countries of the European Union in order to speed up the logistics of domestic exporters. In 2022, UZ operated 13 cargo crossings on the borders with Poland, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Moldova. The company plans to increase their number to 19.