Ukrzaliznytsia is laying a new track from Khirov to the border with Poland

Ukrzaliznytsia (UZ) is laying a new route from Khirov (Lviv region) to the border with Poland. Polish edition of Rynek Kolejowy informs about it.

“Not only the Poles were engaged in the railway line 108. The Ukrainians are also making repairs, which will allow trains from Przemysl to Khirov to run with European gauge,” the message says.

Work began in August 2022. Now in some areas, especially closer to Khirov, sleepers have been laid, and in some areas there is a track, which still needs to be covered with ballast and corrected. According to the photos posted on Twitter by the mayor of the Polish city of Ustriki-Dolishni, Bartosz Romanovich, sleepers, that are prepared for mounting rails with both a distance of 1435 mm and 1520 mm, are used.

In some sections, the laying of the railway track has not yet been carried out. It is likely that the work will be completed in the first half of 2023.

Railway line 108 was opened in emergency mode in March 2022 due to the war in Ukraine.

As GMK Center reported earlier, the development of a feasibility study for the expansion of the railway network of the European standard of 1435 mm to Ukraine and Moldova began. The preliminary feasibility study will be carried out by the European Investment Bank’s (EIB) technical advisory service JASPERS, led by the European Commission’s Mobility and Transport Directorate.

Also, since the beginning of 2022, Ukrzaliznytsia has completed a major overhaul of almost 400 km of railway tracks. The railway operator is also carrying out the electrification of 65 km of tracks. In June 2022, UZ electrified 43 km of the railway section Kovel – Izov – State border. The implementation of the project will increase the transfer of railcars through the border crossing with Poland.