New Poland-Ukraine railway connection via emerging hub will be the fastest
The Polish Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK) and Ukrainian Railways (Uz) have agreed to start developing a new railway line connecting Poland and Ukraine. Accordingly, it will be the fastest route between the two countries serving both freight and passenger services.
The agreement was concluded within the framework of the Railway Direction Days conference, held in Warsaw in late January. The conference was set to streamline joint investments in the Three Seas region, including countries like the Baltics, Poland, Ukraine, Hungary, Slovakia and Czechia.
“Plans include the construction of 4,500 kilometres of railway lines, and the Warsaw-Kyiv line will be one of the most important and “the shortest between Ukraine and the EU”, commented Mikołaj Wild, CEO of CPK. Most importantly, it will pass through an emerging Polish hub: CPK, which will be an airport also serving road and rail, both for passengers and cargo.
The importance of Poland for the rail freight industry cannot be denied. It plays a crucial role within Europe, with connections to almost every corner of the continent. That is why we organise the RailFreight Summit for the 6th year in a row now on 19 & 20 April in Warsaw. You can take a look at the programme here and register here.
‘Historic moment’
The new line connecting Ukraine with the EU via Poland will start from Warsaw and end in Kyiv while transiting via Lublin Zamość on the Polish side and Lviv on the Ukrainian side. It will be a high-speed railway line; trains will be able to reach a speed of up to 250 kilometres per hour.
Most importantly, the line will be constructed within the EU gauge standards, using only the 1,435 mm gauge. “Together with Ukrainian Railways, we are starting joint work on the Warsaw-Lviv-Kyiv line. This is a historic moment”, highlighted Mikołaj Wild.
The new line will “improve railway links between Ukraine, Poland and the EU,[…], improve economic exchange and strengthen the safety of our transport corridors. It will also be an important step towards Ukraine’s integration with the EU”, mentioned Volodymyr Shemaev, director of the office of international projects at Uz.
CPK a key hub
The acronym CPK might not sound familiar, but it has been around for quite some time. An abbreviation for Centralny Port Komunikacyjny, the CPK claims it will become a protagonist hub for passenger and freight services in the heart of Poland.
The CPK, formerly known also as Solidarity Transport Hub, will be ready in 2027 and replace Warsaw’s Chopin Airport. Its location is in Stanisławów, between Warsaw and Łódz in Central Poland. The large facility will serve air, road and rail connections. Specifically, regarding rail, the CPK railway system will be based on approximately 2,000 kilometres of new high-speed rail (HSR) lines and 3,700 kilometres of modernised railway lines.
“A significant advantage of CPK will be intermodality and its central position allowing for excellent connections with every part of Poland and countries all over Europe. Thanks to these elements, it will be possible to reload equipment or goods onto rail in no time. This way, it will be possible to move people or cargo efficiently from the centre of Poland to any part of Europe”, explained the CPK a few months ago to RailFreight.com.
This was also confirmed by NATO’s praise of the new facility. “We need depth and redundancy in transportation infrastructure. The CPK project will add capability that no other node in Poland (or elsewhere in Eastern Europe) can match”, commented American general Ben Hodges when discussing military mobility in Europe.
Poland-Ukraine rail freight
Poland and Ukraine have always been close, but the importance of a good rail freight network between the countries is now more important than ever. This is why during the RailFreight Summit 2023 the rail freight connection between the two countries will be highlighted with a focus on stimulating new business opportunities to enlarge the potential for rail freight. Make sure you book a ticket and follow the session.
On top of that, the sixth edition of the RailFreight Summit will bring something new and exciting! This year we are happy to announce that the event will travel to Malaszewicze, the most popular border crossing on the New Silk Road. This full-day site visit takes place on 20 April, from 09:00-19:00 and includes transportation from the event venue to Malaszewicze and back.
The visit will include an exclusive tour of the terminals, presentations, discussions and much more. You can add the site visit to your registration directly in the registration form.
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