The European Investment Bank (EIB) has committed €50m ($54m) to enhance Ukraine’s railway infrastructure at critical border crossings with European Union (EU) member states.
This investment is part of the EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes initiative and aims to strengthen cross-border connectivity and trade.
The funding agreement between the EIB and Ukraine’s Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories will support upgrades at border points with Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania.
The initiative is co-funded by a grant from the EU under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) and includes advisory support from JASPERS, a partnership between the European Commission and the EIB.
The EIB financing, backed by an EU guarantee under the Ukraine Facility, will be used to modernise border infrastructure and adjacent railway sections within Ukraine to help increase the volume and speed of goods transported across the borders.
Upgrades include track repairs, relocation of wagon inspections, reconstruction of an intermodal terminal, and installation of new equipment such as cranes.
EIB vice president Teresa Czerwinska said: “The EIB has been a long-standing partner of Ukrzaliznytsia (Ukranian Railways) from well before the very first days of the war.
“With this new support, we are continuing to strengthen Ukraine’s railway infrastructure at a critical time.”
This €50m ($54m) financing is part of a €150m ($162m) EIB initiative to modernise Ukraine’s railways.
In 2022, the first €100m ($108m) was allocated through the EIB’s Ukraine Solidarity Urgent Response for emergency repairs and restoration of vital rail services, supplemented by a €6.7m ($7.2m) EU grant for immediate wartime needs.
Ukraine Restoration Deputy Prime Minister and Communities Development and Ukraine Territories Minister Oleksii Kuleba said: “Railway infrastructure has become one of Ukraine’s key lifelines – keeping goods moving, delivering essential services and ensuring strategic links with the European Union.
“We welcome this €50m in EIB support, now directed towards upgrading our rail border crossing points.”
In May 2024, LTG Group, Lithuania’s state rail company, and Ukrainian Railways collaborated to create a joint international intermodal route between Klaipeda and Kyiv aimed at enhancing the transport corridor between Lithuania and Ukraine.
