Accordingto Magda Kopczyńska, Director-General for Mobility and Transport at the European Commission, the transition to the 1,435-mm standard is of great practical importance. Trains will be able to run on European tracks without having to replace their bogies. This will significantly speed up logistics, which is critical for military cargo.
Ukraine has already taken the first practical steps toward implementing this plan. The current situation is as follows:
- The Chop–Uzhhorod section: the first 23 km of European-gauge track have already been put into operation.
- Route to Lviv: Construction is currently underway on a line that will connect the region to the European network.
- Odesa hub: planned as the next phase of network expansion.
From a strategic perspective, TEN-T is intended to cover the entire territory of Ukraine, including a connection to Mariupol once the war ends.
For both military purposes and postwar reconstruction
The experience of full-scale war has demonstrated the need to plan infrastructure with military mobility in mind. Uzhhorod is set to become a key transportation hub where passengers can conveniently transfer from broad-gauge trains to European routes heading to Slovakia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Romania, Austria, and other countries. This approach will lay a solid foundation for economic recovery, with a modern rail network serving as the backbone of domestic and international freight traffic, according to the Ministry of Finance.
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