Ukrainian Railways Basic vocabulary
to allocate |
призначати |
reliance |
надія |
renewal |
відновлення |
to designate |
визначати |
to embark |
починати |
to handle |
перебирати, керувати, регулювати, брати, тримати в руках, поводитися |
the purchase |
покупка |
extensive rail network |
широка залізнична мережа |
total route length |
загальна довжина маршруту |
to inherit |
успадковувати |
to rank |
шикуватися, класифікувати |
operational and financial performance |
експлуатаційна та фінансова характеристика |
upgrading |
удосконалення |
to provide |
забезпечувати, постачати, передбачати |
to improve |
вдосконалювати, поліпшувати |
transit hub |
транзитний центр |
pan-European railway corridors |
загальноєвропейські залізничні коридори |
competitive |
конкурентний, конкуруючий |
staged programme |
поетапна програма |
to enhance network capacity |
підвищувати (збыльшувати) перепускну спроможність мережі |
Ukraine has one of the most extensive rail networks in Europe, with a total route length of approximately 22,000 km, employing 352,000 people. Ukraine inherited a strong transport infrastructure from the former USSR, and the country's geographical position gives the railway a major advantage as a key transit route between western and central Europe, Russia and other CIS countries. In terms of rail freight volumes, Ukraine currently ranks fourth in the Eurasian market behind China, Russia, and India.
Ukrzaliznytsya (the State Administration of Rail Transport) was established in December 1991, to centralize the management of the country's rail network after Ukraine had declared independence from the Soviet Union in September 1991. The enabling legislation transferred control of six regional companies from SZD (Soviet Railways) to UZ (Ukrzaliznytsya). At present railway transportation of Ukraine shares 37.5% of the country's passenger traffic. There are 61 pairs of Ukrzaliznytsya International passenger trains, 56 of them running between Ukraine and the CIS countries and 5- between Ukraine and the EU countries. Two thirds of Ukrainian railway lines are heavy-traffic, equipped with modern control means, dispatcher's warning and automatic block systems.
International and local financing have helped to support a series of investment projects, and in 2007 year the railway administration Ukrzaliznytsya approved a US$2bn investment program that continued the technical modernization of the railway over the next few years. The only biggest priority remains the renewal of rolling stock, with US$920m allocated for the purchase of new freight wagons, passenger coaches, locomotives and EMUs. The other main emphasis is on infrastructure upgrading for operation at higher speeds, plus further electrification to reduce the transport sectors reliance on fossil fuel.
In 2000, UZ instituted a number of measures to improve its operational performance. These had led to increased traffic volumes, more transit business and an improved financial performance. In the last years, UZ has seen a steady growth in freight traffic, both in terms of the volume of traffic and the average journey length. In November 2010, UZ agreed to buy 10 high-speed HRCS2 multiple units of interurban trainsets from Hyundai Rotem, with the prospect of a much larger order or joint venture for local production. The first Hyundai trains, rated as Inter City+, started operating in 2012, connecting Kiev with Kharkiv, Donetsk, Simferopol and Lviv, and at the end of the year with Dnipropetrovsk and Odessa. Large-scale renewal of the locomotive park with domestic locomotives is planned by UZ for the following years. The new technology for the railways will be supplied by Luhanskteplovoz and Zaporizhzhia Electric Locomotive Repair Plant, which jointly with the Czech company Skoda will make the first locomotive in 2015.
Ukraine's geographical position provides a great opportunity to act as a transit hub, and in recent years the volume of transit freight has been growing steadily, from 30.7 million tonnes in 2000 to 68.6 million tonnes in 2007. The development of international corridors is a critical element in aligning the country with the wider European transport policy. Three of the designated pan-European railway corridors run across Ukraine, with a total length of more than 3000 km.
UZ believes that its focus on modernization will help to make the railway more competitive for transit freight. This will allow the rail to attract a greater proportion of the traffic now moving by sea between Asia and Europe, thanks to a more flexible tariff policy, better information and management technologies and the development of intermodal operations. As an example, UZ has recently embarked on a staged programme to enhance network capacity for traffic moving to and from the Crimea region. Meanwhile, the number of passengers carried by UZ has been declining in the past five years, although the distance travelled in passenger-km has been increasing. Because of the regulated fare structure, the passenger business is currently loss-making and cross-subsidized from the profits generated by the freight sector. Passenger operations are split between commuter and long-distance services, both domestic and international.