The opening of the Uzhhorod–Chop section of the European-gauge railway took place at the Uzhhorod railway station. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated the railway workers and thanked them for this achievement.
Thanks to this line, which is part of the European network, Uzhhorod has become the first regional center to be connected with Bratislava, Košice, Budapest, and Vienna.
"And this is just one of the initial steps in the actual integration of Ukraine’s railway into the EU network. We thank everyone who worked for this result, for this project. This is a joint project with the European Union. And ahead of us are thousands of similar projects. Ukraine will be part of the European Union. Absolutely," the President said.
The Head of State heard reports from Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine – Minister for Communities and Territories Development Oleksii Kuleba, and from the Chairman of Ukrzaliznytsia Oleksandr Pertsovskyi on the implementation of the flagship European-gauge railway project in our country. According to them, the length of this line is 22 kilometers, and much work still lies ahead.
"It is extremely important that, even during the war and despite all challenges, we are implementing such unifying projects. First, we connected with the electricity network. And that was a very serious energy – in every sense of the word – project. And today we are uniting through such a logistics project. All that remains is to end the war and join the European Union. I believe these are the right steps forward. Thank you," said the President.
Trains will run to Europe along the new line starting September 12. The European-gauge railway will then be extended to Lviv.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed special gratitude to the railway workers, who continue to perform their work despite all Russian attacks.
"During the war, this is probably a service. I know what difficult challenges exist across the country. And there are losses. My sincere condolences to all the families and loved ones of those killed. We deeply respect your work," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
