Public joint-stock company Ukrzaliznytsia in 2016-2017 failed to conduct fundamental reforms, Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan has said.

"Let's be blunt: the reforms of 2016-2017 didn't happen. And until authority over Ukrainian Railways is returned to the Ministry of Infrastructure and until we fully implement corporatization - I don't believe we'll see any changes for the better. The temptation to use the lack of control and professional skills for personal enrichment is simply too great," the minister wrote on his Facebook page.

As reported, in January 2017, referring to Secretary of the Infrastructure Ministry of Ukraine Andriy Haluschak, the government transferred public joint-stock company Ukrzaliznytsia to the management of the government to increase efficiency of its corporate governance.

He said that the amendments are aimed to creating the conditions for conducing the company's corporate governance reform.

Under the law, the founder of Ukrzaliznytsia and its only shareholder is the Cabinet of Ministers.

"Now the government as a shareholder will be able to quickly make effective decisions required for the functioning of the company and reforms," he said.

Haluschak said that the role of the Ukrzaliznytsia's supervisory board as the management body headed by First Deputy Infrastructure Minister Yevhen Kravtsov would expand.

Omelyan then said that this decision of the government is the issue of the further reform of Ukrzaliznytsia.

"What is happening now is not the transfer of Ukrzaliznytsia from control of one party to another. This is the issue of reform – if it were conducted or not. I as minister and citizen has no desire or any attempts to totally control or influence the enterprises which I am authorized to manage. Smeliansky, Nowak, Veckagans and other heads of central executive power agencies and enterprises can confirm any second that my only requirement is development and efficiency," he then wrote on his Facebook page.