JSC Ukrzaliznytsia submitted projects worth more than EUR 80 million for the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) call, the Ministry of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development (Ministry of Reconstruction) announced on Facebook on Tuesday.

Ukrzaliznytsia expects the results of the CEF project call in June this year. Funding for projects for the development of railway crossing points with the European Union for more than EUR 80 million shall be approved. Among the projects is the preparation of a strategy for the development of European-gauge tracks (1435 mm wide) for the Lviv railway junction," the Ministry of Reconstruction said in a statement.

As the press service of the ministry told Interfax-Ukraine, part of the Ukrzaliznytsia project proposal is to conduct an examination at the section of the Medyka/Mostyska II border crossing point - Lviv (Sknyliv).

"According to the project proposal of Ukrzaliznytsia JSC within the framework of the call for attracting grant funding under the EU Connecting Europe Facility programme (2023 CEF Transport Call), a component of the project is to conduct an examination for compliance with the TSI requirements of a 1435 mm gauge track on the section of the Medyka/Mostyska II border crossing point - Lviv (Sknyliv). This examination is an important element of the compatibility of the technical systems of Ukrainian and European railways, which will precede construction and installation work at the site," the Ministry of Reconstruction reported.

The ministry emphasized that last summer, in the study "Strategy for the EU Integration of the Ukrainian and Moldovan rail systems," the European Union prioritized the Mostyska-Sknyliv section as a priority for implementation.

"In the future, it is expected to attract co-financing for this facility from EU structures and banks," says the response of the press service of the Ministry of Reconstruction to the Interfax-Ukraine agency.

Among the Ukrzaliznytsia's proposals submitted for consideration for financing under the CEF mechanism are the preparation of a feasibility study for the introduction of 1435 mm gauge on the Chop - Lviv section, reconstruction of railway structures with the construction of 1435 mm gauge and electrification of the section Lviv - Chernivtsi - Vadul-Siret - State Border, Pavlovo-2 /Matevtse - Uzhgorod, the Ministry of Reconstruction said in the statement.

In May 2022, the European Commission unveiled a set of measures to create Solidarity Lanes to help Ukraine restore supply chains and export agricultural products.

"The European Commission emphasized its readiness to increase the infrastructure potential of new export corridors and establish new infrastructure links as part of the recovery of Ukraine. In this context, CEF has become a key program for improving transport links between the EU and Ukraine, developing the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) and establishing exports from Ukraine to EU," the Ministry of Reconstruction said.