Ukrainian Railways opposes idea of abolishing upper service life limits for railcars due to safety risks

Ukrzaliznytsia (Ukrainian Railways) opposes abolishing upper service life limits for railcars because, in the company’s opinion, this would create risks for railway transportation safety in Ukraine, according to a response to an Interfax-Ukraine inquiry.

"A certain margin of reliability and durability is built into the design of railcars," the company explained, adding that given the operating conditions of freight railcars, their technical condition changes after three to five years of operation, including their margins of reliability and durability.

Therefore, in order to further determine the residual service life of a freight railcar, technical diagnostics are conducted in accordance with approved service life extension programs for railcars, which provide for assessment of their condition taking into account reliability and durability margins.

Ukrzaliznytsia reported that it currently cannot forecast the future number of freight railcars due to the effect of Order No. 267 of the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine, under which, during martial law and for six months afterward, the extension of freight railcar operation after expiration of their maximum service life is permitted.

As reported, Ukraine’s main industrial associations and unions support abolishing maximum service life standards for freight railcars, prioritizing their technical condition instead.

The logistics committee of the European Business Association (EBA) prepared proposals for a draft order of the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine regarding amendments to freight railcar repair procedures and also called for abolishing maximum service life limits.

Among the business community’s key proposals are preserving the repair contractor identification number for work traceability, ensuring the independence of the special diagnostic organization, and introducing a six-month transition period before the new rules take effect.

In addition, the association stressed the need to abandon the practice of limiting railcar operation solely on the basis of the manufacturer-established service life period.

Business representatives believe that the possibility of further use of rolling stock should be determined by its actual technical condition and remaining service life, which corresponds to international practice in the United States and the European Union.

According to EBA assessments, the current approach in Ukraine leads to additional growth in logistics costs.