Ukrzaliznytsia to set quotas for import of freight cars, ban loading non-residents' wagons
Ukrzaliznytsia has developed a state program for the renewal of the freight car fleet for 2021-2025.
According to the company's website, the goal of the program is to improve the technical condition of the wagons operated in Ukraine and to support domestic rolling stock manufacturers.
The program, in particular, establishes quotas for import of foreign-made freight cars and contains a ban on loading cars owned by non-residents at Ukrainian stations.
"The state should take these steps as soon as possible to protect the domestic market from expansion, when thousands of old foreign cars are imported to Ukraine. Most of these cars are imported from Russia. Their condition, to put it mildly, is not good, and this threatens traffic safety, and sometimes, as we can see, it even leads to derailing of the railcars. At the same time, this situation also hinders the development of the domestic car building industry," Ivan Yuryk, the acting chairman of the board of Ukrzaliznytsia, said.
According to him, the program will also include the calculation of the required fleet of cars for each type to ensure the transportation of the projected cargo volumes.
"The freight carriage market should not simultaneously have a significant surplus of one type of wagons and a catastrophic shortage of another. There must be a balance that will fully meet business needs for freight transportation by rail. We will also strengthen technical requirements for extending the service life of freight wagons. They should go out on the way only with proper quality," the expert said.
Ukrzaliznytsia plans to approve the state program for renewal of the freight car fleet of Ukraine for 2021-2025 by the end of this year.