Ukrzaliznytsia launched a regular freight service between Romania and Ukraine

JSC “Ukrzaliznytsia” in collaboration with UZ Cargo Poland and the CTS “Lisky” branch has launched a regular freight service connecting Romania and Ukraine. The new route allows for the transportation of oversized cargo — in particular, sheet metal has already been delivered from the port of Constanța to the station of Perechyn.

This is reported by AgroReview

Advantages of the new logistics route

The launch of this service opens up additional opportunities for attracting clients in the field of rail freight transportation, which is extremely relevant in light of the decline in transportation volumes and revenues in the industry. Transportation is carried out through the border crossings of Halmeu and Diakovo, ensuring efficient and reliable connectivity between the ports of Romania and Ukraine.

“The new logistics route opens up additional opportunities for attracting clients, which is especially important in the context of declining freight volumes and industry revenues.”

For transportation from Chop-Lisky to the port of Constanța, 60-foot fitting platforms with wooden flooring are used. They are transferred from 1520 mm gauge trucks to 1435 mm gauge trucks, which avoids the need for cargo transloading.

Technological features and infrastructure development

The main advantage of the new route is the technology for changing wheelsets: platforms are converted from the wider gauge (1520 mm) to the standard European gauge (1435 mm) without transloading. This allows for:

• avoiding additional operations for unfastening and re-fastening the cargo;
• reducing costs for transloading and materials;
• significantly shortening border crossing time.

The process of changing wheelsets takes only a few hours, which is significantly faster compared to traditional wagon transloading.

Additionally, a high-speed motorway “Moldova” (Autostrada Moldovei or A7) is currently being built between Ukraine and Romania, which will provide Ukraine with new opportunities to access Romanian Black Sea ports. Upon completion, the route will connect southern Romania (Ploiești) with the northeastern region of the country, passing through Buzău, Focșani, Bacău, Roman, Pașcani, and Suceava, and further to the Ukrainian highway M19 near Siret in the Chernivtsi region.