Problems of international railway transport during martial law

Abstract

Introduction. Since the beginning of the full-scale war against Ukraine due to the blocking of sea ports, massive destruction of the transport infrastructure, railway transport has become the key mode of transport, which carries out most of the export-import supplies. The importance of finding potential ways to develop the country's export-import potential determines the relevance of the study. The purpose of the paper is to identify the existing problems of international transportation by rail in Ukraine and to provide certain recommendations for their solution and in order to increase the export-import potential of the country. Results. However, with the beginning of the war, railway transport suffered a significant reduction due to a number of problems. First, Ukrainian wagons cannot travel on European roads due to the difference in track width, and shippers need to replace wheeled carts and coupling devices for wagons. Secondly, Ukrzaliznytsia can provide approximately 3.5 thousand wagons for export every day, but due to the unpreparedness of the European side, a significant number of wagons accumulated daily at the borders. Thirdly, railway transport, is systematically losing its carrying capacity and rapidly degrading, which poses a real threat to the national economy, social stability. Finally, due to hostilities and constant missile attacks in Ukraine, the EU countries are unable to fully receive the necessary amount of cargo by rail. Conclusion. In order to overcome the problems of international transportation by rail, it is necessary: to increase the capacity of railway checkpoints on the western borders of Ukraine, to optimize the technical and organizational compatibility of the railway systems, to improve the capacity of Ukrzaliznytsia, to promptly carry out repair works of railway infrastructure and to strengthen the capacity of the receiving parties to transport cargo with a European-style railway system.