Uzhhorod Has Become The First Regional Capital In Ukraine With A Direct Rail Connection To The EU

It is no longer necessary to change locomotives at the border.

Ukrzaliznytsia has completed the electrification of Ukraine’s first European-gauge railway line—the section between Uzhhorod and Chop.

The electrification of this European-standard rail section within Ukraine paves the way for the launch of direct passenger service to Europe without having to change locomotives at the border. This was announced by Ukraine’s Minister of Recovery, Infrastructure, and Transport Mykola Kalashnyk, according to the ministry.

“We are making Uzhhorod the first regional center with direct rail service to EU countries. The next goal is to complete electrification up to the border with Hungary by the end of 2026, so that passenger trains from Austria, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Hungary can run directly to Ukrainian cities without unnecessary delays,”, Kalashnik said.

As part of the first phase, railway workers installed 591 catenary poles and strung nearly 48 km of catenary wire on the section between Uzhhorod and Chop.

The total cost of the project is 1.3 billion UAH, 50% of which is a non-repayable grant from the European Union under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF Transport) program. The remainder is financed from the state budget and Ukrzaliznytsia’s own funds (specifically, 285 million UAH has been allocated from the state budget for the project’s implementation in 2026).

Work is currently underway on the second phase of the project—the electrification of the section from Chop to the state border with Hungary (Záhony)—which is scheduled for completion by the end of 2026.

Since this section is electrified with 3 kV direct current, while Hungary uses 25 kV alternating current, dual-voltage electric locomotives will be used to allow trains to operate without changing locomotives. This will reduce travel time for passengers, lower the railroad’s operating costs, and enable passenger trains from Hungary, Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic to run directly to Uzhhorod.

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