Ukraine and Spain to develop automatic gauge-changing system to speed up freight rail crossings
Ukraine and Spain have agreed to launch a joint project aimed at accelerating cargo transportation to the EU. The initiative involves a technology that will allow freight trains to cross the border without stopping, Ukraine’s Ministry for Development reported.
The relevant agreements were signed during President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Spain.
The core of the project is the creation of an automatic track gauge-changing system. Currently, this is one of the main bottlenecks at the border: Ukraine uses a wider gauge (1,520 mm) than EU countries (1,435 mm). As a result, trains must stop—either to reload cargo or to change wheelsets, which increases both transit time and costs.
The new technology will allow railcars to automatically adjust to a different track gauge while in motion. This will reduce border crossing times and lower logistics costs.
The project will be implemented by Ukrzaliznytsia in cooperation with Spanish companies TRIA and Adif, which already have experience working with different track gauge standards.
Spain will provide a €5.48 mln grant to support the project’s preparation. This is the first infrastructure project of Ukrzaliznytsia to be implemented under the €200 mln agreements between Ukraine and Spain.
