Ukrzaliznytsia, the national railway company of Ukraine, has recently announced plans to close about 70 stations, which accounts for approximately 5% of the total number of stations. Vyacheslav Yeromin, a board member, revealed this information during an interview with Rail.insider. He clarified that the stations to be closed are those that have remained non-operational for over five years. In place of some of these stations, the company intends to establish freight hubs.
Yeromin emphasized that their focus is on completely non-operational stations, rather than those with low activity. These unused sections have incurred costs related to depreciation, maintenance, and land taxes. Despite the current tax rate being reduced to 0.25%, such expenses persist.
“Our intention is not to have a single station for just one train car. Instead, we plan to create a hub capable of accommodating 100 train cars. Additionally, automobiles will handle the first and last legs of transportation, efficiently delivering goods to all destinations. With this smart logistical solution, the need for numerous stations will be minimized,” explained Yeromin.
Based on available statistics, Ukrzaliznytsia currently operates a network comprising 1,402 railway stations and approximately 70 of these stations are being considered for closure.
