The Ukrainian government plans to start the gradual construction of a narrow-gauge railway to connect with the European railway, Prime Minister Denis Shmyhal said. First, the state wants to connect several large cities, and then gradually expand the Eurorail to the whole country.

The transition to a narrow-gauge track will be of strategic importance not only in terms of EU integration but also in terms of military integration, as Russia is actively using rail connections to transfer troops, equipment, fuel, and ammunition. The transition to a different track from the aggressor country will allow the introduction of additional security measures.

Earlier in an interview with Ekonomichna Pravda (Economic Truth) director of Ukrzaliznytsia Vyacheslav Yeromin reported that changing the track is “expensive, time consuming and difficult, but necessary”. He also noted that the government is considering laying Eurorails first in the following directions: Lviv – Kyiv, Lviv – Odesa, Lviv – Kryvyi Rih. Unfortunately, such construction is unlikely to begin until the end of the war.

In addition to the Eurorail, the government also plans to connect Ukraine to the EU’s single roaming space, which will allow subscribers to make calls between the EU and Ukraine at no extra cost, and allow Ukrainians to use mobile internet at the rates of their operators. Back in March, Kyivstar arranged with a number of operators in European countries for similar conditions, which allowed Ukrainian refugees to save on mobile communications, using the same tariffs as at home.