The state-owned enterprise Ukrzaliznytsia and the Polish operator PKP Intercity have concluded a new agreement, which provides for the provision of rail transportation services in Poland by the Ukrainian side.
The contract worth almost PLN 17.956 million was signed in early March and is designed for a three-year operation period. According to the document, the Ukrainian carrier will ensure the implementation of international flights passing through Polish hub stations.
Although the detailed terms of the contract are confidential, it is known that the services cover key routes from Warsaw, Przemyśl and Chełm, as well as strategic connections between the capitals of Ukraine and Poland. A feature of this cooperation is the use of exclusively Ukrainian rolling stock and the involvement of domestic train crews to serve passengers along the entire route.
“We chose the model of a direct negotiation procedure without an open tender, since for technical reasons only one partner could provide these specific transportations”, — representatives of the Polish operator noted.
The applied procedure fully complies with the current legislation on public procurement in Poland. PKP Intercity emphasized that negotiations with other companies regarding this scope of work were not held, because the technical parameters of the routes and rolling stock required an integrated approach, which was proposed by the Ukrainian side.
“The agreement is an important part of our commercial strategy, however, additional details regarding changes in international connections are not currently disclosed due to confidentiality conditions”, — the Polish carrier emphasized.
In parallel with the development of operational cooperation in Poland, preparations have begun for the modernization of the infrastructure at the border crossing in Dorohusk. The project involves the construction of a modern terminal and changes to the system of control procedures, which in the future should significantly simplify border crossing for passenger trains.
Such steps complement the parties’ previous agreements on the resumption of intermodal transportation within the Eurasian railway corridor.
Despite large-scale infrastructure plans, official sources are not currently reporting any radical changes to the current traffic schedule between the countries. The new agreement is designed primarily to stabilize and improve the quality of service on existing popular routes.
