Mykhailo is head of the Lviv station service at Ukrainian Railways.
"This is the furthest point of Ukraine, which opens, so to speak, the gates to Europe", he says during a tour of Chop railway station, which lies on western Ukraine’s border with Slovakia and Hungary.
"This is our gateway to exports and imports to and from European countries", he says.
Following Russia's illegal, full-scale invasion, the EU, Moldova and Ukraine worked together to launch the EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes: new and upgraded transport routes to ensure imports and exports could continue to flow despite the war.
Chop station is at the heart of a Solidarity Lanes effort, funded by the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), to help integrate Ukraine’s railway network with that of the EU. Construction of a European standard gauge line has already begun here, and further CEF-funded upgrades are expected to get underway in 2025.
The Solidarity Lanes initiative is crucial for fostering cooperation and mutual help between countries, which is more important than ever, he stresses.
"Rail is an important artery that helps to export and import, and to transport passengers in peacetime and wartime, as well as military equipment, and everything that is needed for us to prosper, to win and continue our lives in a normal, peaceful way".
The Solidarity Lanes are bringing Ukraine, Moldova and the EU closer together than ever before.
