On February 1, Decree No. 647 of the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine came into force, which launched the program for a large-scale renewal of the fleet of gondola cars and grain carriers.
The document establishes the maximum service life of a freight car, which will gradually decrease. In 10 years, for gondola cars, it will decrease to 22 years, for grain carriers - to 30 years. In 2031, the maximum service life will be equal to the standard one set by the wagon manufacturer.
A program for the construction of new freight cars is also being launched. It involves the construction of more than 50 thousand units, including 36.7 thousand gondola cars and 14.6 thousand grain carriers.
According to participants in the transportation market, today in Ukraine more than 54% of freight cars are operated with an exceeded standard service life, which entails a large number of accidents and rolling stock convergence, and also leads to a drop in overall performance.
Renewal of the freight car fleet will not only improve the safety on the tracks and the efficiency of the transportation industry, but also give impetus to the development of a number of related sectors of the economy.
According to analysts, investments in the amount of more than 120 billion hryvnias will be needed to finance the program for the construction of a freight car park. It is assumed that the state will invest more than 52 billion hryvnias in the renewal of the wagon fleet, private investors - about 68 million dollars.
