Ukrainian railway company builds its first grain hopper wagon to fit European tracks – video

Ukrainian railway company Ukrzaliznytsia has built a grain hopper wagon at its own facilities, adapted for transport on the so-called European gauge. Source: Press service of Ukrzaliznytsia, reported by European Pravda Details: The wagon is designed to transport grain and other bulk foodstuffs and can use both 1,520 mm tracks (common in Ukraine) and 1,435 mm Euro tracks.

"Most of the components and materials for it are domestically produced," says Ukrzaliznytsia.

As the grain wagon meets the requirements applicable to European Union infrastructure, it reduces the cost of logistics and simplifies the procedure for coordinating international rail transport, Ukrzaliznytsia adds. Ukrzaliznytsia CEO Yevhen Liashchenko says the company wants to put such wagons into mass production. The most common track gauge in the world is 1,435 mm (4 feet 8.5 inches).

This gauge is used by 60% of the world's railways, including those in North America, China and Europe (with the exception of the CIS countries, the Baltic States, Finland, Ireland, Spain and Portugal). Ukraine currently has 1,520 mm gauge tracks. Since the mid-19th century, the standard gauge on the railways of the Russian Empire (later the USSR), Finland and Mongolia has been 1,524 mm.

From May 1970 to the early 1990s, the USSR's railways switched to a 1,520 mm gauge.

The Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly spoken about their intention to switch the railway service in Ukraine to a narrow gauge.

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