Ukrzaliznytsia
Encyclopedia
Ukrzaliznytsia also known as Ukrainian Railways, is the State Administration of Railroad Transportation in Ukraine
, monopoly
that controls vast majority of the railroad transportation in the country with a combined total length of track of over 23,000 km, which makes Ukrainian railroad network 14th in the world. Ukrzaliznytsia is also the world's 6th largest rail passenger transporter and world's 7th largest freight transporter
.
State Administration of Railroad Transportation is subordinated to the Ministry of Infrastructure, administering the railways through the 6 territorial railway companies, which in turn immediately control and provide of all aspects of the railroad transportation and maintenance. The general director of the administration is appointed by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine
.
The administration employs over 375,000 people through all regions of the country.
(in the western territories), and later in the Russian Empire
-controlled territories, having seen major development and reformation since. For more information, see:
of Ukraine on separation from the Soviet Union
, all railroad administration was temporarily passed to the South-Western Railways. According to the resolution, all assets located within the borders of the former Ukrainian SSR
became property of Ukraine
. To improve efficiency in such administration it was to create a special centralized administration. On December 14, 1991 the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine
issued a declaration #356 "In creation of the State Administration of Railroad Transportation in Ukraine" which proclaimed Ukrzaliznytsia a government body in administration railroad transportation uniting the six state railroad companies.
, Odessa, Southern, South-Western
and Near-Dnipro. The subdivision is purely administrative as it doesn't correspond to the particular railway lines or branches. The names of regional railways are purely historic, inherited from the Russian
and Austro-Hungarian Empires. For instance, the 'South-Western Railway' actually operates the 'north-central' part of Ukraine's rail network (in the area of the Kiev Oblast
. The 'Southern Railway' actually operates in the east of the country, whilst the Near-Dnipro Railways are the southern-most.
The six separate territorial railways each have their own directorates, located in the following cities:
The development of a new classification system for passenger trains in Ukraine was made necessary by the need to inform customers (passengers) about the level of service quality they could expect to find in various passenger trains. The new system is based on the class of train and carriages.
Given the quality of the service provided UZ asked the following classes of passenger trains:
The advantages of the new classification system include: full compliance with the classification of the European Union, compliance with Ukrainian and English names and abbreviations, clarity for customers, linguistic and semantic consistency and clarity for customers in Ukraine and compatibility with existing and future tariff policy. The system is also not far displaced from the previous classification system used for passenger trains on the territory of Ukraine and therefore should not cause major problems when introduced.
By the end of 2005 the railways had produced a profit equivalent to 1.76 billion UAH (7.5 million USD) from all their operations including freight, passenger service, associated services and the operation of subsidiaries. The total capital invested in fixed assets of the State Railways is thought to be equivalent to around 22 billion UAH (4.4 billion USD), however, depreciation of these fixed assets is estimated to be around 57%, or in terms of rolling stock, closer to 66.7%.
and consists of 1,648 stations of all sizes spread throughout the country. The largest stations are Nyzhnodniprovsk-Vuzol (in the city of Dnipropetrovsk
) and Darnytsia
(in the capital Kiev
).
have already been upgraded.
, and 141 locomotives (including class VL11M/6) from Elmavalmshenebeli.
currently has 10 faculties as well as a technical school, a business school and branches in Odessa
and Lviv
, 450 professors and 39 separate fields of study related to Railway transport.
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, monopoly
Monopoly
A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...
that controls vast majority of the railroad transportation in the country with a combined total length of track of over 23,000 km, which makes Ukrainian railroad network 14th in the world. Ukrzaliznytsia is also the world's 6th largest rail passenger transporter and world's 7th largest freight transporter
Rail usage statistics by country
This article gives rail usage statistics by country according to the International Union of Railways and other sources.-Passenger rail:All figures include passenger rail only, thus including suburban railways, but excluding metros....
.
State Administration of Railroad Transportation is subordinated to the Ministry of Infrastructure, administering the railways through the 6 territorial railway companies, which in turn immediately control and provide of all aspects of the railroad transportation and maintenance. The general director of the administration is appointed by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine
Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine
The Cabinet of Ukraine is the highest body of state executive power in Ukraine also referred to as the Government of Ukraine...
.
The administration employs over 375,000 people through all regions of the country.
Pre-history
Railways in Ukraine were built under the imperial rule of the Austria-HungaryAustria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
(in the western territories), and later in the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
-controlled territories, having seen major development and reformation since. For more information, see:
- History of UkraineHistory of UkraineThe territory of Ukraine was a key center of East Slavic culture in the Middle Ages, before being divided between a variety of powers. However, the history of Ukraine dates back many thousands of years. The territory has been settled continuously since at least 5000 BC, and is also a candidate site...
- Imperial Royal Austrian State Railways
- History of rail transport in RussiaHistory of rail transport in RussiaIn Russia, the largest country in the world, its geography of N.-S. rivers and E.-W. commerce made it very suited to develop railroads as its basic mode of transportation...
.
Independent Ukraine
On September 24, 1991, following the resolution of the Verkhovna RadaVerkhovna Rada
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is Ukraine's parliament. The Verkhovna Rada is a unicameral parliament composed of 450 deputies, which is presided over by a chairman...
of Ukraine on separation from the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, all railroad administration was temporarily passed to the South-Western Railways. According to the resolution, all assets located within the borders of the former Ukrainian SSR
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or in short, the Ukrainian SSR was a sovereign Soviet Socialist state and one of the fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union lasting from its inception in 1922 to the breakup in 1991...
became property of Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. To improve efficiency in such administration it was to create a special centralized administration. On December 14, 1991 the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine
Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine
The Cabinet of Ukraine is the highest body of state executive power in Ukraine also referred to as the Government of Ukraine...
issued a declaration #356 "In creation of the State Administration of Railroad Transportation in Ukraine" which proclaimed Ukrzaliznytsia a government body in administration railroad transportation uniting the six state railroad companies.
Administrative structure
The railways are split into 6 territorial railway companies: Donets'k, LvivLviv Railways
Lviv Railways is a territorial branch company of Ukrzaliznytsia headquartered in Lviv.-General description:Lviv Railways administers all railroads of Lviv Oblast, Zakarpattia Oblast, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, Chernivtsi Oblast, Ternopil Oblast, Volyn Oblast and most of Rivne Oblast...
, Odessa, Southern, South-Western
Southwestern Railways
Southwestern Railways , headquartered in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, is a component part of the Ukrzaliznytsia company. SWR's route map includes all the railroads in the Kiev, Zhytomyr, Chernihiv, Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi and Sumy oblasts .As of 2008, SWR's rail system included of track, of...
and Near-Dnipro. The subdivision is purely administrative as it doesn't correspond to the particular railway lines or branches. The names of regional railways are purely historic, inherited from the Russian
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
and Austro-Hungarian Empires. For instance, the 'South-Western Railway' actually operates the 'north-central' part of Ukraine's rail network (in the area of the Kiev Oblast
Kiev Oblast
Kyiv Oblast, sometimes written as Kiev Oblast is an oblast in central Ukraine.The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Kyiv , also being the capital of Ukraine...
. The 'Southern Railway' actually operates in the east of the country, whilst the Near-Dnipro Railways are the southern-most.
The six separate territorial railways each have their own directorates, located in the following cities:
- Donetsk Railway - DonetskDonetskDonetsk , is a large city in eastern Ukraine on the Kalmius river. Administratively, it is a center of Donetsk Oblast, while historically, it is the unofficial capital and largest city of the economic and cultural Donets Basin region...
- Lviv RailwayLviv RailwaysLviv Railways is a territorial branch company of Ukrzaliznytsia headquartered in Lviv.-General description:Lviv Railways administers all railroads of Lviv Oblast, Zakarpattia Oblast, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, Chernivtsi Oblast, Ternopil Oblast, Volyn Oblast and most of Rivne Oblast...
- LvivLvivLviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following... - Odessa Railway - OdessaOdessaOdessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
- Southern Railway - KharkivKharkivKharkiv or Kharkov is the second-largest city in Ukraine.The city was founded in 1654 and was a major centre of Ukrainian culture in the Russian Empire. Kharkiv became the first city in Ukraine where the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed in December 1917 and Soviet government was...
- Southwestern RailwaySouthwestern RailwaysSouthwestern Railways , headquartered in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, is a component part of the Ukrzaliznytsia company. SWR's route map includes all the railroads in the Kiev, Zhytomyr, Chernihiv, Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi and Sumy oblasts .As of 2008, SWR's rail system included of track, of...
- KievKievKiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press.... - Near-Dnipro Railway - DnipropetrovskDnipropetrovskDnipropetrovsk or Dnepropetrovsk formerly Yekaterinoslav is Ukraine's third largest city with one million inhabitants. It is located southeast of Ukraine's capital Kiev on the Dnieper River, in the south-central region of the country...
Classification of passenger trains
On April 27, 2011 in accordance with order № 504/2011 rail industry specialists developed a new classification system of passenger trains for Ukrainian Railways.The development of a new classification system for passenger trains in Ukraine was made necessary by the need to inform customers (passengers) about the level of service quality they could expect to find in various passenger trains. The new system is based on the class of train and carriages.
Given the quality of the service provided UZ asked the following classes of passenger trains:
- Daytime passenger trains:
- Euro City (EC) - High-speed (min. 90 km/h) daytime services on international routes which should offer a very high level of service and comfort. First and standard classes.
- Inter City+ (IC+) - High-speed (min. 90 km/h) daytime services on domestic routes which should offer a very high level of service and comfort. First and standard classes.
- Inter City (IC) - Fast (max. 70 km/h - 90 km/h) daytime services on domestic routes which should offer a heightened level of service and comfort. First, standard and economy classes.
- Regional Express (РЕ) - Fast (max. 70 km/h - 90 km/h) daytime services on domestic routes which should offer a standard level of service and comfort. First, standard and economy classes.
- Regional train (РП) - Standard (max. 70 km/h) daytime services on domestic routes which should offer a standard level of service and comfort. Standard and economy classes.
- Nighttime passenger trains:
- Euro Night (EN) - High-speed (min. 90 km/h) nighttime services on international routes which should offer a very high level of service and comfort. 2 berth coupeSleeping carThe sleeping car or sleeper is a railway/railroad passenger car that can accommodate all its passengers in beds of one kind or another, primarily for the purpose of making nighttime travel more restful. The first such cars saw sporadic use on American railroads in the 1830s and could be configured...
and 4 berth coupe classes. - Night Express (НЕ) High-speed (max. 70 km/h - 90 km/h) nighttime services on international and domestic routes which should offer a heightened level of service and comfort. 2 berth coupeSleeping carThe sleeping car or sleeper is a railway/railroad passenger car that can accommodate all its passengers in beds of one kind or another, primarily for the purpose of making nighttime travel more restful. The first such cars saw sporadic use on American railroads in the 1830s and could be configured...
, 4 berth coupe and platskartCouchette carThe couchette car is a railroad car conveying basic non-private sleeping accommodation.The car is divided into a number of compartments accessed from the side corridor of the car, which in daytime are configured with a bench seat along each long side of the compartment...
classes. - Night fast (НШ) - Fast (max. 50 km/h - 70 km/h) nighttime services on international and domestic routes which should offer a heightened level of service and comfort. 2 berth coupeSleeping carThe sleeping car or sleeper is a railway/railroad passenger car that can accommodate all its passengers in beds of one kind or another, primarily for the purpose of making nighttime travel more restful. The first such cars saw sporadic use on American railroads in the 1830s and could be configured...
, 4 berth coupe and platskartCouchette carThe couchette car is a railroad car conveying basic non-private sleeping accommodation.The car is divided into a number of compartments accessed from the side corridor of the car, which in daytime are configured with a bench seat along each long side of the compartment...
classes. - Night passenger (НП) Standard (max. 50 km/h) nighttime services on international and domestic routes which should offer a heightened level of service and comfort. 4 berth coupeSleeping carThe sleeping car or sleeper is a railway/railroad passenger car that can accommodate all its passengers in beds of one kind or another, primarily for the purpose of making nighttime travel more restful. The first such cars saw sporadic use on American railroads in the 1830s and could be configured...
and platskartCouchette carThe couchette car is a railroad car conveying basic non-private sleeping accommodation.The car is divided into a number of compartments accessed from the side corridor of the car, which in daytime are configured with a bench seat along each long side of the compartment...
classes.
- Euro Night (EN) - High-speed (min. 90 km/h) nighttime services on international routes which should offer a very high level of service and comfort. 2 berth coupe
The advantages of the new classification system include: full compliance with the classification of the European Union, compliance with Ukrainian and English names and abbreviations, clarity for customers, linguistic and semantic consistency and clarity for customers in Ukraine and compatibility with existing and future tariff policy. The system is also not far displaced from the previous classification system used for passenger trains on the territory of Ukraine and therefore should not cause major problems when introduced.
Financial Situation
In 2008 the Ukrainian State Railways transported around 498.5 million tonnes of domestic freight and 69.8 million tonnes of international freight in transit through Ukrainian territory; freight transport figures were particularly high on transport routes 3, 5 and 9 which saw a combined total of 105 million tonnes carried along their routes in 2008. Further to this, Ukrzaliznytsia served around 518.8 million passengers over the course of the year. The State Railways ran with an annual consolidated budget of a little more than 40 billion UAH (5 billion USD) in 2008.By the end of 2005 the railways had produced a profit equivalent to 1.76 billion UAH (7.5 million USD) from all their operations including freight, passenger service, associated services and the operation of subsidiaries. The total capital invested in fixed assets of the State Railways is thought to be equivalent to around 22 billion UAH (4.4 billion USD), however, depreciation of these fixed assets is estimated to be around 57%, or in terms of rolling stock, closer to 66.7%.
Infrastructure
The full extent of the railway system in Ukraine administrated by Ukrzaliznytsia is currently put at around 22,300 km, of which 9,752 km (44.3%) is fully electrified with the use of the overhead wire. The network is fully interconnected, central-dispatchedCentralized traffic control
Centralized traffic control is a form of railway signalling that originated in North America and centralizes train routing decisions that were previously carried out by local signal operators or the train crews themselves. The system consists of a centralized train dispatcher's office that...
and consists of 1,648 stations of all sizes spread throughout the country. The largest stations are Nyzhnodniprovsk-Vuzol (in the city of Dnipropetrovsk
Dnipropetrovsk
Dnipropetrovsk or Dnepropetrovsk formerly Yekaterinoslav is Ukraine's third largest city with one million inhabitants. It is located southeast of Ukraine's capital Kiev on the Dnieper River, in the south-central region of the country...
) and Darnytsia
Darnytsia Railway Station
Ukrzaliznytsia's Darnytsia Railway Station is the largest railroad station of the Ukrainian capital Kiev, located in the Left-bank Darnytsia area....
(in the capital Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
).
Upgrading and expansions
The Ukrainian railway network is permanently undergoing large scale reconstruction, mainly in order to reduce operating costs, inherited from the Soviet economy, and to implement higher speeds of passenger services. Particularly, around 4000 sets of switchesRailroad switch
A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....
have already been upgraded.
Rolling stock
Brief statistics
- Number of freight cars — 174,939
- Number of passenger cars — 8,429
- Number of locomotives — 2,718
- Number of electric locomotives — 1,796
- Number of electric multiple units — 1,443
- Number of diesel multiple units — 186
- Number of employees — 375,900
- Number of specially branded passenger trains — 62
Recent developments
In November 2010, UZ agreed to buy 10 interurban trainsets from Hyundai Rotem, with the prospect of a much larger order or joint venture for local production. In July 2011, UZ announced plans to buy 433 electric freight locomotives; 292 2EL4s from TransmashholdingTransmashholding
CJSC Transmashholding is the largest manufacturer of locomotives and rail equipment in Russia, with annual sales of US$3.2 billion and a workforce of 55,000 people in 2008. The company includes 14 engineering and production sites in Russia and one production and engineering site in...
, and 141 locomotives (including class VL11M/6) from Elmavalmshenebeli.
Plants and Factories
- Darnytsia railcar maintenance shopDarnytsia Railway StationUkrzaliznytsia's Darnytsia Railway Station is the largest railroad station of the Ukrainian capital Kiev, located in the Left-bank Darnytsia area....
- Popasna railcar maintenance shop
- Stryi railcar maintenance shop
- Hnivan factory of special reinforced concrete
- Korosten factory of reinforced concrete railroad ties
- Kremechuk factory of reinforced concrete railroad ties
- Starokostyantyniv factory of reinforced concrete railroad ties
Producing companies
- State company "Ukrzaliznychpostach"
- State company "Vinnytsiatransprylad"
- Ukrainian state center of railroad refrigerated transportation
- Ukrainian state center in exploitation of specialized rolling stockRolling stockRolling stock comprises all the vehicles that move on a railway. It usually includes both powered and unpowered vehicles, for example locomotives, railroad cars, coaches and wagons...
"Ukrspecrailcar"
Others
- Central station of communication
- Donbasshlyakhpostach
- Main information-calculation center
- Ukrainian state accounting center of international transportations
- State company "Ukrainian center of track works mechanization"
- "Lisky"
- Ukrainian center of passenger service (UTsOP)
- "Ukrtransfarmatsia"
Rail links with adjacent countries
- Same gauge:
-
Belarus -
RussiaRail transport in RussiaThe Russian railways are one of the economic wonders of the 19th, 20th, and 21st century world. In length of track they are second globally to the railways of the United States. In volume of freight hauled, they are third behind the United States and China, using the standard measure of... -
Moldova
-
- break-of-gaugeBreak-of-gaugeWith railways, a break-of-gauge occurs where a line of one gauge meets a line of a different gauge. Trains and rolling stock cannot run through without some form of conversion between gauges, and freight and passengers must otherwise be transloaded...
: /-
RomaniaRail transport in RomaniaThe first railway in the Kingdom of Romania opened in 1869 and linked Bucharest and Giurgiu. The first railway on current Romanian territory opened in 1854, between Oraviţa and Baziaş in Banat, however that region was under the administration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the time.Since then,... -
Hungary -
SlovakiaRail transport in SlovakiaRail transport in Slovakia began on 21 September 1840, with the opening of the first line from Bratislava to Svätý Jur and on 20 August 1848 .... -
PolandRail transport in PolandThe Polish railways network consists of around of track as of 2008, of which the vast majority is electrified using a 3 kV DC overhead line system.Poland is a member of the International Union of Railways...
(plus a standard gauge cross-border cargo line)
-
Education
The National Railway University in DnipropetrovskDnipropetrovsk
Dnipropetrovsk or Dnepropetrovsk formerly Yekaterinoslav is Ukraine's third largest city with one million inhabitants. It is located southeast of Ukraine's capital Kiev on the Dnieper River, in the south-central region of the country...
currently has 10 faculties as well as a technical school, a business school and branches in Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
and Lviv
Lviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
, 450 professors and 39 separate fields of study related to Railway transport.
External links
- uz.gov.ua - Official site /
- Railway Trains in Ukraine - What kinds of trains there are and how to buy tickets
- Dnipropetrovsk National University of Railway Transportation (Wiki)
- Dnipropetrovsk National University of Railway Transportation (Wiki)
- National University of Railway Transportation Official site (some English) in the city of DnipropetrovskDnipropetrovskDnipropetrovsk or Dnepropetrovsk formerly Yekaterinoslav is Ukraine's third largest city with one million inhabitants. It is located southeast of Ukraine's capital Kiev on the Dnieper River, in the south-central region of the country...