First section of the European gauge track to Chop opened in Uzhgorod - Ukrzaliznytsia

The first section of the European gauge track between Chop and Uzhgorod was opened in Zakarpattia, the press service of JSC Ukrzaliznytsia reported.

"Uzhgorod became the first regional center of Ukraine to receive a direct European gauge connection with EU countries. The construction of the track between Chop and Uzhgorod began in 2024 and was completed in less than a year despite the war and all the difficulties," the report says.

According to the Minister of Communities and Territories Development, Deputy Prime Minister for the Reconstruction of Ukraine Oleksiy Kuleba, this section is 1,435 mm and 22 km long between Chop and Uzhgorod. Thanks to this, Uzhgorod became the first regional center to receive a direct rail connection with the European Union.

"Starting on September 12, trains will depart from here to Bratislava, Kosice, Budapest and Vienna. Ticket sales opened today, September 5. Today, together with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, European partners and representatives of railway companies, we opened this project," Kuleba emphasized.

In turn, Chairman of the Board of JSC Ukrzaliznytsia Oleksandr Pertsovsky noted that this project is an important stage in the development of the European railway network in Ukraine.

According to him, in 2026, it is planned to electrify this section and begin construction of the European gauge track in the direction of Lviv, which should be completed within 2-3 years.

"Ukrainian railway workers impressed European partners with this project - despite the war, we managed to implement it ahead of schedule. With such work, Ukrainians have proven that they are ready to implement even more ambitious European integration projects, and the invested funds are quickly converted into tangible results for people," said Pertsovsky.