Yesterday at 19:44
Photo from Ukrinform – UATV
Today a new railway tunnel opens, cutting through the Carpathian mountains in the far west of Ukraine.
The 1,765-meter tunnel runs between the Lviv and Zakarpattia regions. It is Ukraine’s largest infrastructure project in decades.
The tunnel is part of the fifth trans-European transit corridor, which runs from Italy, through Central Europe and Ukraine, and onto Russia.
The new tunnel will greatly increase the amount of rail cargo between Ukraine and Europe, along one of the most important cargo routes on the continent.
A tunnel was first constructed along the route in 1886, however, its passing capacity proved to be inadequate. So in 2013, this second tunnel began construction. It parallels the existing tunnel. The new tunnel will accommodate two tracks and allow speeds of up to 70 kilometers per hour.
According to Ukrzaliznytsia, which is the Ukrainian railway company, the new two-track tunnel will allow 96 pairs of trains to pass through per day. The current single-line tunnel only allows for 25 trains a day to pass through.
As was reported earlier, the tunnel was promised to become operative by the end of the month.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said he would be present for the opening ceremony.
