Fast Passenger Trains project – Institutional Strengthening |
The Ukrainian government is continuously developing plans for restructuring in the railways to improve and develop the country's transport railway infrastructure. The Ukrainian Ministry of Transport is planning to make Ukrainian Rail a separate unit and to establish 32 repair and engineering enterprises that are at present part of the state owned Ukralizprom. UZ has submitted to the Ministry of Transport its 10-year commercialisation strategy, which describes a phased unbundling of state regulation and business management functions once the new company is established with a proposal for its conversion from a state administration to a state joint stock company (“SJSC”). Transport activities will be separated from infrastructure and divided into a number of segments: freight and passenger traffic while rolling-stock and other assets will be re-organised. Railway infrastructure shall remain in state ownership and control and separated from ownership of train operations. The restructuring plans create the basis for the subsequent unbundling and partial privatisation of some activities of the railways at a later stage. Corporate Solutions, in association with Systra and Scott Wilson Railways, are providing assistance in operational modernisation of Ukrainian Railways (UZ) and institutional strengthening to promote railway commercialisation. |
Fast Passenger Train project – Assistance with Bank's Due Diligence |
In 1999 the EBRD agreed to support Ukrainian Railways in its restructuring programme and provided a loan to assist the Railways in implementing commercialisation initiatives in the areas of business planning, track maintenance management systems and improving operating condition of the track. In 2003 the EBRD was considering a new loan to the Ukrainian Railways to continue the support initiated with the first project and also contributed to the introduction of fast day passenger trains for two international corridors and reconstruction of a double track Beskyd tunnel. The objective of this consultancy project was to review technical specifications prepared for the passenger carriages and track maintenance components with a view to assessing their suitability for open tendering, the potential interest which might be generated amongst qualified suppliers, and ultimately, a reasonable cost estimate for each component. |