Ukraine: Due to the shortage of freight trains, GDP may fall by almost 5%

According to analysts, in case of not following the planned program, economy of Ukraine may be missing from $ 28 billion to $ 41.3 billion (based on the prices of 2017), or as a percentage of GDP this will be 4.8%.

Such information was provided by IMF Group.

Analysts predict a potential increase in demand over the next 5 years to 393-456 million tons, while today the demand for rail freight is 339.5 million tons. Now the situation with freight locomotives is deplorable, because there is an acute shortage, and in addition, there is also a problem with the wear of the fleet of cars.

Now the number of locomotives is 579 pieces and every year this figure is reduced by 4.4% (or by 25 pieces).

It should be recalled that if active measures are not taken now, in 4 years the rail transportation will be 50% in the area of grain transportation.

In Ukraine, there is a shortage of freight trains, which leads to problems in the field of cargo transportation and negatively affects the country’s economy. In particular, the shortage of wagons leads to delays in the delivery of goods, an increase in the cost of delivery and a decrease in the competitiveness of Ukrainian exporters in the international market.

One of the reasons for the shortage of freight trains is outdated railway equipment and insufficient funding for its renewal. Another reason is the inefficient management of rail transport.

To solve the problem of shortage of freight trains, it is necessary to modernize the railway infrastructure and renew the fleet of freight cars. In addition, it is important to improve the management of railway transport and introduce modern technologies in this area.

As a result of solving the problem of shortage of freight trains, one can expect an improvement in the transport infrastructure and the economic situation in general. This will allow Ukrainian companies to increase their competitiveness in the international market and improve the conditions for exporting their products.