KIEV, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that his government would launch a major program to modernize the country's railway infrastructure, according to the presidential press service.
"Today, Ukraine is paving a new path -- the revival of its railway," Zelensky told a forum in Kiev entitled "Large Construction: A New Railway."
Under the program, Ukraine plans to build about 500 new sleeping cars in the next two years and upgrade tens of thousands of freight cars by 2028, Zelensky said.
Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine Oleksandr Kubrakov said that the program also envisages the purchases of 20 diesel trains, 80 modern electric trains, 60 upgraded trains and 10 new high-speed intercity trains within the next few years.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said at the forum that the railway modernization program is aimed at creating jobs, filling the budget and providing comfort and safety for people during passenger transportation.
Of the nearly 19,800 kilometers of railway network in Ukraine, only 9,300 are electrified, according to the Kyiv Post.
Last year, Ukraine's state-run railway operator Ukrzaliznytsia received a net loss of 11.9 billion hryvnia (about 456 million U.S. dollars), while in 2019, its net profit reached about 3 billion hryvnia (about 115 million dollars). Enditem
