Main image: PKP PLK S.A.
Ensuring continuity and safety of rail traffic across the Poland–Ukraine border, as well as joint efforts in maintaining and developing infrastructure, are the main goals of the framework agreement signed by Polskie Linie Kolejowe (PLK) and Ukrzaliznytsia. The document is the result, among other things, of last year’s visit of PLK board members to Ukraine and forms the foundation for further strengthening the partnership between the railway infrastructure managers of both countries, as reported by Kurier Kolejowy.
The agreement was signed at the TRAKO fair in Gdańsk by Piotr Wyborski, CEO of PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe S.A., and Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, CEO of Ukrzaliznytsia, in the presence of board members from both companies. This is the first framework agreement of its kind, opening the way for further, more detailed arrangements.
“Cooperation with Ukrainian partners today is not just a business matter but a strategic one. Our joint goal is the smooth, safe, and predictable operation of trains across the border, which supports economic development and regional integration. The basis for developing rail links between Ukraine and Poland is the modernization of railway infrastructure, which must also meet military mobility requirements,” emphasized Piotr Wyborski, CEO of PLK and Vice-Chairman of the European Rail Infrastructure Managers Association.
The signed agreement is the result of over a year of intensive work and follows the July 2024 visit of Piotr Wyborski and PLK board member Maciej Kaczorek to Kyiv and Lviv. That visit aimed, among other things, to exchange operational experience on running railways during wartime. Objectives for railway transport development in the coming years were outlined, including improving border crossing organization, modernizing the Lublin–Dorohusk–Yahodyn–Kovel and Rzeszów–Medyka–Mostyska–Lviv sections, and planning network development according to EU standards.
The framework agreement includes principles for train traffic organization, infrastructure maintenance and operation on both sides of the border, and technical parameter agreements. Procedures for concluding so-called Local Railway Border Agreements (MKPG) for specific sections were also established. These documents will regulate detailed issues—from timetables and equipment operation rules to staff requirements and the placement of one partner’s infrastructure elements on the territory of the other state.
The signed agreement not only confirms existing cooperation but also serves as a starting point for further activities, from concluding MKPGs to implementing joint cross-border investments. This ensures that rail remains a safe and efficient means of transport connecting Poland and Ukraine during challenging times and in the postwar reconstruction period.
The agreement with Ukrzaliznytsia is the first of PLK S.A.’s international agreements signed at this year’s TRAKO fair. Tomorrow, an agreement on data exchange cooperation with the Lithuanian infrastructure manager LTG Infra is planned. Both documents are part of PLK S.A.’s consistent strategy to strengthen international cooperation and develop the railway network.
