The European Investment Bank (EIB) is to help fund the expansion of a single-track rail tunnel in Ukraine’s Carpathian Mountains.
A new double-track railway is to be constructed through the existing Beskyd tunnel (not pictured) – a notorious bottleneck along the main rail route connecting Ukraine and central Europe.
The 1.8-kilometre tunnel was identified as a priority project by the European Union to develop international transport corridors.
EIB Vice-President László Baranyay said: “The EIB is sending a strong message by providing a loan to Ukraine that will finance the upgrading of interconnections along a crucial transport corridor that is of the utmost importance for the further deepening of the integration between Ukraine and the European Union.”
EU Ambassador Jan Tombinski said: “The Beskyd tunnel construction is one of the main Eastern Partnership projects in field of transport in Ukraine.
“Until now it was a bottleneck of transport even if over half of the transit of goods between Ukraine and Central and Western Europe pass this tunnel.
“The Beskyd tunnel project is also an excellent example of coordinated efforts of the EU, Ukraine and the international financial institutions in transport cooperation.”
