Integration of Ukrainian railways into Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) – problems and solutions

The article is devoted to an overview of the opportunities and problems of integrating Ukrainian railways into the Trans-European Transport Network, considering the experience of railways in other countries, research in the field of interaction of railways with different gauge standards, and the development of intermodal and multimodal freight transportation. The main technological and organizational options for the phased integration of Ukrainian railways into TEN-T with the gradual expansion of the 1435 mm railway network and intermodal terminals for interaction with 1520 mm railways and other modes of transport are defined. These options are transhipment of cargo; replacement of bogies at points of wagon interchange; use of special rolling stock with sliding wheel pairs; extension of 1520 mm gauge from the borders of Ukraine to the territory of Europe; extension of 1435 mm gauge from the borders of Europe to the territory of Ukraine; use of combined 1435/1520 mm gauge. It is determined that the key elements of the Ukrainian railway integrated into TEN-T will be intermodal terminals, therefore basic mathematical models are proposed for calculating the technological parameters of terminals, which will become the basis for more complex economic and mathematical models in the future.