The adoption of the Law on Safety and Interoperability of Railway Transport is planned this year, and its entry into force is planned in 2028, Roman Melnychenko, Senior Project Manager for Railway Transport of the Recovery and Reform Support Team at the Ministry of Development, reported, Interfax-Ukraine correspondent reports.
At the 7th International Conference "Production, Operation and Repair of Rolling Stock" on Thursday, he noted that the law aims to ensure technological compatibility of the national railway system with the trans-European transport network on the main routes of transportation.
In addition, the document establishes the provision of public services to citizens and business entities in the field of safety and interoperability of railway transport on the principle of a "single window".
According to the presentation at the conference, the law introduces procedures for obtaining safety certificates and authorization, licensing of railway carriers according to European principles.
It also provides for certification of facilities responsible for the technical maintenance of rolling stock, a European model for the training and certification of train drivers, and a procedure for internal and external risk assessment as a basis for decision-making.
It is noted that the stages of implementing the reform provide for the creation of the National Bureau for Accident Investigation in 2026 (draft law 13674 of August 21, 2025), in 2027 the organization of a national safety authority, the adoption of a law on amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses, and ensuring the adaptation of the structure of "Ukrzaliznytsia" to the requirements of the new law. It also involves building the institutional capacity of the national safety authority, which includes recruiting and staffing, creating registers, and harmonizing with EU registers.
According to Melnychenko, this will require the adoption of more than 30 by-laws in the areas of traffic safety, interoperability, and driver certification.
Oleh Yakovenko, Director of the Strategy and Transformation Department of Ukrzaliznytsia, reported during the Kyiv International Economic Forum (KIEF) on October 16 that it is currently planning to introduce a draft law "On the Safety and Interoperability of Railway Transport of Ukraine" to the Rada in order to adopt it by the end of the year, while next year the company expects the introduction of a draft law on market liberalization.