Rail-Air connection mooted

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has been given a target date of December 1st to produce a feasibility study for extension of the branch rail line from Kyiv’s Darnitsa metro station to the country’s largest international airport, Borispol.

The Prime Minister of Ukraine, Mykola Azarov, said that the new air terminal D will be in operation this year enabling passenger traffic to increase to 8 million people per year (in 2009 the airport served 5.795 m passengers). This growth in traffic is the reason behind the need for a branch line, providing a cheap alternative to the taxi-buses or taxis currently serving this route.

According to the authority’s instructions, the airport must finance the proposed project, and the branch line should be completed in time for the Euro-2012 football championship which are hosted by Ukraine and Poland. The first deputy Prime Minister Andrey Kluev has reported that Chinese corporations are interested in delivering this project. Chinese rail contractors are also reported to be working in the Western Lviv region.