The rusty railway lines from Rini in the southwestern corner of Ukraine to the port of Galati in Romania – crippled for decades by vegetation haphazardly along the line – have long been part of Soviet-era history, Europe’s endeavour. To open the door to millions of idle Ukrainian grain in ports.
Although the railway has lost regarding a quarter of its 20 kilometer length, it is possible that the route along the Danube will eventually play a small role in the increasingly complex and large operation of securing vital food shipments.
European leaders are desperately trying to figure out how to get grain out of Ukraine, whose exports are usually greater than those of the entire European Union. Russia, accused by the United Nations of waging a war on global food security, said last week it would open sea lanes to open ports such as Odessa on the Black Sea if sanctions once morest it were lifted. But Ukraine said it was skeptical due to security concerns.
With painstaking European quest to get Ukrainian grain out into the world and fill the food crisis, the task still appeared complicated on this small railroad track, due to a dearth of truck drivers and the fact that the Soviets used a track gauge wider than European standards for railroad tracks. The EU said this caused delays of up to 30 days at the border for existing routes, where goods had to be transferred to train cars compatible with Soviet railways, as well as goods being piled up on customs platforms.
Meanwhile, ports in Romania and Poland are being bolstered to speed up traffic, while there is a shortage of specialized personnel to deal with the increase in demand. Even with Ukrainian exports partially handled, trade officials warn that the bottlenecks will worsen as the rest of Europe begins harvesting wheat next month.
Ukraine is a major supplier of wheat, corn and barley and leads the world sales of sunflower oil. It currently has 20 million tons of grain accumulated since last year.
Ports of Ukraine
Ukraine is expanding export capacity on its western borders and simplifying trade arrangements with the European Union.
For her part, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on May 24 that the EU is working to bring what is stuck in Ukraine to world markets by opening “corridors” to European ports as well as financing various means of transport. The Ukrainian ambassador in Warsaw expects Poland to be a conduit for 80% of Ukraine’s grain.
But people on the ground say it’s easier said than done when you look at a map, especially the rail network.
In Slovakia, the main traffic operator transported 18,000 tons of corn from Ukraine last month via 12 trains, but the problem is that shipments from Ukrainian wide-gauge wagons need to be reloaded onto Euro-standard wagons or the entire container moved onto the wheels of European trains.
On the other hand, Poland has a 400-kilometre-wide railway linking Ukraine with its southwestern industrial region of Silesia. It was used mainly in steel products, and in recent weeks to transport refugees.
In April, Poland and Ukraine also agreed to create a joint shipping company and simplify border rules. But with routes to Poland’s Baltic ports already congested with a shortage of freight wagons, there are doubts whether Poland can increase Ukrainian grain volumes to well over 2 million tons per month anytime soon. That compares with 5 to 6 million tons sent per month through the Black Sea ports, said Roman Slaston, general manager of the Ukrainian Agribusiness Clubs Industry Group.
granaries
The railway from Réni to Galati via Moldova will be a relatively small piece of the panorama, but it shows the enormity of the challenge.
Currently, TTS, a Romanian company operating on the Danube and in the port of Constanta, is removing shrubs and small trees to open the road.
Romania is keen to upgrade the Galati station to ease congestion in Constanta on the Black Sea. Prime Minister Nikolai Siuka said last month that the government wanted to speed up the construction of the missing section of 4.6 km and the work would take 3 months.
To illustrate the scale of the crisis, the Ukrainian Minister of Agriculture expects that another 30-40 million tons of grain will have to be exported following the harvest this summer and autumn. While the grain can be stored, farmers need to sell it to get money to plant the 2023 crop.
At the moment, the most realistic solution remains Romania, Constanta and the Solina Canal, which connects the Black Sea to the Danube. The port’s customs agency has added staff to help deal with the surge in shipments, as ships line up for entry. Ports director Florin Guedia said the Romanian railway company has abolished its connections to the ports and started improvement work, which might lead to a 30%-40% increase in transport capacity as soon as next year.
“We expect larger quantities to arrive, this is only the beginning,” he said. “This summer will be very busy. It will not be easy for us, but we have to find solutions.”
