--- title: "\"Railway Ramstein\": Kalenkov Warns of Risk of Freight Transport Halt in Ukraine's Frontline Regions" description: "UMP President Kalenkov warned of the risk of freight transport halting in frontline regions due to a shortage of locomotives and crews. A \"Railway Ramstein\" is needed to stabilize the situation." date: 2026-09-18T10:50:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/railway-ramstein-kalenkov-warns-of-freight-transport-halt-in-ukraines-frontline-regions tags: [ukraine-railway, freight-transport, war-economy, ukrmetallurgprom, logistics, infrastructure] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # "Railway Ramstein": Kalenkov Warns of Risk of Freight Transport Halt in Ukraine's Frontline Regions ![Railway freight yard with cargo wagons: risk of halted freight transport in Ukraine's front-line regions](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/19/zhelezno-dorozhnyj-ramjshajn-kalenkov-risk-ostanovki-gruzoperevozok/zhelezno-dorozhnyj-ramjshajn-kalenkov-risk-ostanovki-gruzoperevozok-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - In Q2 2026, average daily rail loadings fell by 4%, and by 17% at the Prydniprovskyi branch of UZ - Around 30 trains fail to depart each day due to a shortage of drivers - Since the start of the war, Russia has attacked UZ 6,119 times; 508 locomotives were damaged - Kalenkov proposes creating a "Railway Ramstein" and a government plan along five directions Freight rail transport in Ukraine's frontline regions is at risk of further decline. This was stated by Alexander Kalenkov, President of Ukrmetallurgprom (UMP), in a column for the Center of Transport Strategies (CTS), as reported by RBC-Ukraine. According to him, the combined impact of Russian strikes on infrastructure, a shortage of locomotives and drivers, and reduced availability of rolling stock creates a systemic risk for the economic activity of entire regions. ### Figures of the Crisis: Falling Loadings and "Lost" Trains According to Kalenkov, in the second quarter of 2026, average daily loading volumes across the railway system fell by 4% from the baseline level. The most acute situation arose at the Prydniprovskyi branch of Ukrzaliznytsia, where the decline reached 17%. Moreover, according to the head of UMP, around 30 freight trains fail to depart each day solely due to a shortage of locomotive crews. Kalenkov emphasizes that for frontline regions, the stable operation of the railway is not merely a logistical issue but a condition for preserving economic and demographic activity: if enterprises lose the ability to regularly ship their products, this creates cascading risks for factories, mines, and grain elevators located near the front. ### 6,119 Attacks and 508 Damaged Locomotives: The Scale of the Damage According to data from the Ministry of Community and Territorial Development, since the start of the full-scale war, Russia has attacked Ukrzaliznytsia facilities 6,119 times, of which more than 1,500 occurred in 2026. As a result, 508 locomotives were damaged. Kalenkov warns that if the current dynamics persist, the shortage of locomotive traction in freight transport will grow already in 2027. The problem will become particularly acute after the unblocking of the Black Sea ports and the resumption of industrial production, when demand for rail transport will surge sharply while traction and personnel reserves will be exhausted. ### "Railway Ramstein" and Five Directions of Action Among the key solutions, Kalenkov named the launch of so-called "Railway Ramstein" β€” an international mechanism for attracting financing, locomotives, spare parts, and technical assistance from partner countries. "In order to be able to increase exports tomorrow, the problem must be solved today. Without attracting external reserves and the effective operation of the Railway Ramstein, UZ cannot cope on its own," he emphasized. Separately, the President of UMP proposed that the government develop a plan along five directions: ensuring locomotive crews and other scarce personnel, restoring locomotive traction, auditing and repairing the wagon fleet, strengthening the protection of railway infrastructure from strikes, and creating a unified system for daily monitoring of throughput capacity, which should track the availability of locomotives, crews, wagons, tracks, stations, border crossings, and ports. ### Context: Tariffs and the Position of Metinvest Kalenkov's statement complements the earlier position of Metinvest, which noted that further increases in Ukrzaliznytsia's freight tariffs amid the blockade of the Black Sea ports only worsen the situation for industry and the company itself. In this context, the idea of a separate government plan for the operation of the freight railway during the war and recovery period, as well as international assistance under the "Railway Ramstein" principle, are seen as complementary tools. The main task, in Kalenkov's formulation, is to prevent a situation in which the railway gradually loses the ability to transport the necessary volumes of cargo, and the problem becomes evident only after demand for Ukrainian exports resumes. ## πŸ” Fact-Check Verification - [Freight transport in frontline regions at risk of halting: UMP statement](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/vantazhni-perevezennya-prifrontovih-regionah-1789727860.html) - Основной источник: ΠΊΠΎΠ»ΠΎΠ½ΠΊΠ° КалСнкова для Π¦Π’Π‘ с Ρ†ΠΈΡ„Ρ€Π°ΠΌΠΈ ΠΏΠΎ ΠΏΠΎΠ³Ρ€ΡƒΠ·ΠΊΠ°ΠΌ, Π°Ρ‚Π°ΠΊΠ°ΠΌ, Π»ΠΎΠΊΠΎΠΌΠΎΡ‚ΠΈΠ²Π°ΠΌ ΠΈ ΠΏΡ€Π΅Π΄Π»ΠΎΠΆΠ΅Π½ΠΈΠ΅ΠΌ Β«Π Π°ΠΌΡˆΡ‚Π°ΠΉΠ½Π°Β» - [Soviet-style equalization of freight tariffs leads Ukrzaliznytsia to losses, says Kalenkov](https://www.obozrevatel.com/ekonomika-glavnaya/sovetskaya-rovnyalka-gruzovyih-tarifov-vedet-ukrzaliznitsyu-k-ubyitkam-kalenkov.htm) - Π”ΠΎΠΏΠΎΠ»Π½ΠΈΡ‚Π΅Π»ΡŒΠ½Ρ‹ΠΉ контСкст: позиция ΠΏΠΎ Ρ‚Π°Ρ€ΠΈΡ„Π°ΠΌ Π£Π— ΠΈ связь с Π±Π»ΠΎΠΊΠ°Π΄ΠΎΠΉ ΠΏΠΎΡ€Ρ‚ΠΎΠ²; Π½Π΅ ΠΏΡ€ΠΎΡ‚ΠΈΠ²ΠΎΡ€Π΅Ρ‡ΠΈΡ‚ основному тСксту ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: What are the main causes of the decline in freight transport in frontline regions? **A:** According to Alexander Kalenkov, the key factors are Russian strikes on railway infrastructure (6,119 attacks since the start of the war), a shortage of locomotives (508 damaged), and a lack of locomotive crews, which causes around 30 trains to fail to depart each day. ### Q: What is the "Railway Ramstein"? **A:** It is an international mechanism proposed by Kalenkov for attracting financing, locomotives, spare parts, and technical assistance from partner countries to restore and support Ukraine's freight railway infrastructure. ### Q: What five directions of action does Kalenkov propose to the government? **A:** Ensuring locomotive crews and scarce personnel, restoring locomotive traction, auditing and repairing the wagon fleet, strengthening the protection of infrastructure from strikes, and creating a unified system for daily monitoring of throughput capacity. ### Q: How significant was the drop in loading volumes in the second quarter of 2026? **A:** Average daily loading volumes across the rail system fell by 4% from the baseline level, while the decline at the Prydniprovskyi branch of Ukrzaliznytsia reached 17%.