ROADMAP FOR THE REFORM OF UKRAINE’S RAILWAY TRANSPORT TOWARDS THE SINGLE EUROPEAN RAILWAY AREA

Abstract

The article addresses the transformation of Ukraine’s railway sector under the requirements of European integration and explains why this process is especially relevant for a country that must simultaneously preserve transport resilience, restore damaged infrastructure, improve governance, and prepare the market for deeper interaction with the European transport system. The purpose of the study is to determine the main legal, institutional, and economic directions of railway reform, to assess their internal coherence, and to identify the conditions necessary for their practical implementation.The research is based on a systematic and problem-oriented approach. Comparative analysis was used to examine the relationship between the current Ukrainian model and the principles applied in the European railway area; structural and functional analysis helped to distinguish the roles of infrastructure management, transport operations, safety supervision, and public service provision; institutional analysis was applied to evaluate the capacity of public authorities and sectoral bodies; and synthesis was used to formulate an integrated reform model.The results show that successful transformation requires coordinated changes at three interconnected levels. The legal level should create clear rules for market access, safety, interoperability, and public service obligations. The institutional level should ensure functional independence, transparent allocation of responsibilities, effective supervision, and professional accident investigation. The economic level should introduce transparent infrastructure charging, predictable compensation for socially necessary passenger services, and conditions for fair competition and investment. The study also establishes that isolated legislative changes will not produce sustainable effects without secondary regulation, stable financing, qualified personnel, digital monitoring, and realistic transition periods.The practical value of the results lies in their use for preparing reform road maps, sequencing legislative initiatives, designing institutional responsibilities, assessing implementation risks, and improving coordination between government bodies, the national railway company, market participants, and international partners. This supports a consistent and measurable reform.