Norway donates four 40-year-old train sets to Ukraine. Ten locomotive drivers have now been flown to Norway to receive training in operating passenger trains. – I wish you all the best, they are heroes, said Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide. He met the locomotive drivers today, exactly two years after the invasion. One of them is Vitalii Borjosh. This is the first time he has been out of Ukraine since the war started. – It feels good, but especially today my thoughts are at home. It is a very sad day, he says. He thinks the toga will be important. – Most of it is transported by train where I work, and they will play a decisive role in local traffic. Four such passenger trains are going to Ukraine. Photo: Torstein Georg Bøe / news The lifeblood of the war – The Ukrainian railway has never been more important, writes correspondent Kari Skeie. The airspace is closed to civil aviation, transport is exposed to air attacks and shipping via the Black Sea is reduced. But the train keeps going every day. They transport everything and everyone: grain, emergency aid, weapons, patients and presidents. – The Ukrainians have done an impressive job of binding the country together, says the foreign minister. US President Joe Biden at the train station in Kyiv in February 2023. Photo: EVAN VUCCI / AFP Upgrading before delivery Even if the train set was going to the scrap heap, Norway is not sending scrap to Ukraine. Now they have been upgraded with new parts, and have several thousand hours left on the track. – It is a small but important contribution, says transport minister Jon-Ivar Nygård (Ap). Ten locomotive drivers are going to Trøndelag to receive training in the operation of passenger trains. Photo: Torstein Georg Bøe / news Since they are diesel trains, they can also run even if the power goes out. They are suitable for railway tracks in the western part of Ukraine. – The train can run on 200 kilometers of the railway lines there, he says. A couple hug each other at the train station in Kramatorsk. Photo: AFP A symbol of fighting spirit Contributing to and keeping everyday life going is an important part of Norwegian support, according to the foreign minister. – The war is in a demanding phase. It is tough at the front line, and heavy losses. The moving train has become a symbol of fighting morale, he believes. Norway provides both civil and humanitarian support to Ukraine. These are the first passenger trains that have been donated to Ukraine through the EU’s scheme for civil preparedness. Via the scheme, Norway has contributed to donating over 100,000 tonnes of material to Ukraine, together with 35 other countries. Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide (Ap). Photo: Torstein Georg Bøe / news
ttn-69
– It is a small but important contribution – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
