Global rail leaders raise funds to aid Ukrainian rail workers (9/29/2023)
9/29/2024Senior railway industry leaders recently gathered in London to aid the Global Ukraine Railway Task Force in its efforts to deliver food parcels to Ukrainian Railways (UZ) employees and their families.
The "Rail Partners with Ukraine" event raised more than $129,000, or the equivalent of over 7,000 food packages, according to a press release from Rail Partners, a rail industry consulting organization in Europe.
Event attendees heard from UZ executives, who described how the company continues to repair rail infrastructure in Ukraine that’s been destroyed by Russian forces.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, UZ workers have continued to transport passengers and freight in Ukraine under extreme and dangerous conditions. As of May 2023, more than 400 rail workers have died during those operations.
The task force was set up at the start of the war to coordinate technical, mechanical and policy support for Ukrainian freight and passenger-rail companies, as well as refugee trains. Subsequently, the task force has been working with WE AID, founded by Phineo — the German branch of the United Way — on ways to raise money for the Ukrainian railways.
Specifically, the funding raised has gone toward more than 6,000 food packages that have been delivered so far. Each package costs about $20 and all ingredients are sourced in Ukraine.
Source: Progressive Railroading Daily News