Global task force delivers more funding to Ukrainian Railways

The funds were raised to help the union purchase thousands of food packages to be distributed to railway workers and their families at the frontline of the war between Ukraine and Russia.

Photo – Global Ukraine Rail Task Force

The Global Ukraine Rail Task Force and a delegation of others earlier this month returned to Kyiv, Ukraine, to present a check valued at 130,000 euros to a trade union representing workers of Ukrainian Railways.

The funds were raised to help purchase thousands of food packages that will be distributed to railway workers and their families at the frontline of the war between Ukraine and Russia.

Ukrainian Railways (UZ) CEO Yevhen Lyashchenko and the CEO of UZ’s passenger-rail division, Alexander Pertsovskyi, received the check from Nick Brooks, Jon McGrath and Tim Hollaway of the task force, along with Steve Montgomery, David Brown and Andy Bagnall from the United Kingdom rail association, Rail Partners, and David Juris from WE AID, a part of United Way.

Other rail sector colleagues also attended the ceremony, task force officials said in a press release. All in all, the group has received many smaller individual donations as well as larger donations from Rail Partners' members, some other UK railway companies, Norway's rail infrastructure manager Bane NOR and Swedish Railways, task force officials said.

The task force was formed in the first months after Russia attacked Ukraine nearly two years ago. Co-chaired by former U.S. Federal Railroad Administrator Jolene Molitoris, the task force has helped coordinate some of the humanitarian efforts to help UZ workers and Ukraine. Currently, the group is running a donation campaign to support the families of injured or killed railway workers.

Also, the task force has begun collecting funds to transport urgent medical supplies to the medical facilities of UZ.