Alona Lebedieva Presented a Study on Ukraine’s Integration into TEN-T at WCTR 2026
Alona Lebedieva
New Railway Corridors as a Tool of European Integration and a Guarantee of Transport Resilience amid Hybrid Threats
WCTR 2026
WCTR is held once every three years and serves as a platform for discussing key challenges in the development of global transport. This year’s conference focuses on aviation, maritime and rail transport, freight transportation and logistics, transport infrastructure, urban mobility, planning, transport economics, sustainability, safety and new approaches to the management of transport systems.
Among the studies presented in the WCTR 2026 programme was the work of Alona Lebedieva, owner of the Ukrainian industrial and investment group Aurum Group, on the topic “New Railway Corridors as a Tool of European Integration and a Guarantee of Transport Resilience amid Hybrid Threats.”
The study focuses on the role of Ukrainian railway infrastructure in integration into the Trans-European Transport Network TEN-T, as well as the importance of railways for the resilience of transportation amid military and hybrid threats. Alona Lebedieva stressed that Ukraine’s integration into TEN-T should be viewed not only as an infrastructure or economic project, but also as part of Europe’s broader security architecture.
According to Alona Lebedieva, the Ukrainian experience of operating the transport system during the full-scale war may be valuable for the EU, as today the issues of logistics, energy, borders and critical infrastructure can no longer be considered separately from security issues.
“My main thesis is that the integration of Ukrainian railway infrastructure into TEN-T is simultaneously an economic, infrastructure and security project,” Lebedieva noted.
The study stated that Ukraine has an important geographical advantage: its railway network directly borders the trans-European network and interacts with the railways of Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova. In addition, the Ukrainian railway is connected to sea and river ports, which is of particular importance for Europe’s transport connectivity with the Black Sea and Danube regions.
At the same time, Alona Lebedieva drew attention to the technical limitations that complicate the integration of the Ukrainian railway with the European network. These include differences in track gauge, differences in electrification systems, the wear of certain sections of infrastructure, and different signalling and safety systems. All of this affects traffic speed and cargo delivery times and requires systematic modernization.
A separate emphasis in the speech was placed on the connection of railway routes with ports. According to Alona Lebedieva, for modern freight logistics it is critically important to develop not only railway corridors, but also access routes, border crossing points, logistics hubs and port infrastructure. This is what will allow Ukraine to make fuller use of its transit potential and strengthen its role in the European transport system.
Lebedieva also emphasized that the Ukrainian transport system is already undergoing a stress test in its most severe form. The railway provided for the evacuation of people, continues freight transportation, and operates under conditions of infrastructure destruction, energy shortages and constant attacks. In her opinion, this experience may be useful for Europe as it rethinks transport resilience amid new security risks.
Among the practical steps that could accelerate Ukraine’s integration into TEN-T, Alona Lebedieva named stronger coordination at the national level. In particular, she considers it appropriate to create an institute of national coordinators for each TEN-T corridor or a responsible interagency body that would coordinate work with the EU, international financial institutions, donors and investors.
Separately, she emphasized the role of Ukrainian private business in the development of transport resilience. According to her, cooperation between European structures and independent Ukrainian railway industry enterprises could become an additional factor in the stability of transport infrastructure.
Summing up her speech, Alona Lebedieva stressed that Ukraine’s integration into TEN-T serves the interests of both Ukraine and the European Union. For Ukraine, it is a path toward economic integration, infrastructure modernization and industrial development. For the EU, it is an opportunity to strengthen the eastern flank of the transport network, increase logistics resilience and create new routes between the Baltic, Black Sea, Danube and Eurasian directions.
“The future of the European transport system is a matter of speed, efficiency and resilience. Ukraine is paying a very high price for its own resilience and at the same time has experience that may be useful for Europe,” Alona Lebedieva noted.
Aurum Group is a Ukrainian diversified industrial and investment group operating in the fields of mechanical engineering, rail freight transportation, rolling stock repair and the production of components for freight wagons. The group’s industrial profile creates prerequisites for participation in joint programmes with European partners aimed at increasing the resilience of logistics systems, in particular in the formation of reserve rolling stock resources.
Alona Lebedieva
Aurum Group
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