Ukraine, Canada to set up joint locomotive production

Tuesday, July 12, 2016 - 13:42 (EEST) Section: Latest news

One of the world`s largest manufacturers of rail equipment, Canadian firm Bombardier, plans to set up a joint venture in Ukraine to build locomotives and other equipment.
A Memorandum of Intention was signed by Chairman of the Board of PJSC Ukrzaliznytsia (Ukrainian Railways) Wojciech Balczun and Board Member Oleksandr Buzhor, along with Erwin Gerber and Flavio Canetti, representing Bombardier management.
The signing ceremony in Kyiv was also attended by First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Stepan Kubiv and Canada`s Minister of International Trade Chrystia Freeland.
The memorandum is part of the overall package of bilateral documents signed by both countries. The documents were drafted in preparing for the official visit to Ukraine of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
As UNIAN reported earlier, plans to attract Canadian Bombardier to manufacture locomotives in Ukraine were announced as early as May this year. Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan then reported that Canadian Bombardier and American diversified corporation General Electric were to provide their locomotives to Ukraine for test operations for a three to six month period.
Trudeau is in Kyiv for an official visit on July 11-12. The highlight of his visit was the signing of a free trade agreement between Ukraine and Canada, effective immediately. It was reported that the free trade agreement would clear the way for the removal of up to 99% of trade restrictions between the two countries.