Spain and Ukraine have signed a bilateral agreement to deploy Automated Transfer Gauge System (ATGS) technology for cross-border rail freight operations. The Spanish government is providing EUR 5,5m to support the development and implementation of variable gauge bogies tailored for the Ukrainian rail network.
The technology originates from the Spanish Mercave project and enables seamless transit between standard and broad-gauge networks. Tria Ingeniería is leading the technical adaptation of the system for Ukrainian Railways (UZ). The initial estimate for adapting a wagon could be €70,000, with certification for the Ukrainian network scheduled for 2027–2029.
Current transloading costs at the Ukrainian border average EUR 7–14 per tonne depending on commodity type. For a 50-tonne wagon performing 15 trips annually, the ATGS solution replaces transloading costs estimated between EUR 5,000 and EUR 10,000 per year. The investment is modeled on a 35-year wagon lifespan with depreciation calculated over 10 to 20 years. And the main advantage is that there is virtually no waiting at the border, and no need to invest in transfer terminals.
