The issues of supply and evacuation became acute with the outbreak of the active phase of Moscovits war against Ukraine in 2022. In this context, rail transport has demonstrated its stability and reliability throughout the country, making this study is relevant. The purpose of this study was to investigate the railway line of the Zakarpattia (Transcarpathia) region of Ukraine as a major economic, social, and cultural factor and its potential in the national and international context. The results highlighted the need for reliable transport links with the most remote western edge of the state’s territory, which, among other things, has been politically isolated from the rest of Ukraine for centuries due to the lack of proper connections through the Carpathian Mountains. The study identified the possibilities and future development of the resource of railway connections between Zakarpattia and the countries of the European Union. For this, historical and geographical analyses and the method of comparing railway connections using field, published cartographic and satellite materials were used. The entire territory of Zakarpattia and neighbouring areas was analysed; the commonalities and specific features of the region’s development were noted; all railway lines and the main mountain road lines were considered. The future development of railway communication was proposed, based on the principles of restoration, supplementation, extension, unification, duplication, dispersion, and variability of communication lines. Based on various aspects of the study, conclusions were drawn on the possibility of such development, which constituted the practical value of the present study. The necessity of involving research from other areas for future searches in line with the military and economic feasibility of developing railway connections in Zakarpattia was emphasised
railway station; track; narrow-gauge railway; war; mountainous terrain
Received 22.01.2025, Revised 04.06.2025, Accepted 01.07.2025
Retrieved from Vol. 11, No. 2, 2025
https://doi.org/10.56318/as/2.2025.60
Pages 60-71