Ukraine today opened its first railway line based on the EU standard for track width, deepening the country’s transport integration with the European Union. The 22 km line – funded by a European Investment Bank (EIB) loan and an EU grant under the Connecting Europe Facility – connects the city of Uzhhorod on the border with Slovakia to Chop in the south near the border with Hungary. The project is also one of the tangible results of the Ukraine Facility, the European Union’s €50 billion support instrument, showing how European guarantees and grants translate into real infrastructure on the ground.