Infrastructure: Multimodal Transportation – Trains, Planes, and Roads

Alongside the costs of the war comes an opportunity to modernize Ukraine's transportation and logistics sector with state-of-the-art infrastructure. As both sea and land transport routes—Ukraine's primary methods for exporting agricultural products—are under threat, Ukraine needs a modernization strategy for its transportation and logistics infrastructure that is multimodal. The country needs to identify short- and long-term alternatives to rail and port infrastructure, including routes via Gdansk (Poland), Romania, and the Danube. Developing and implementing a comprehensive logistics and transportation reconstruction plan will be crucial to Ukraine’s recovery, providing jobs for millions of Ukrainians seeking to return to their country, and attracting foreign direct investment which future generations can capitalize on. Moreover, it will have broader implications for the global economy and supply chains, as with better railroads and highways, Ukraine will be better positioned to export agricultural and manufacturing products.

The panel examined what can be accomplished in the short term versus the long term, including efforts currently underway in Ukraine to repair the damage done to transportation infrastructure. 

Moderator:

• Erin Murphy, Senior Fellow, CSIS Asia Program 

Speakers: 

• Matt London, Director of Government Affairs, Amsted Rail
• Oleksandr Vainer, Co-owner, Agrosem LLC
• Erik Churchill, Vice President for Global Public Affairs and Sustainability, UPS
• Emily Grein, Director, Airfreight & Ukraine Development and Reconstruction, Logistics Plus