To ensure the reliability of railway transportation, Metinvest Northern Iron Ore carried out major overhaul of tracks and switches last year. Last year, Metinvest allocated over UAH 42 million to restore worn-out sections of tracks of the enterprise.

In total, in 2024, repair crews at the northern plant restored 4.5 km of tracks and 12 sets of track switches. These are the railway tracks that run through the territory of the Pershotravnevyi open pit mine and the finished goods export shop of the Railway Transport Department.

Major overhaul involves complete dismantling of the old track, assembly of the rail and sleeper grid at the assembly base and laying of the track using machinery.

"Railway is a key component of the enterprise`s logistics: a significant volume of cargo is delivered by rail, and its proper condition is a guarantee of reliable transportation. The amount of work carried out by our shop last year was one and a half times higher than in 2023," said Oleksandr SKYBA, head of the Track Maintenance and Repair Shop of Railway Transport Department at the Northern Iron Ore. "The last repair of tracks and switches took place over 15 years ago, so there was a need for a large-scale restoration, which was carried out by the shop team during the year. Our employees ensure the stable operation of the railway: the brigades of the subdivision ensure safe transportation of ore and overburden from the pits, as well as finished products throughout the year. All the measures taken are aimed at upgrading the shop's capacities and ensuring efficient operation in the future.

Today, the extensive network of tracks at Northern Iron Ore is almost 300 km long, and all of them are maintained by the employees of the track maintenance and repair shop established in 2022. The specialists also control the condition of more than 500 track switches. Alongside major overhauls, brigades of the shop carry out routine maintenance of tracks and repair works, re-laying of mobile tracks, rebuilding of the side contact network, etc. Employees maintain track serviceability throughout the year: they systematically inspect and assess the condition of the tracks and carry out routine maintenance to prevent rolling stock derailments.

In 2025, Northern Iron Ore plans to restore 5.7 km of tracks and 18 track switches. The work will be carried out at Pershotravnevyi and Hannivskyi open pits and at the finished product export shop of Railway Transport Department.