Construction of a tram line in Liege, Belgium (photo: NGO "Vision Zero")

The NGO “Vision Zero” and the State Enterprise “Scientific Research and Design and Technological Institute of Urban Economy” signed an agreement on the preparation of a new edition of the building codes DBN V.2.3-18:2007 “Tram and trolleybus lines. General design requirements”. All interested organizations are invited to work on this document. The first step is scientific and technical research.

This collaboration between the NGO and the research institute is part of a new project aimed at creating a favorable regulatory environment in Ukraine for a full-scale modernization of the electric public transport infrastructure as part of Ukraine's post-war reconstruction.

The project is a continuation of previously conducted activities of the public organization, in particular the analytical study “Comparative analysis of legislative and technical standards for electric public transport in Ukraine and EU countries” (2025).

The development of a new edition of the norms will achieve several goals at the same time. These include harmonizing Ukraine's regulatory environment with European standards and practices, removing regulatory obstacles to the modernization of urban infrastructure, and saving money through more economical and rational solutions.

“We and the Institute have a common vision: the norms for the construction of tram and trolleybus infrastructure need to be “Europeanized” and brought into line with the legislation of Ukraine. After all, the law “On Construction Norms” directly states that preference should be given to parametric and target-based methods of standardization in construction, rather than the prescriptive method, as was previously accepted,” comments on the project Viktor Zagreba, Chairman of the Board of the NGO “Vision Zero”.

The NGO announced that the process of developing the document will be public: at various stages, the initiators and developers of the norms will organize consultations and presentations for interested individuals and organizations and request written comments and suggestions.
The project is implemented with the support of the European Climate Foundation (ECF).

Kyiv, a section of the tram track on O. Dashkevycha Street does not meet the modern requirements of the State Building Code, not reaching a width of 8.4 meters. However, this does not affect the operational characteristics and safety. Photo: alltransua portal; author MAXON .

As of 2025, there are 33 trolleybus systems operating in Ukraine, including seven in the temporarily occupied territories, and 18 tram systems, five of which are located in the temporarily occupied territories. Ukraine ranks first in Europe in terms of the number of trolleybus systems, and third in terms of the number of tram systems.

Also read our recommended materials on this topic:

1. “Examples of new tram systems in Europe and why they are impossible in Ukraine” .
2. “The Soviet tram will not take you to Europe.”
3. “Why do modern cities love trolleybuses again?” .
4. “In the Belgian city of Liège, the tram network that was dismantled in 1967 has been restored . ”
5. “Tram system in the Swedish city of Lund: history of creation and development prospects” .
6. “A tram network from scratch: the success of the city of Tampere” .