Spain prevents Hungary from buying a railway company because of its importance to Ukraine.

Spain has blocked the purchase by a Hungarian company of a Madrid-based train manufacturer. As the FT writes, Madrid vetoed the €619M purchase of Talgo because of the company’s ability to help rebuild Ukraine by strengthening its railway connections with the EU. Talgo could help Ukraine overcome one major obstacle – the different widths of railway tracks.

Talgo has advanced technologies at its disposal – automatic track width change – which will enable trains to move smoothly between Ukrainian railway tracks and narrower rails in neighboring European countries.

“This cooperation with Ukraine is one of the most important components of rebuilding the country and its integration into Europe,” the Spanish government says.

The technology of variable track compatibility was developed in Spain, where several track width options are utilized. Talgo’s variable track system allows trains to change between track widths while moving at a speed of about 15 km/h without stopping.