Trucks queue up to 42 km at Polish-Ukrainian border crossings, drivers face waits of up to 30 hours

In brief

• Trucks queued up to 42 km at Hrebenne and about 16 km at Dorohusk on Sunday afternoon.
• Around 330 trucks waited at Hrebenne and about 650 at Dorohusk.
• Expected clearance times are about 30 hours at Hrebenne and 26 hours at Dorohusk, and disruption may last until mid-December.

Queues stretch for kilometres at two crossings

On Sunday afternoon the line of lorries waiting to reach the Hrebenne crossing on the Polish-Ukrainian border extended as far as Polanówka, about 42 kilometres from the frontier (Ponad 20 kilometrów ciężarówek w kolejce do granicy. Policjanci przez całą dobę pilnują sytuacji na DK12 i DK17 – lublin112.pl) (42 kilometry ciężarówek do granicy. Nawet 30 godzin czekania na odprawę – wm.pl) (Gigantyczne kolejki tirów na granicy z Ukrainą. Kierowcy czekają nawet 30 godzin – RMF24) (650 tirów. Olbrzymie kolejki do granicy z Ukrainą – Wirtualna Polska). Roughly 330 trucks were waiting to be cleared.

At Dorohusk the situation was smaller but still large. Lorries were parked along a stretch of about 16 kilometres, reaching the village of Srebrzyszcze, and around 650 vehicles were waiting.

Waiting times and police response

The customs administration in Lublin said the expected waiting time for clearance was about 30 hours at Hrebenne and about 26 hours at Dorohusk.

Police have set up buffer zones in larger towns to keep other traffic moving (Lubelskie: Kolejki tirów przed przejściami granicznymi z Ukrainą – portalsamorzadowy.pl). Officers in Chełm monitored the situation around the clock, and the buffer zone there has since been lifted because traffic had eased. Officers also asked drivers to keep their vehicles on the shoulder of national road 12 so that other road users, especially local residents, could pass. Trucks have occasionally blocked access to private properties, and police have stepped in when that happens.

Causes and outlook

The customs office links the build-up to heavier freight traffic, particularly over the weekend and ahead of the end of the year. Renovation work is under way at both crossings, but according to the services it has not reduced the number of trucks cleared. The disruption may last until the third week of December.