The New Code of Railway Transport that was proposed for public debates eliminates the monopoly of the state-run enterprise Moldova’s Railway on the railway services market. Under the proposed initiative, the infrastructure will belong to the Head of State, while the traction and passenger and freight transportation services could be provided by private operators, IPN reports.

The Code was drafted by the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure. Together with the restructuring of Moldova’s Railways and the coming into force of the new Code of Railway Transport, the Government will be obliged to partially finance the maintaining and reconstruction of the railway infrastructure and to provide subsidies to passenger rail transport operators.

Resulting from the enterprise’s financial-economic activity for the previous years, the executive, following the adoption of the bill, will be obliged to allocate about 250 million lei to the railway sector. The money will be used to maintain the railway infrastructure, which hasn’t been modernized during the past 20 years. At the same time, a part of the given financial resources will be allotted to transport operators, according to the good European practices.

The document envisions the creation of two institutions: the Investigations Office responsible for the examination of railway incidents and accidents and the Railway Agency responsible for the authorization of rail transport operators and the infrastructure administrator.

The Ministry noted the approval of the new Code of Railway Transport is provided in the Association Agreement signed by Moldova with the European Union.