More than 70% of the national roads in Moldova are in a bad and very bad state, says the transport and logistics strategy for 2013-2022 that was drafted under the control of the Ministry of Transport and Road Infrastructure. The document says the state of the local roads remains critical. Only 22% of their length is in a good state, IPN reports.
According to the authors of the strategy, this state of affairs seriously affects the rural population’s access to social, medical and education services. Global data show the roads in Moldova are considered among the worst in the world.
As to road transport, some of the national producers and suppliers prefer not to use the services of Moldovan carriers because of the difficulties and delays in obtaining visas and the fact that the drivers remain without cash during the trips abroad. Also, they do not have safe specialized equipment and use old vehicles.
The draft strategy says that the national railroad system consists of over 1,000 km of main non-electrified lines. Almost half of them are equipped with an automated blocking system that is over 35 years old. The others have semi-automated blocking system that uses unsafe overhead electrical cables. About 80 km of the lines do not have automated control devices. Almost 80% of the control system is in a critical state.
The freight railway transport in Moldova is perceived as slow, costly and unsafe. Many of the users started to use road transport, which is more competitive.
As to airlines, their offers are limited, while the costs are high. The price of a plane ticket from and to Chisinau is almost double compared with a trip over the same distance from Kiev or Bucharest. The main carrier Air Moldova maintains its activity by accumulating debts, to the Chisinau International Airport for example, by not paying airport taxes.
In order to remove the problems faced in the transport sector, the authors of the strategy suggest creating appropriate legal and institutional framework for the transport and logistics sector to facilitate the sustainable economic development of Moldova. A framework is also needed to enable every type of transport to contribute to the economic development of Moldova, oriented to the development of foreign trade and other areas.
The draft transport and logistics strategy for 2013-2022 is available on the official website of the Transport Ministry.
