After more than 15 years of inactivity, the authorities of the Republic of Moldova and Romania announced that the railway bridge in Fălciu (Vaslui) – Cantemir (Republic of Moldova) could restart to be used by rail traffic by May 2025. Moldova’s Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Bolea, who also holds serves as Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development, said that the rehabilitation of the 1.8-kilometer railway section is a priority, IPN reports.
"Today we spoke about the reconstruction of the railways and the interconnection of railways on the Fălciu segment. We hope that by May, with the support of the Romanian side, it will become functional, that it will be used in the interests of the economic agents of the Republic of Moldova and Romania. We have work to do inside the country, but what is happening today is in the national interest and in the interest of the economic development of the state," Vladimir Bolea said at a press conference in Chisinau.
The railway section was closed in 1992 due to landslides and the bridge crossing the Prut River, built in 1951, got ruined over the years. In the past, there were plans to convert the bridge into road infrastructure, but they have not materialized.
Deputy Prime Minister Bolea made the statement at the end of the QUINT Ministerial Meeting, organized under the aegis of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (MOVE). The event involved officials from Romania, Ukraine, the EU and the U.S., including Romanian Minister of Transport Sorin Grindeanu and US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien.
The items on the agenda of the discussions included issues related to "the electrification of a portion of the Iasi-Chisinau railway, implementation of coordinated customs control in Ungheni, reopening of the Cahul-Galati passenger train route and development of a cargo hub at the port of Giurgiulești," the Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development says in a press release.
"These bridges will contribute to increasing the connectivity of the Republic of Moldova with the European TEN-T Transport Network and eliminating congestion at border crossing points. Thus, we will ensure the improvement of the transport capacity between the two countries, fluidization and optimization of the flow of goods by trucks," added Vladimir Bolea.
Previous investments and economic context
According to the portal Clubul Feroviar.ro, in 2011, Romania invested almost 7.9 million lei in the modernization of the CFR Fălciu station in order to meet the Schengen requirements. However, since 2012, the route has not been used by any railway operator and the border crossing point remained inactive. In 2020, the authorities agreed to transform the bridge into a road bridge, which would have shortened the road between Bucharest and Chisinau by 150 km, said Clubul Feroviar.ro.
Prospects for regional transport
The current plans focus on the rehabilitation of rail infrastructure as a cheaper and safer alternative for freight transport. In parallel, Romania and the Republic of Moldova intend to build a road bridge in Ungheni, which will connect the Târgu Mureș–Iași–Ungheni highway with the R1 Chisinau–Ungheni national road.
These joint projects are considered essential for the economic development of both states and for the integration of the Republic of Moldova into the European transport networks.
