Romania’s rail freight sector is facing significant challenges. New data from the National Institute of Statistics (INS) reveal a notable downturn in performance during 2024. Declining freight volumes and deteriorating operational indicators are raising concerns about the industry’s competitiveness and future growth prospects.
The INS report indicates a steep 12% decrease in rail freight transport in 2024 compared to the previous year. The total volume of goods carried reached approximately 43 million tons. Domestic transport accounted for the majority (79%) of this volume. The tariff route of goods also saw a substantial 11.2% decline. While transit traffic offered a slight positive note with a 9.6% increase, it was insufficient to offset the overall negative trend.
Commodity breakdown
Coke and refined petroleum products constituted the largest share of transported goods, accounting for 24.5% of the total volume. Coal, lignite, crude oil, and natural gas collectively represented 18.3%. In terms of goods flow, coke and refined petroleum products again led with 32.4%, followed by agricultural, hunting, and forestry products, along with fish and other fishing products, at 15.9%.
Operational inefficiencies
Beyond the volume decline, the INS data highlight growing concerns about operational efficiency. While the average running time of freight wagons improved by 19.1%, several key performance indicators deteriorated. These include a 15.2% decrease in the average daily distance of freight wagons, a 14.9% decrease in loaded wagons imported from abroad, and a 12.5% decrease in loaded wagons on the CFR network.
Additionally, the average daily distance of locomotives used for freight transport decreased by 10.8%, the average commercial speed of freight trains decreased by 5.7%, and the locomotive distance decreased by 4.5%. The average gross weight of freight wagons (tons/train) also declined by 2.8%, and the average static load of freight wagons (tons/axle) decreased by 2.5%.