{"id":400561,"date":"2026-04-06T17:48:38","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T07:48:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=70437"},"modified":"2026-04-06T17:48:38","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T07:48:38","slug":"romania-is-about-to-reap-the-benefits-of-infrastructure-works-and-eu-financing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=400561","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Romania is about to reap the benefits of infrastructure works and EU financing\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Romania joined the EU in 2007. The accession meant increased availability of European funding for infrastructure projects. What started as a \u201csteep and bumpy road\u201d almost 20 years ago is turning into tangible results. Romania is about to \u201creap the benefits\u201d of infrastructure works and the associated funding, according to transport ministry representative Claudiu Staicu.<\/strong>
\n<\/span>Over the past 15 years, financing coming from the EU Cohesion Fund has amounted to around 10 billion euros, explains Claudiu Staicu. The transport ministry representative has worked at the government institution for that same period of time and coordinates various working groups on EU funding for infrastructure projects.<\/p>\n

With those 10 billion euros, Romania has managed to modernise 600 kilometres of railways. Another 900 kilometres of works are ongoing with an estimated value of 6 billion euros.<\/p>\n

That is a lot of work that is still underway, but Staicu is happy about the point Romania is about to reach. After all these years, major investments are reaching their \u2018delivery moment\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat’s quite an important milestone in our activity, because all of society, the European Union and so on only look at completed investments. No one is keen on hearing that you struggle, or you have issues, or you found out that you need to modify some laws internally or regulations. Everyone is looking for that missing connection or bottleneck that is making everyone spend days or weeks without moving their freight and passengers\u201d, says Staicu.<\/p>\n

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Rail freight near Bucharest, Romania. Image: Shutterstock \u00a9 MihailC95<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

TEN-T and Constan\u021ba<\/h2>\n

EU funding has primarily been directed towards the TEN-T network and associated corridors in Romania, specifically the Rhine-Danube corridor and the newly created Baltic-Black Sea-Aegean corridor. Over 80% of investments have gone toward completing these corridors, with a major focus on the Rhine-Danube corridor’s main axis, linking the west (Curtici) to Constan\u021ba.<\/p>\n

Staicu highlights two projects on this axis that are close to completion. \u201cWe have works ongoing between Bra\u0219ov and Sighi\u0219oara with two big tunnels now being drilled. The expectation is for it to be completed in 2028. In the meantime, the status is around 98-99% from Sighi\u0219oara to Simeria and further on.\u201d<\/p>\n

The overarching goal of these projects is to allow freight and passengers alike to move across Romania quickly. The Black Sea and Romania\u2019s biggest asset, the Port of Constan\u021ba, play a central role in this idea. The latter has seen substantial investments in its links with the broader rail network.<\/p>\n

As a result, it could serve as a more attractive entry point for goods into Europe. This holds especially true, considering that it is the largest and deepest container port in the Black Sea. It therefore also occupies a key position on the Middle Corridor from China to Europe.<\/p>\n

\"The
The Port of Constanta. Image: Shutterstock. \u00a9 AirdroneRO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

An approach in stages<\/h2>\n

Multimodality (linking different transport modes) and energy efficiency (including extensive electrification and introducing new technologies) are current priorities to ensure the network supports economic growth, explains Staicu. The Danube river also offers opportunities for better multimodal connectivity to the European hinterland – which is why Romania is working on an extensive dredging programme to secure year-round navigability.<\/p>\n

EU funding has greatly helped Romania to implement these projects. However, money does not grow on trees and is in limited supply. Budgetary constraints exert a restricting effect on infrastructure works. While Romania tries to comply with all TEN-T standards (160 kilometres per hour for passenger trains, 22.5-tonne axle load, 740-metre train length, electrification, and ERTMS), implementing all of this is not always financially feasible.<\/p>\n

As a result, the approach has recently shifted to tackling TEN-T standards in different stages of implementation. By prioritising the most critical infrastructure works, like axle load and electrification, Romania aims to meet the minimum interoperability standards first. These factors are must-haves for a train to be able to enter the network from neighbouring countries and to make unhindered cross-border traffic possible.<\/p>\n