MOLDOVA: The European Bank for Reconstruction & Development has provided national railway operator Calea Ferată din Moldova with a €23·5m loan to finance rehabilitation of the line running south from Bender to Căuşeni, Basarabeasca, Etulia and Giurgiuleşti on the Romanian border.
Minister of Infrastructure & Regional Development Andrei Spînu said this is the busiest section of railway in the country, used by transit freight to and from Romania and Ukraine.
‘We are only beginning to bring the sector back to life. With efficient management of funds and with maximum responsibility and discipline, the railways will have a brand new image’, said Spînu after the loan agreement was signed on October 6.
CFM is also to call a tenders for an energy-management information system to support improved efficiency.
The latest loan follows on from a €110m financial package provided jointly by the EBRD, European Investment Bank and European Union. This was agreed in 2014, disbursed in 2017 and used to enhance infrastructure, support institutional reform and acquire 12 Wabtec TE33AC diesel locomotives which offer lower emissions and more econoimcal operation than the Soviet-era locos they replaced.
‘Modern railways mean safer, more efficient transport for passengers and freight’, said Matteo Patrone, EBRD Managing Director, Eastern Europe & the Caucasus. ‘Our financing will improve the operational efficiency and corporate governance at CFM while delivering important benefits for trade, the economy and for people’s lives.’
