The EU is planning to build a European rail track from Iasi to Chisinau to improve rail links between Moldova and Romania.
This is stated in a study published by the European Commission and the European Investment Bank. The document proposes to use the European rail track on the railway lines to Lvov and Chisinau, which should be the first step towards improving the railway connection between Poland and Ukraine, as well as between Romania and Moldova. This study is part of the action plan “Roads of Solidarity between the EU and Ukraine”, which aims to strengthen international communication and ensure the safety of cargo flows in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine. First of all, the study proposes to create a European rail track from Krakow/Katowice (Poland) to Lvov (Ukraine), as well as from Iasi (Romania) to Chisinau (Moldova). The study also describes options for further expansion of the rail track network. The study also assesses how the new European rail tracks in Ukraine and Moldova will fit in with the network in other countries that will continue to use broad rail track. “The construction of the EU's first railway track in Ukraine and Moldova, connecting their railways with Poland and Romania, will bring them closer to the EU single market,” said European Commissioner for Transport Adina-Ioana Vălean. She said the study lays the groundwork for long-term solutions, supporting Ukraine in its post-war trade and reconstruction. “Ensuring interoperability from Poland through Ukraine, Moldova and Romania will also mean more convenient travel for citizens,” said Adina-Ioana Vălean. As InfoMarket agency reported earlier, Adina Vălean noted at a press conference in Chisinau that the European Union could finance the construction of a new railway line Lviv - Iasi - Chisinau - Odessa with a European gauge. According to her, the implementation of this important project with the support of the EU will be possible after the completion and submission of a feasibility study for connecting the railway networks of Moldova and Ukraine with the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). Adina Vălean stressed that the project for the construction of the railway line Lviv - Iasi - Chisinau - Odessa with the European gauge is of strategic importance in this area. As InfoMarket agency reported earlier, the European Union will provide Moldova with a grant in the amount of 20 million euros for the rehabilitation of railways. The Delegation of the European Union in our country noted that this financial assistance is provided in the form of a grant and is aimed at connecting Moldova to the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). It was emphasized that the European Commission and the European Investment Bank had previously initiated a pre-feasibility study to assess how best to connect the Ukrainian and Moldovan rail networks to the Trans-European alliance and enhance global food security. As noted in the European Commission, the gauge used in most EU countries differs from the gauge in Eastern Europe, which makes it difficult to deliver goods in both directions. The solution to this problem would be the adoption of the railway gauge used in the EU and in these neighboring countries, namely from Poland and Romania to Ukraine and Moldova. // 13.07.2023 — InfoMarket
