The Government's lack of vision in supporting the transport infrastructure development 03-09-2010 18:32  Open letter to
Emil Boc, Romanian Prime Minister,
Radu Berceanu, Romanian Minister of Transport and Infrastructure
Dear Mr. Prime Minister,
Dear Mr. Minister,
The Romanian Railway Industry Association (AIF) has taken note of the most recent declarations of central authorities concerning the dismissal of a large number of employees from the national railway companies. We consider this useful to increasing productivity and reducing the financial pressures on railway state-owned companies' budget. However, AIF considers the opinion of the Romanian Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure regarding the level of railway transport acceptability by the population and by companies, as well as that of investments in new technology as being mostly groundless.
In the last 20 years, the Romanian Government was located outside the European stream that supported public and rail transport and preferred to prioritize individual motorized transport.
The transformation of railway companies in pro-profit commercial companies has been an useful excuse that justified the state's lack of interest in the railway transport infrastructure. The last ten years at least have brought not only the delay of national and local interest railway infrastructure investments but also the ignorance of the maintenance and repair necessities for both infrastructure and trains (locomotives, cars, multiple-units). Using the excuse of profitability and self-financing, the Government has asked railway carriers to indirectly pay all state debts towards this public property, while in the road transport system operators have a much lower level of charges.
Apart from the financial unbalance caused by this policy, the railway infrastructure was doomed to collapse, while passenger rolling stock was not upgraded to the level of that in Central and Western Europe. Given this complete lack of interest, the railways are now facing the rail isolation of Giurgiu from Bucharest (Grădiștea bridge has collapsed 5 years ago and this railway section ensures the international connection of Romania between Russia and the Balkans) and of Galați (the entrance tunnel in Galați risks collapsing causing the isolation of another county capital and important industrial centre in Romania). Also, the railway bridges between Brașov and Sibiu collapsed causing the rail isolation of the two cities. The protection tunnels against rock falling on Valea Oltului are not financed which determined the temporary interruption of traffic between Muntenia and Transylvania. The railway connection between Timișoara and Bucharest is another problem of railway infrastructure deficiency as, beside the isolation of an important urban area, the traffic on the Pan-European Corridor IV is also interrupted.
Apart from these problems of the railway infrastructure, the insufficient lack of funds for the national passenger operator has determined the lack of repair works for the “Blue Arrow” trains so that almost half the operator's rolling stock fleet is blocked and in need of minor works and the locomotives crash because there are no modernisation works going on.
Under the circumstances, it is no surprise that the Romanian railway system would not be attractive, although, taking for example the experience of all countries in Central and Western Europe which granted special attention to the railways, this transport system can become an economic growth engine. This development is due, on the one side to the increasing geographical mobility of people (entire communities are connected and are given the possibility to find a job) and on the other side, the companies have the possibility to expand their activity fields and the geographical areas covered through the existence of an efficient and safe transport system such as the railways.
Based on these facts, AIF asks once again the Romanian Government to allow the railway system to benefit from the investments necessary to transform from an obstacle into an economic growth engine. Such a new vision will allow both private companies and state-owned companies to maintain and naturally create jobs, stimulate the GDP and state budget income growth.
The railways are not non-attractive but they were forced to pretend being a non-attractive transport solution only in Romania. The large investments in railway companies made by private investors both in Europe, as well as on other continents stand proof.
Having proof of our full regard,
Ștefan Roșeanu
Secretary General of the Romanian Railway Industry Association
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