“We want to organize an auction for the exploitation of the terminals. There are investors who are interested in these terminals, because they want to attract freight trains. Moreover, I know there are foreign investors interested in intermodal transport in Romania,” Ioan Petrica, Head of Intermodal Transport Service within CFR Marfa, told Business Standard. He added that the state operator lacks the money for modernizing the terminals, considering that the investment in one terminal is of almost €500,000.
“In a first stage, somewhere at the beginning of next year, we will auction off four terminals. According to the project, the investor will administer the terminal for three to five years,” Petrica said. He added that intermodal traffic, highly appreciated in Europe, is still very little developed in Romania. By using this type of transport, railway costs could drop by up to one fifth, as fewer employees are involved in the process. Another advantage would be a lower level of pollution, but also fewer accidents now caused by trucks.
According to George Buruiana, General Manager of the Servtrans private railway operator, the share of intermodal transport in Romania is less than five percent of total freight transport, while in countries such as Germany, the United Kingdom, and France, the share is of some 35 percent.
