Romania’s Ministry of Transport proposed financing a feasibility study worth EUR 120 mln (EUR 143 mln including VAT) for a high-speed railway route supposed to link the Constanta port at the Black Sea with the country’s western border, Economedia.ro reported.

The construction of the project, estimated under one of the proposed routes to cost EUR 17 bln, should be completed by the end of 2026 because it is supposed to be financed under the Relaunch and Resilience Plan (PNRR).

Under PNRR, Romania has to increase the passenger ridership by 25% compared to 2021, and it also has to boost by 25% the volume of freight railway transportation.

Such a calendar seems highly unrealistic, particularly when it comes to high-speed connections.

One of the two possible routes proposed by the Ministry of Transport, the one estimated to cost EUR 17 bln, should cross the Carpathians along the Pitesti - Sibiu motorway that is under construction as well. The other route would stretch from Bucharest to Ploiesti and across the Carpathian mountains to Brasov. 

(Photo: Pixabay)

andrei@romania-insider.com