Romania and Moldova push forward major road and rail projects

Romanian road construction on the Sibiu‑Pitesti A1 section has accelerated, with work on nine viaducts and three tunnels and a contract value of 4.25 billion lei. The national rail operator has received the 20th Alstom inter‑regional train and plans to introduce 37 new Alstom units, while the private Interregional Călători will launch Alstom Coradia Stream electric trains on the Bucharest‑Cluj route from 1 July 2026. In Constanța, CT Bus aims to start a metropolitan service on four new routes after a November 1 start, though local mayoral concerns focus on funding. A storm on 31 May disrupted train traffic to and from Bucharest, causing delays of up to 170 minutes on several routes. The Transilvania A3 highway lot Chiribiș‑Biharia is now 60 % complete, using advanced asphalt‑finishing equipment. Traffic on DN1 and on Bucharest’s Basarabia boulevard was restricted because of wind‑damaged structures. The government’s 2026 target of 250 km of new motorways remains unmet, with the first openings expected later in the year. Moldova and Romania signed a new agreement to build a Prut River bridge at Ungheni and the first 5 km of motorway on the Moldovan side, linking to Romania’s A8. Additionally, a €270 million EU‑funded project will rebuild the 65 km Chişinău‑Comrat road, and the Iaşi metropolitan train financing package of €204 million has been submitted for EU evaluation. A separate incident saw the Chișinău trolleybus network briefly disrupted.