Multimodal freight transport is underused by companies in Romania due to underdeveloped infrastructure; however, attracting investments could boost freight flows and unlock the country’s transport potential (inland waterway, maritime, rail, road, and air). This is the conclusion of a study conducted by the Naval Domain Supervisory Council (CSDN) and the National Railway Domain Supervisory Council (CNSDF), both part of the Romanian Competition Council.
“Romania has a geographically strategic position, but the lack of an integrated and modern infrastructure limits company choices and reduces competitiveness. With investments and a coherent strategy, multimodal transport could become a vital pillar of the national economy and a sustainable future alternative,” said Bogdan Chirițoiu, President of the Competition Council.
Transport Infrastructure
The study analyzed Romania’s multimodal freight transport system based on data from manufacturing companies, freight forwarding houses, intermodal/multimodal freight terminals, and public institutions, also issuing development recommendations.
In 2023, the road network used for freight transport increased by 0.2% to 86,388 km, while the railway network decreased by 1.4% compared to 2021, totaling 10,611 km.
Regarding inland waterway infrastructure, Romania has 2,763 km of navigable routes, 43 inland and maritime ports/operation points, the largest seaport (Constanța), and the Danube–Black Sea Canal.
As for air transport, Romania has 17 airports, but only 9 are used for cargo: Otopeni, Cluj, Timișoara, Constanța, Craiova, Iași, Suceava, Arad, and Sibiu.
Low Use of Multimodal Transport
Currently, Romania has 58 inter/multimodal transport terminals, of which only 27 are operational. 33 terminals (56.9%) are owned by CFR Marfă, but only four are active. Nearly half of the active terminals serve the Constanța port, located in southeastern Romania.
Despite this infrastructure, only 2.3% of active companies that responded to the CNSDF and CSDN survey use multimodal transport. Road transport dominates, due to shorter delivery times and better road development compared to rail or waterway networks.
By total freight volume:
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Road transport: 84.1%
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Rail transport: 11.1%
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Multimodal transport: 3.1%
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Air transport: negligible, due to high costs and a lack of cargo-specific terminals.
In 2023, from the 2.5 million tonnes of multimodal freight:
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43.63% was rail-road (1.1 million tonnes)
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38.57% was road-rail-water (approx. 1 million tonnes)
Companies hesitate to use multimodal transport due to inadequate infrastructure, lack of modern connected terminals, absence of logistical chains, high costs, long transit times, and low navigability on the Danube.
Recommendations to Improve Multimodal Transport
CNSDF and CSDN recommend updating Romania’s national strategy for multimodal transport, as this flexible mode is increasingly adopted globally.
Key recommendations include:
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Investing in infrastructure: electrified railway lines, terminal capacity, network extensions for terminal connectivity, and higher train speeds.
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Building modern multimodal terminals, including in ports, for container freight, which accounted for 5% of total goods in 2023.
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Modernizing and reactivating CFR Marfă’s terminals, possibly transferring their operation to interested railway companies.
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Expanding storage capacity, including the creation of specialized areas, to reduce freight transit time.
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Digitizing multimodal transport to improve coordination and logistics profitability.
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Creating a balanced tax regime across all transport modes to encourage greener alternatives.
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Modernizing Constanța port and expanding the highway network to reduce transport times.
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Securing navigability on the Danube and improving intermodal connections between ports, rail, and road infrastructure, along with providing essential public utilities.
Broader Impact
The current international context and trends in freight transport could increase cargo flows from other countries, provided Romania develops cost- and time-efficient multimodal transport. Optimizing Romania’s rail and waterway transport potential will also help achieve EU objectives in this field: by 2050, 50% of long-distance freight (over 300 km) should shift from road to rail or water transport, significantly cutting carbon emissions.
The study, “Multimodal Freight Transport in Romania – Developments and Perspectives”, is publicly available on the Romanian Competition Council’s website.