Andrei Spinu: Moldova Railway Could Be Profitable in Two Years, Including Through Layoffs

There are still delays with the payment of salaries at the enterprise Moldova Railway. The company’s employees just received their salaries for February. This was confirmed by the Minister of Infrastructure, Andrei Spinu, who says that the railway company can become profitable in two years at the most, if the Railway Code is adopted and staff cuts are resorted to. “There are still delays on salaries. According to the latest information I have, the salaries for February have been paid almost in full and payment for March will come soon. The Railway has to undergo a restructuring process. In the formula that currently exists, it can’t exist for long, and that was my request to the interim director. In fact, in the next year or two, we have to implement the railway code, which restructures the railway. However, the Railway itself has to be optimized so that it is a profitable enterprise with no problems with the salaries’ payment,” Minister Andrei Spinu said. Spinu argues that Moldova needs an investment of three billion euros for a railway infrastructure “at a good level”. “Almost for the first time we have two projects worth more than 250 million euros. One that rehabilitates the railway from Tighina to Giurgiulesti via Basarabeasca, and the second big project: the rehabilitation from Ocnita to Cainari, which is more than 130 kilometers long,” Spinu said. The official hopes that once the railway is rehabilitated and becomes attractive, the state will also save money on road repairs. “According to our analyzes, once we have a good railway, we will also have good roads, because part of the heavy transport, cargo, will go by rail. We cannot have good roads if we continue to transport huge volumes of goods on them,” Spinu claimed. The minister also recalled the initiative to restructure the railway company by first dividing it into three companies, following the example of Romania. One should be responsible for infrastructure, one for passenger transport and one for goods.