The economic relations of European countries with developing countries in the Far East will also continue to grow in the coming years and the logical transit route includes Romania. Consequently, the port of Constanta and the Romanian territory will have to be included more and more in the commercial transit circuit.
And if the priority is attracting large flows of goods in transit, the most reliable mode of transport is the railway, even if one cannot neglect road network and waterways.
Unfortunately, the railway network of Romania, relatively well developed as density (both in terms of the country’s area and number of inhabitants) and at the same time not too congested, it is not very efficient, and that’s because of misadministration, too. Efficiency can be achieved by upgrading the infrastructure, through better organization and respect for graphics traffic. In addition, to attract new flows of goods, a specialized rolling stock and the use of modernized locomotives and wagons are advisable, too. Last but not least, if producers and operators of logistics centers will not seek to modernize the transshipment facilities, trains might get delayed even if the rail network is rehabilitated and modernized.
Without modernization of rail transport important investment funds will be blocked, argues Professor Pencea. As an example, he states that, if the Romanian authorities do not invest in the rail network linking the port of Constan¡a with the rest of the country, the largest investment in Europe - namely the steel combine that Austrian company voestalpine intends to build on Black Sea basin - will be lost.
