The reactivation of the Danube-Bucharest Channel has been a highly debated topic over the past years, by each and every one of the leaders that have passed through the Romanian Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, but nothing seems to actually happen. The topic was brought to light again two months ago by Sorin Oprescu, Mayor of Bucharest, who expressed his belief that this project, interrupted after 1989, would be one of the most valuable points on Romania’s map. Particularly, since it will also directly influence the development of infrastructure projects for railways, tramways and underground. “I am waiting for a special law of the Capital to resume the channel project. The Danube is the European Corridor VII and Bucharest has to become port to this river”, declared Oprescu. He pointed out that the necessary amount of money for resuming and finalizing the project was estimated at somewhere between EUR 700 and 800 Million, and that there were various potential financing sources: European funds, local budget or public-private partnership (PPP). “This is definitely a significant amount, but, should we think about the results, we could say that it is worthwhile. Once works at this channel are finalized, we will witness an accelerated economic growth, especially in the south”, pointed out Cristian Pârvan, Secretary General of the Businessmen’s Association of Romania (AOAR). According to his declarations, this will generate several thousands new jobs, especially due to foreign investors who will develop new projects. Bucharest will thus become one of the few capitals with open access to the Danube which, in turn, is linked to the Black Sea through Constanța seaport and to the North Sea through the port of Rotterdam. Moreover, according to the data provided by the Administration of the Navigable Canals, the channel will have a capacity of up to 20 million tonnes of freight annually, which means a huge step forward for the freight transport segment in the region.
When will this become possible?
But implementation is a long striving process, and there are still questions in need of an answer: will the project be resumed this year, next year or many years from now? Sources within the Romanian Ministry of Transport, the institution who took over the channel, in 2008, from the Ministry of Environment, declared that it could be included in Bucharest’s metropolitan area and its construction could be finalized in four years. In fact, if we were to believe the declarations of some officials from the Transport Ministry made almost three years ago, the resumption of works should have been possible since mid-2010, after the conclusion of the feasibility study. But it didn’t happen, even though water transport is the most eco-friendly means of transport, followed by railways. “Many times, railway and water transport complete each other. Moreover, in terms of noise, safety and exhaust gases, these two types of transport cannot be compared to road transport”, declared George Buruiană, Board President, Servtrans Invest, one of the freight operators in the region, part of International Railway Systems Group (Luxembourg). Actual works at the channel began in 1986, during the communism era, starting from a project developed in 1982. By 1990, 70% of the channel had been already built, but nowadays this percent is no longer valid since most works have seriously deteriorated. After works were ceased, there should have been two waterways on Argeș and Dâmbovița rivers, as well as three ports (the port of Oltenița, Glina on Dâmbovița and 1 Decembrie on Argeș). Time only can prove if the authorities in charge will also be willing to implement this project.
[ by Ionela Micu ]Share on:
