The General Transport Master Plan is drafted to offer a clear transport development strategy in Romania over the next 20 years. To be turned into account, is should provide applicable solutions to the problems and requirements of the transport sector in Romania. The Master Plan will identify the projects and policies that would best meet Romania’s transport needs over the next 5-15 years for all transport modes, supplying a solid analytical database to attract such policies and projects.
Briefly, shows the recitals elaborated by AECOM consultant, the Master Plan will identify the projects and policies that will best satisfy the needs of the transport sector in Romania over the next 5-15 years, for all transport modes, providing a solid, analytical base in selecting those policies and projects.
The Romanian Ministry of Transport has analysed 530 transport infrastructure projects to be proposed for testing in the General Transport Master Plan, of which 264 are projects that could be shaped based on the national transport model.
The projects admitted for testing will be divided into two categories: shapeable and non-shapeable. The projects declared shapeable will be then tested based on two criteria: economic performance and polycriterial analysis.
After testing the projects with the help of the national transport model, they will be declared sustainable or non-sustainable. Sustainable projects will represent the foundation of the General Master Plan approval.
Regarding the value of the projects shapeable with the help of the National Transport Model in the first draft of the General Transport Master Plan with implementation deadline in 2030, they have an average project cost of EUR 325 Million. Out of transport infrastructure projects, 43% are road transport projects and 36% are railway transport projects. The total investment value of the 264 shapeable projects is of almost EUR 86 Billion.
However, the 530 projects are just proposals “approved” for testing to see whether they fit in the master plan or not.
Sustainable projects will be the foundation of the General Transport Master Plan approval
“We specify that the General Transport Master Plan is a complex strategic document of Romania which sets the strategic action directions for all transport modes: road, railway, maritime and air, which should consider the problems identified for each transport sector, specific objectives, the strategic vision of the Ministry of Transport for the implementation of transport policies, as well as the final list of sustainable projects of the Master Plan. In this context, being aware of the strategic importance of this document based on which Romania will access structural funds, the Master Plan has to be elaborated while keeping in mind the requirements formulated by the European Commission, including through the master plan elaboration methodology, but bearing in mind the strategic needs of national transport development”, the Ministry of Transport states.
For the elaboration and final approval of the Master Plan, a series of stages will be carried out over the next period, among which setting the financial plan and project scenarios of the Transport Master Plan for the programming period 2014-2020 and the programming period 2020-2030. It is necessary to define the second draft of the Master Plan and the proposal for approval in the Romanian Government, by 30 June, followed by public debates on the presentation of the Transport Master Plan from 15 May to 15 June 2014.
“The enormous stake of the General Transport Master Plan on which the officials of the European Commission insist is that it sets not only the projects to be developed, but also their prioritization, based on a sole criterion, that of cost-benefit. If this is achieved at the level of the Transport Master Plan and we have the approval of the European Commission, the great advantage is that the infrastructure projects included in the Master Plan must be finalized, no matter the political changes in Romania”, declared Romanian Minister of Transport Dan Şova.
To improve the efficiency of the railway transport network exploited by CFR SA, the national railway infrastructure manager, it is considered to establish the final note on the measures necessary to improve the efficiency of the railway transport network, to set the action directions for the railway reform, public debates on the railway reform strategy and the approval of the Government on the railway reform strategy on 30 May.
Analysing the railway sector problems after the passenger/km and tonne/km indicators, AECOM consultant observes that it is relevant to examine the main problems which contribute to the decline of railway passenger and freight transport. The consultant has also identified four problems that have to be analysed: infrastructure, operations, demand and policies / regulation.
Thus, the consultant observes that recent railway infrastructure investments have not improved travel times along main routes, maintenance costs are insufficient and the life expectancy of assets is expired.
“Compared with other countries with a similar level of railway network length per capita, the share of rail transport use in Romania is reduced. The demand for railway transport in Romania measured through covered km per person is two-three times smaller than in these countries and loosing the market share has reduced revenues. The EU27 average is of 650 km per passenger per year, while the equivalent indicator for Romania is by 66% less than that.
The reduction of subsidies by 28% observed in Romania between 2004-2009 is the largest reduction of all EU member states. Moreover, the number of passengers has dropped from 2004 and 2012 from almost 100 million to 58 million per year”, shows the analysis elaborated by the consultant on the current problems of the Romanian railway traffic.
The consultant also notes that there are not enough costs allocated to railway infrastructure maintenance. “Insufficient costs for maintenance, modernisation and full track maintenance works have led to the continuous deterioration of the infrastructure. Current maintenance costs (EUR 140 Million) are by 50% below the level necessary to maintain the infrastructure to its current technical stage and to stop the continuous deterioration of the infrastructure. There is also a certain level of uncertainty about the annual budgets allocated to maintenance”.
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