Harmonization of the railway transport to the current requirements

 

The meeting from the beginning of September between the minister of Transports, Mr. Miron Mitrea, and the representatives of mass - media aimed the presentation of the development strategy on long term for the railway and the problems that Transport railway is dealing presently. For the first time the Ministry of Transports elaborated a development strategy in the railway sector on a long term (for 10 years), staged approach of various projects taking into consideration the requirements of the European Union. "The railway infrastructure has to be modernized in non-discriminatory manner in comparison with the road or airway sector, so that our country to be integrated in the pan-European network of railway transport", declared at the beginning of the meeting Mr. Miron Mitrea, the minister.

 

"CFR Marfa" privatization is nearly achieved

The minister, Mr. Miron Mitrea, declared at the beginning of this month that till the end of the year will start the negotiation with the World Bank for the special grant aiming the privatization of National Company for Railway Freight Transport "CFR Marfa", international institution will support the unfolding of the privatization process of the company, including the provision of the services of a consultancy firm. According to the affirmations of the minister in charge with this field, this process will not be postponed, due to the fact that the privatization of railway freight transport represents one of the conditions imposed to Romania by the European Union in the perspective of a future liberalizing of this sector and the creation of a unique transport market. In order to modernize the rolling stock of the fleet, the company needs important funds, in the conditions when 12% from all the wagons have years of service between 30 and 40 years, and 32% overpass 10 years of service. As it regards the locomotive fleet, only 25% have years of service between 10 and 20 years, this representing the maximal life period taking into consideration the duration calculated when they were built.

A difficult problem for the company is represented by the counter-value of the service provisions achieved by various firms from economical field, most of them big companies with state capital. SNTFM "CFR Marfa" has big problems with respect to the recovery of these debts, which represent an amount of 1,200 billion lei. The main debtors are Termoelectrica, Sidex Galati, Sidermet Calan, SNP Bucharest, Conpet and Siderurgica Hunedoara. The minister of Transports, Mr. Miron Mitrea, showed that, if in point of the relationships with the private firms the measure taken for the recovery of the debts is representing by the service provision stopping, when it is about the state companies a solution is more difficult to find. " The solution of the compensation of the debts is something I detest and I will never accept", said the minister who also added that the problem is also updated because there is a secondary market for the capitalization of the debts.

 

The price of the travelling tickets for the superior rang trains will be increased

Through the new tariff policy, the management of the Ministry of Transports intends to reduce the price of the tickets for normal trains and to increase those for a superior rang (fast trains, express trains), in order to provide some facilities to several social categories. The minister declared that "in order to change the tariff system it is necessary a normative document - which, is already in working process - and since October we hope to apply the new policy for the establishment of the prices for the railway transport".

A few of the principles of the new policy which will guide the establishment of the prices for railway passengers transport are the correction of the tariffs according to the inflation rate, most of them while being introduced the superior services, as well as the provision of social protection, especially for normal trains, second class. In the new approach, the state will subsidize the tickets for normal trains and will reduce significantly the amounts that are covering the costs for transports performed by superior rang trains, express and fast trains, appreciating that these ones are used, generally, by travelers with incomes over the average. Till 2010, the subsidies from the state for the fast trains will be reduced to 30%, in order to reach 10% in case of fast trains. According to Mr. Vasile Olievschi, Manager of the General Department for Railway Transport within MLPTL, the current tariff system is the result of a non-commercial approach, because it is encouraged the transport with annual tickets and it is stipulated equal subsidization of all type of trains.

Tariff policy changing for railway traffic in our country is considered a measure, which according to MLPTL will lead to an evaluation as realistic as possible of the prices charged for services that "CFR Calatori" offers to its clients. The current tariff system is exceeded, representing several inconveniences, one of them being the lack of encouragement to purchase annual tickets for railway travels, noticing the small difference between these ones and the usual tickets. In Mr. Miron Mitrea's vision, another disadvantage of the current tariff policy is represented by the fact that presently it is provided social protection for all type of trains. The future strategy for the establishment of the prices for railway will offer to the travelers a new system for annual tickets, which will be more advantageous for daily travelers (workers, students), who have an obvious need of transportation on railway and who use normal trains most of all. "Presently, from the entire amount of sold tickets, around 10% is represented by the annual tickets, in the conditions in which the European average is of 20%, and an European commuter travels by train 25-30 kilometers daily, while in Romania the commuter travels around 80 kilometers", declared Mr. Vasile Olievschi.

It also has to be mentioned the fact that the establishment process of the transport tariff is influenced by the evolution of numerous market guide marks, among which the most important are the price of power, gas-oil and lubricants, the exchange rate and inflation rate.

 

Railway personnel will be reduced with 7%

The number of the employees within the railway companies will be reduced with 7%, the measure being part of the restructuring and reliability program of this activity, announced MLPTL management.

At the end of the current year, railway companies will have 115,000 employees, in the condition in which the optimal operational number of the railway transport, also discussed with international institutions, is around 78,000 employees. If the rhythm of the restructuring of personnel will be maintained at 7% per year, only in 2004 it will be reached the optimal number.

In the first part of this year, the restructuring of the personnel from the system aimed also the management, where it was applied a reduction of 40%, respectively, 500 persons. Other reductions have been operated through the externalization of the activity, through retirements, but also through the diminishing of personnel indirectly productive.

 

Oana Bran