Carpatica Feroviar, the Army's strategic transporter

Carpatica Feroviar România SA, the new state-controlled freight railway company, will have a dual objective, civil and military, according to the decision approved in yesterday's government meeting. The executive decided that the new state company established in place of CFR Marfă will transport military equipment and materials for the Ministry of National Defense, including in peacetime. The decision transforms the company into a strategic logistical link of Romania and assigns it a direct role in the movement of combat equipment, weapons, ammunition, fuels, equipment and materials needed by the Army, at a time when military mobility on NATO's eastern flank has become a major security stake.

Through the act approved yesterday, the Government practically creates a national railway capacity that will operate uninterruptedly both under normal conditions and in situations of mobilization, crisis or war, without the state depending exclusively on the availability or decision of private operators. The substantiation note of the government decision specifies that there is a possibility that, in the event of conflict, it will be faced with the impossibility of taking over strategic transports or the refusal of private railway companies to carry out such transports, factors that could cause delays capable of affecting the security of Romania and its external partners. The decision approved by the Executive establishes that the state operator Carpatica Feroviar would transport not only combat equipment, weapons and ammunition, but also troops, equipment, machinery, logistical materials, fuels and other goods necessary to fulfill the duties of the Ministry of National Defense. The company will be able to participate in supporting military exercises, in the movement of forces to and from deployment areas, as well as in ensuring logistical flows in exceptional situations. In case of crisis, its role can be extended to the transport of humanitarian aid, cereals, raw materials and fuels, to prevent food or energy blockages.

The company already has a significant fleet of rolling stock that can be used for such operations. According to the substantiation note, Carpatica Feroviar owns 107 RMMS wagons, with a width of 3.10 meters, capable of transporting heavy equipment with excessive weight and dimensions, as well as 491 Rgs wagons, on which special vehicles of the type used by NATO armed forces can be loaded. In total, the company has 1,127 platform wagons with which military transports can be carried out. The distribution of branches at national level allows it to transport equipment including in isolated wagons, not only in complete trains, which gives it significant operational flexibility.

The government justifies the measure by the obligations assumed by Romania within NATO and the European Union, but also by the deterioration of the security environment in the Black Sea region. The Romanian state has assumed the increase of military mobility both by joining the Permanent Structured Cooperation - PESCO, and at the NATO Summit in June 2018. Military mobility was introduced by the European Commission among the priorities of the 2021-2027 programming period and was included in the Connecting Europe Facility, CEF 2.0.

In this architecture, rail transport is considered essential for the rapid and uninterrupted movement of military personnel, equipment and equipment. Our country must support both current operations and joint exercises, as well as possible massive movements of forces in crisis or conflict situations. The country's position on NATO's eastern flank and proximity to the war in Ukraine amplify the importance of a state-controlled company, which can execute the transports considered vital regardless of the commercial conditions of the market.