New private passenger operator set to enter Romania’s rail market this month

Romania is preparing to see a new private passenger rail operator enter the market, with Iași-based Ferotrafic TFI planning to begin running trains between Suceava and Bucharest by the end of March.

The company, owned by investor Dumitru Anchidin, is moving into passenger operations with a daily round-trip service linking the northern city of Suceava, around 40 km from the Ukrainian border, with Bucharest. Ferotrafic TFI was previously active in freight, while Anchidin formerly headed the Iași regional division of state freight operator CFR Marfă.

The launch had already been delayed twice, with initial plans scheduling the start of operations for May 2025 before being pushed back to September. However, the company has now signed an infrastructure access contract with infrastructure manager CFR SA and says services are likely to begin by the end of March, pending final documentation from the authorities.

In its initial phase, the operator plans to run one pair of trains per day. The service will depart Suceava at 07:00 and arrive in Bucharest at 12:39. The return service will leave Bucharest at 16:57, arriving back in Suceava at 22:34.

The train will consist of two coupled electric multiple units providing around 320 passenger seats. According to the company, the expected journey time of approximately five hours and forty minutes is going to be achieved by limiting intermediate stops and avoiding additional carriages being attached along the route. The rolling stock, previously operated in Luxembourg, has since been refurbished and adapted to Romanian railway standards before entering service.

Expansion plans beyond the first route

Ferotrafic TFI says the Suceava–Bucharest service is intended as the starting point for a broader expansion into Romania’s passenger rail market, particularly in the Moldova region.

Future routes under consideration include services linking Iași with Bucharest, as well as seasonal trains connecting Suceava with the Black Sea resort of Mangalia. The company has also launched a recruitment campaign for staff in Suceava and surrounding areas ahead of the service launch.

The operator has already invested in additional rolling stock for potential network expansion. Earlier reports indicated the company purchased 33 diesel multiple units from Israel Railways, including IC3 trainsets previously used in Denmark and Israel. These units could be deployed on future long-distance routes in Romania once refurbished and authorised.

Romania’s passenger rail market already includes several private operators, such as Astra Trans Carpatic, Regio Călători, Transferoviar Călători and Interregional Călători, alongside the state operator CFR Călători. Ferotrafic TFI’s entry would add a new player based in eastern Romania, a region that until now has not had a locally headquartered private passenger operator.

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