Rail transport in Romania recorded a broad-based slowdown in the first nine months of 2025, with both passenger numbers and freight volumes declining compared to the same period last year, according to data published by the National Institute of Statistics (INS).
Between January and September 2025, 48.99 million passengers traveled by train, down 8.8% year-on-year. Over the same period, total passenger-kilometers fell by 9.8%, indicating not only fewer travelers but also shorter average journeys.
Freight transport also under pressure
Rail freight activity followed a similar downward trend. Total freight volumes declined by 8.4% year-on-year, with 30.11 million tonnes of goods transported during the first nine months of the year. Of this total, 79.3% was domestic transport.
In terms of cargo composition, the largest shares of transported goods were recorded for refined petroleum products (26%), coal and lignite; crude oil and natural gas (17.7%). Measured by freight-kilometers refined petroleum products accounted for 35.2% of total rail freight distance, followed by agricultural, forestry and fishing products, which represented 13%.
Mixed performance in operational efficiency
Despite weaker traffic figures, several technical and economic indicators showed improvement compared to the same period in 2024. Among the positive developments:
- Average turnaround time for freight wagons increased by 15.7%;
- Average commercial speed of freight trains rose by 1.7%;
- Average daily mileage of passenger wagons and average static load of freight wagons each increased by 0.4%.
Key indicators deteriorate year-on-year
- Average daily mileage of freight wagons fell by 16.7%:
- Average daily mileage of freight locomotives declined by 16.6%;
- Loaded wagons entering from abroad dropped by 10.8%;
- Loaded wagons on the CFR network decreased by 6.1%;
- Average gross weight of freight trains declined by 3.5%.
- Average commercial speed of passenger trains slipped by 1.4%.
Articolul Romania’s rail traffic declines in 2025: Passenger numbers and freight volumes both down a fost publicat prima dată în Money Buzz! • Știri Economice, Știri Financiare, Știri Business