View source for Transport in Moldova

{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{for|transportation in the former Soviet Union|Transport in the Soviet Union}}

In 1995, the main means of transportation in [[Moldova]] were railways ({{convert|1138|km|mi|0|abbr=on|disp=or}}) and a highway system ({{convert|12730|km|mi|0|abbr=on|disp=or}} overall, including {{convert|10973|km|mi|0|abbr=on|disp=or}} of paved surfaces). The major railway junctions are [[Chișinău]], [[Bender, Moldova|Bender]], [[Ungheni]], [[Ocnița]], [[Bălți]], and [[Basarabeasca]]. Primary external rail links connect the republic's network with [[Odesa]] (in [[Ukraine]]) on the Black Sea and with the [[Romania]]n cities of [[Iași]] and [[Galați]]; they also lead northward into [[Ukraine]]. Highways link Moldova's main cities and provide the chief means of transportation within the country, but roads are in poor repair. The country's major airport is in [[Chișinău]].

Shipping is possible on the lower [[Prut]] and [[Nistru]] rivers, but water transportation plays only a modest role in the country's transportation system. In 1990 a total of 317 million tonkilometers of freight were carried on inland waterways as compared with 15,007 million ton-kilometers on railways and 1,673 million ton-kilometers on roads.

The movement of manufactured goods and of passengers on all means of transportation started to decline in 1989. From 1993 to 1994, for example, the total amount of transported goods fell by 31 percent, passenger traffic decreased by 28 percent, and the number of passengers declined by 24 percent. The main causes for these declines are the high cost of transportation, a lack of fuels, and the poor state of Moldova's transportation infrastructure: approximately 20 percent of Moldova's roads are considered in a critical technical state.

== Railways ==
{{main|Calea Ferată din Moldova}} 
[[File:Rebuilt Ganz MAVAG D1 DMU (14118056556).jpg|thumb|right|New trains of Moldova]]

<br>''total:''
{{convert|1138|km|mi|0|abbr=on}}
<br>''broad gauge:''
{{convert|1124|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} of {{RailGauge|1520mm}} gauge (2005)
The entire length of the [[Calea Ferată din Moldova|Moldovan railway]] network is single track and not [[Railway electrification|electrified]]. Much of the railway infrastructure is still in a poor state, all of the rolling stock being inherited from the former Soviet Union. Average commercial speed for passenger trains is {{convert|35|-|40|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}} (including stops). However, substantial investments was made in building new railway lines since 2003, with the goal of connecting [[Chișinău]] to southern Moldova and eventually to the [[Giurgiulești]] oil terminal. The first such segment was the {{convert|40|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} [[Revaca]]&ndash;[[Căinari]] line, opened in 2006.<ref>{{cite web |title=14th Economic Forum, Part II EF.DEL/64/06 Prague, 22 – 24 May 2006 |url=https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/3/2/19299.pdf |date=24 May 2006}}</ref>

Connections exist to [[Ukraine]] at [[Kuchurhan, Rozdilna Raion|Kuchurhan]], [[Mohilyv-Podil's'ky]], [[Ocnița]]. The track between [[Basarabeasca]] and [[Reni, Ukraine|Reni]] crosses the border back and forth. The Kuchurhan crossing as well as the [[Tighina]]&ndash;[[Tiraspol]]&ndash;Kuchurhan segment are under the control of the [[Transnistrian]] separatist authorities, the circulation of trains on the route depending on the level of political tensions between the separatists and the Government of Moldova.

Between Moldova and Romania there is a [[break-of-gauge]] (Romania employing [[standard gauge]]). The most important crossing (including [[Bogie exchange|gauge changing equipment]]) is [[Ungheni]]–[[Iași]], another two are [[Cantemir, Moldova|Cantemir]]–[[Fălciu]] and [[Giurgiulești]]–[[Galați]]. International passenger trains run to [[Bucharest]], [[Kyiv]], [[Minsk]] and used to travel to [[Saint Petersburg]] and [[Moscow]].

In 2022/23 major investment, supported by the EU, is being undertaken to renovate rail lines to provide freight facilities for Ukraine to connect with [[Constanța]] to export grain and import fuel.<ref>{{cite web |title=Moldova granted EU support for reconstructing critical railway lines |url=https://www.railtech.com/infrastructure/2023/06/29/moldova-granted-eu-support-for-reconstructing-critical-railway-lines/ |date=29 June 2023}}</ref>

The EU proposed in 2023 that their Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) be extended to Moldova and onwards to Ukraine with a standard gauge (1435mm) rail line, to assist in the integration of Moldova with EU rail networks. Starting with the [[Ungheni]], on the border with Romania, to Chisinau, by laying a new line alongside the existing 1520mm track, to avoid disruption.<ref>{{cite web |title=EIB study set out first steps for standard-gauge links to Ukraine and Moldova |url=https://www.railjournal.com/infrastructure/eib-study-set-out-first-steps-for-standard-gauge-links-to-ukraine-and-moldova/ |date=7 August 2023}}</ref>

== Highways ==
{{main|Roads in Moldova}}
[[File:Moldova MD license plate ABC012 2015.svg|thumb|A vehicle [[license plate]] in Moldova]]

Moldova requires use of [[Vignette (road tax)|vignettes]] (''roviniete'') on all public roads, inside and outside localities, as a form of road tolling for non-Moldovan vehicles.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Motorway vignette Moldova  |url=https://www.tolls.eu/moldova |access-date=7 August 2023}}</ref>

<br>''total:''
{{convert|12730|km|mi|0|abbr=on}}
<br>''paved:''
{{convert|10973|km|mi|0|abbr=on}}
<br>''unpaved:''
{{convert|1757|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} (2003)

== Waterways ==
*{{convert|424|km|mi|0|abbr=on|disp=or}} (on the [[Dniester]] River) (2005). Parts fully under control of the separatist Transnistrian authorities.
*a tiny ({{convert|400|-|650|m|ft|0|abbr=on|disp=or}}) access to the [[Danube]] at Giurgiulești.

== Pipelines ==
Natural gas {{convert|656|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} (2021) <ref>{{cite web |title=Republic of Moldova's natural gas transmission pipelines |url=https://moldovatransgaz.md/en/news/54 |date=29 January 2021}}</ref>

Moldova began importing gas from Romania in December 2022 through the [[Iași–Chișinău pipeline]], connecting to the European energy system, began exporting gas to Ukraine in February 2023 and disconnected from Russia gas lines in May 2023.<ref>{{cite web |title=Romania Starts Sending Natural Gas To Moldova Through Pipeline |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/romania-gas-supply-moldova-ukraine-war/32162977.html |date=5 December 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ukraine Starts to Import Gas from EU via Moldova |url=https://balkaninsight.com/2023/02/07/ukraine-starts-to-import-gas-from-eu-via-moldova/ |date=7 February 2023}}</ref>

== Ports and harbours ==
Moldova has one small oil terminal on the [[Danube]] at [[Giurgiulești]] ([[Cahul]]), compatible with small seagoing vessels. The harbor was opened in 2006 and occupies the entire Moldovan stretch of the river (less than {{convert|600|m|ft|0|abbr=on|disp=or}}), with a mixed-gauge rail loading/unloading facilities. <ref>{{cite web |title=OIL PRODUCT TERMINAL |url=https://gifp.md/en/services-facilities/oil-product-terminal/ |access-date=7 August 2023}}</ref> Run by Danube Logistics, which is owned by the [[European Bank for Reconstruction and Development]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Moldova’s strategic Danube port offers a lifeline for Ukraine |url=https://www.ebrd.com/news/2022/moldovas-strategic-danube-port-offers-a-lifeline-for-ukraine.html |date=8 July 2022}}</ref>

== Merchant marine ==
Statistics for 2021: 
* 147 ships with total {{DWT|532,000|metric|disp=long}}. 
* 2,526 seafarers. <ref>{{cite web |title=Maritime profile: Moldova, Republic of |url=https://unctadstat.unctad.org/countryprofile/maritimeprofile/en-gb/498/index.html |access-date=7 August 2023}}</ref>

== Airports ==
[[Image:19-01-19-Chișinău RRK0221.jpg|thumb|[[Chișinău Eugen Doga International Airport]]]] 
{{see|List of airports in Moldova|Chișinău Eugen Doga International Airport|Aviation in Moldova}}

3 operational airports (2021 est.). The main airport ([[Chișinău Eugen Doga International Airport]]) has over 10 busy international destinations (with 2.9 million passengers carried on 27,000 flights in 2019).

=== Airports - with paved runways ===
<br>''total:''
6
<br>''over {{convert|3047|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}:''
1
<br>''{{convert|2438|to|3047|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}:''
2
<br>''{{convert|1524|to|2437|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}:''
2
<br>''under {{convert|914|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}:''
1 (2006 est.)

=== Airports - with unpaved runways ===
<br>''total:''
6
<br>''{{convert|914|to|1523|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}:''
3
<br>''under {{convert|914|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}:''
3 (2006 est.)

== References ==
{{commonscat}}
{{reflist}}

{{Moldova topics}}
{{Transportation in Europe}}

[[Category:Transport in Moldova| ]]