Moldovan Railway to auction locomotives amid financial crisis
The Moldovan Railway (CFM) is auctioning off various assets, including locomotives and passenger carriages.
The proceeds from these auctions will be reinvested into the company's operations, according to Serghei Tomșa, the acting head of CFM, who spoke to Teleradio-Moldova.
On September 10th, 11th, and 16th, the Moldovan Railway will hold seven auctions: two featuring reduced prices and five public auctions. These events will take place at CFM’s central headquarters on 48 Vlaicu Pîrcălab Street.
The first three auctions are scheduled for September 10th, during which 39 items, including unused spare parts, 96 locomotives (mostly from the 1980s), 43 passenger carriages, and 90 bogies, will be offered.
On September 11th, 81 tank containers, most of which were manufactured in the early 1980s, will be auctioned.
Three additional auctions will occur on September 16th, where CFM will auction 17 refrigerated carriage sections, including one service carriage and one refrigerator car. Additionally, stocks of goods, materials, and unused spare parts will be sold in 39 lots, along with parts from 13 transport units.
When contacted for a comment, acting head Serghei Tomșa declined to discuss further details, stating: "All the information can be found on the CFM website. That is all the information. The proceeds will be used for the company’s operations."
It should be noted that Roman Cojuhari, Director of the Public Property Agency, recently told Teleradio-Moldova that CFM plans to sell several old locomotives and carriages to pay its employees, some of whom have not received their salaries since April: "The Railway has numerous unused assets, including scrap iron, locomotives, and carriages that have been out of service for more than 10 years. We aim to capitalize on these assets as soon as possible to address the salary backlog."
Amidst financial decline and with unpaid salaries exceeding 150 million lei, the State Enterprise has recently decided to implement a four-day workweek starting in September. The company’s administration cited a significant decline in freight transport, and consequently, in revenues, as the reason for this measure. Acting Director Serghei Tomșa stated to Moldova 1 that this decision is expected to alleviate the burden of salary arrears.
Currently, just over 5,700 employees work at CFM. The company only began disbursing salaries for April in August. Since the beginning of the year, approximately 500 railway workers have submitted their resignations.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
