Chisinau and Kiev agree on Ukrainian goods transport, potentially earning CFM millions of euros
The Republic of Moldova and Ukraine agreed to allow the transportation of Ukrainian goods through the Moldovan Railway (CFM) on the railway section that passes through Moldova. As part of this agreement, Chisinau will offer a 50% discount on rail transit for Ukrainian goods. The Moldovan government estimates that this measure could generate several million euros in revenue for CFM.
The agreement was negotiated by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development (MIDR) in collaboration with representatives from Ukraine, under the oversight of the prime ministers of both countries.
Ukraine plans to export and transport up to six million tons of goods via various regional routes during the 2026 agricultural year. The Republic of Moldova aims to attract approximately 10% of this volume by offering a 50% discount on transit through its territory.
This new tariff regime is effective from August 10 until the end of 2026, according to the terms of the agreement.
“It is common practice to grant such discounts to attract large volumes of transit,” reads a government announcement from Chisinau.
Authorities emphasize that, despite the tariff reduction, the volume of goods transported through the Republic of Moldova will still generate revenue for the national railway operator.
“Even with substantial reductions, the negotiated volumes will create income and profit for Moldovan Railways,” the government said.
According to official estimates, this presents an economic opportunity for CFM amounting to several million euros. In light of this, officials are encouraging the Moldovan railway operator to secure as much of the Ukrainian transit volume as possible.
“The potential opportunity for CFM is estimated in the millions of euros, which is why we want our railway operator to capture as much of this revenue as possible,” the press release stated.
In parallel, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development is working to enhance CFM's capacity to enable more efficient management of freight flows.
Additionally, the Moldovan-Ukrainian agreement outlines a change, effective from August 17, to the Kyiv-Chisinau train route. This modification aims to facilitate access for Ukrainian citizens travelling to the Chisinau "Eugen Doga" International Airport.
Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Bolea, Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development, assured during the Executive meeting on August 12 that the cereals will not remain in the Republic of Moldova but will instead transit through Romanian ports.
The minister highlighted that the support offered to Ukraine will help offset the losses incurred by CFM over the past three years.
“The transit allowed by the Republic of Moldova between 2022 and 2023 generated hundreds of millions of lei in revenue. However, CFM reported losses exceeding 300 million lei in 2024 and approximately 80 million lei in 2025. In the first six months of this year, CFM returned to profitability, reporting a gain of 17 million lei,” Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Bolea stated.
