Planned railway works in Serbia and Romania could cause transportation disruptions in the scrap trade across the Balkans.
According to information obtained by SteelRadar from market sources, the closures are expected to affect scrap exports to North Macedonia and Stomana Industry’s scrap imports, while suppliers shipping by sea could gain greater importance.
Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia have begun discussions aimed at mitigating the impact of planned railway infrastructure works on international freight transport.
According to a statement by Bulgaria’s Ministry of Transport and Communications, Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Peev held an online meeting with Romanian Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence and acting Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Radu-Dinel Miruță and Serbian Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Aleksandra Sofronijević.
The meeting addressed the potential impact of planned railway infrastructure works in Serbia and Romania on international rail traffic.
Serbia plans to close the Niš-Dimitrovgrad railway section for approximately 200 days from September 2026 due to infrastructure works.
In Romania, railway traffic on the Giurgiu Nord-Ruse route is expected to be completely suspended between April and December 2027.
The Bulgarian side highlighted that restrictions on the two routes could seriously affect freight flows between Central Europe, the Balkans and Türkiye. Bulgarian railway operators have also reportedly raised concerns about the consequences of the planned closures and possible alternative routes.
Bulgarian Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Peev proposed establishing predetermined time slots for freight trains in order to avoid a complete suspension of rail traffic.
The three countries agreed to continue discussions at the management level of their railway infrastructure companies. The talks will focus on coordinating infrastructure works, utilizing available capacity and identifying operational solutions to mitigate the negative impact on cross-border rail traffic.
According to information obtained by SteelRadar from market sources, the approximately 200-day closure of the railway connection between Bulgaria and Serbia could negatively affect scrap shipments transported by rail in the region.
Sources also indicate that restrictions on the Romanian connection are expected from January 1. However, the official statement from Bulgaria’s Ministry of Transport and Communications states that the complete suspension of traffic on the Giurgiu Nord-Ruse line is planned for the April-December 2027 period.
The planned closures could particularly cause disruptions to scrap exports to North Macedonia and Stomana Industry’s scrap imports.
According to market sources, potential disruptions to rail transportation could increase the importance of alternative routes and scrap suppliers shipping by sea.
