Rail Port Arad, Romanian Free Zone Join Forces to Seek Chinese, Kazakh Investors

FTZ News: Rail Port Arad, a Romanian intermodal terminal, has signed a cooperation agreement with the Curtici-Arad Free Zone to pursue international investors and logistics companies. Under the deal, the terminal will represent the free zone in Kazakhstan, while the zone will promote the terminal in China. No new rail services or transport contracts were announced.

The arrangement connects the terminal’s intermodal operations with the free zone’s customs and warehousing services, allowing non-EU goods to be stored under arrangements that defer import duties. Rail Port Arad, which is Austrian-owned, opened in Curtici in 2009 and has spent roughly €25 million on the site. It is now investing another €10 million to add 3.5 hectares. The company has not disclosed the extra handling capacity the expansion will provide, expected container volumes, or a commissioning date.

The terminal is located near Romania’s border with Hungary on an established rail freight corridor. The companies have not released details on any specific investors already in discussions or on projected cargo volumes from the partnership./.