Romania is in talks with the European Commission to allow diesel locomotives to operate temporarily on certain sections of the EU-funded Cluj-Napoca-Oradea railway modernisation project while electrification is completed, acting Transport Minister Radu Miruta said on Tuesday.

Speaking at a press conference in Salaj County, Miruta said the electrification and rehabilitation project, financed through Romania's National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), must meet a Aug. 31 deadline for the related expenditure to be eligible for reimbursement.

'The Ministry of Transport and the European Commission are discussing the possibility of allowing diesel locomotives to operate temporarily on certain sections instead of electric ones. The Ministry of European Investments and Projects is coordinating these talks with the Commission, and we hope the proposal will be approved,' Miruta said.

Asked whether Romania risked losing funding if sections of the line, such as the Cluj-Alesd stretch, were not completed by Aug. 31, the minister said only the unfinished parts of the project would be affected.

He explained that reimbursement is assessed on the basis of completed project milestones rather than the project as a whole.

'If intermediate stages of the project have been completed, the corresponding expenditure can be reimbursed even if the entire project has not yet been finished,' Miruta said.

He added that the government was doing everything possible to secure all available EU funding before the Aug. 31 deadline.

'We are trying, through discussions with the European Commission, to ensure that completed intermediate stages are recognised, even if not every piece of the puzzle is in place. We are doing everything possible to secure every euro available by Aug. 31,' he said.

According to a Facebook post published on July 27 by State Secretary at the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Horatiu Cosma, rail installation has exceeded 70% on Lot 1 (Cluj-Napoca-Aghires), 80% on Lot 2 (Aghires-Poieni), 30% on Lot 3 (Poieni-Alesd) and 65% on Lot 4 (Alesd-Border).

Cosma said at the time that the authorities remained confident all Recovery and Resilience Facility milestones would be achieved by Aug. 31, enabling Romania to secure around EUR 2 billion in EU funding.

He added that the first modernised sections of the Cluj-Napoca-Oradea railway are expected to reopen to traffic in 2027, while the entire project is scheduled for completion in 2028. Once completed, the electrified railway will provide a faster and safer connection across Transylvania in line with European railway standards. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Marinela Brumar; EN - writing by: Simona Iacob)