DP World Completes First Vehicle Rail Shipment to Romania

LONDON – DP World moved finished cars by rail from the Belgian port of Zeebrugge to Aiud, Romania, with vehicles trucked onward to Chișinău, Moldova; the inaugural delivery was reported completed in August 2026. The service is the first European rail vehicle operation managed end-to-end by DP World. The company plans two monthly departures from the second half of 2026 on a corridor it says can cut CO2 emissions by up to 55% versus road-only transport.

What Is the Full Scope of This Project?

DP World is acting as the single responsible operator across rail and road rather than as only a port terminal provider, making this the first end-to-end managed vehicle rail service in Europe. The railhead at Aiud is intended to become a regional finished-vehicle distribution centre for Romania, Moldova and neighbouring markets. The terminal covers 180,000 square metres, sits next to the A10 motorway, has direct access to Romania’s national rail network, and already provides container handling, storage, customs clearance and freight forwarding.

The first train’s cargo was unloaded at Aiud and moved by road across the border to Chișinău. DP World has confirmed it is evaluating the Port of Koper in Slovenia as a second origin port, which would turn Aiud into a multi-origin hub rather than a single-corridor railhead. The company did not disclose the rail traction provider, the road carrier used for the Moldova leg, or the service’s commercial value.

Key Project Data

How Does This Compare to Similar Projects?

The corridor gives DP World a position in Romanian rail freight that other international operators are also starting to target. Slovak rail operator RTI Railtrans has expanded into Romania, and the European rail-logistics market is projected to keep growing, although long-haul corridors are expanding more slowly than medium-haul segments due to mature bulk flows (Source: RailwayPRO, 2025; GM Insights, 2026).

On the property side, the launch comes as Romania’s logistics market enters what Colliers describes as an adjustment phase after a record 2025, which raises the value of predictable, rail-backed inbound supply chains for importers of finished goods (Source: Colliers Romania, 2026). By contrast, the closest port-level benchmark, Koper, is already one of the main sea entry points for cars bound for Central and South-Eastern Europe, but DP World has not said what volume share it expects to switch from that gateway to Aiud.

Note: Independent verification of the 55% CO2-reduction calculation was not available at time of publication; DP World also did not disclose transit times or a 2027 volume target.

Editor’s Analysis

By tying Aiud to multiple possible sea origins, DP World is shifting finished-vehicle logistics from a point-to-point truck model toward a hub model in which automotive customers can rebalance volumes between Zeebrugge and a future Koper service without rebuilding their Romanian distribution network. That positioning is commercially stronger now than at the terminal’s 2024 opening because EU road tolling and regulatory costs are rising while Romania’s logistics market cools after its 2025 peak (Source: Colliers Romania, 2026). The next milestone to watch is Koper: adding it would turn Aiud into a genuine south-eastern European cross-dock rather than a single-corridor railhead.

FAQ

Q: Why were the vehicles trucked from Aiud to Chișinău instead of continuing by rail?
A: The rail gauge changes at the Romania–Moldova border, from 1,435 mm standard gauge to 1,520 mm broad gauge, which makes a rail transfer of finished cars uneconomic. DP World has not confirmed whether future Moldova-bound deliveries will use the same road leg.

Q: When will the Zeebrugge–Aiud rail service run regularly?
A: DP World is planning two monthly departures in the second half of 2026, following the first reported delivery in August 2026. A formal start date for the recurring timetable has not been disclosed.

Q: What did the Aiud terminal cost, and what services does it offer beyond vehicle handling?
A: The multimodal terminal was inaugurated in 2024 after a €21 million investment by DP World. It occupies 180,000 square metres and provides container handling and storage, customs clearance and freight forwarding alongside its finished-vehicle role.