ABC News reports that a new train connecting Romania
with Moldova made its first run today, cutting an hour off
the former journey-time by eliminating a border-stop where
train-wheels had to be switched to accommodate a wider
track-guage used throughout the former Soviet Union and
its satellite countries, including Moldova.
For now the train will make one round-trip each day,
between Chisinau in Moldova and Iasi in Romania, the
one-way travel-time being 3 hours now instead of 4.
Prior to World War II Moldova was part of Romania,
the Romanian language still is spoken in Moldova,
students from Moldova are allowed to attend state
universities in Romania, and efforts are underway
eventually to integrate Moldova with the West.
One problem with that ambition concerns the Eastern
portion of Moldova, known as Transdniestria, where
the majority of the population speaks Russian, feels
loyalties to Russia, and reportedly still has Russian
tanks and army troops stationed as an occupying presence.
But during a week in early July this year, a delegation
of one thousand young people marched 300 miles from
Chisinau to Bucharest to petition for reunification of the
two countries.
And three weekends ago Moldovan citizens staged a massive
protest in downtown Chisinau, demanding their President's
removal and creation of a new constitution.
Now Romania has opened an office in downtown Chisinau
and is helping to train young people in Moldova for future
political leadership.
So perhaps this new train-service ought to be regarded as
a prompt and tangible, if symbolic, response to those
youth marches and citizens' protests.
ALLAN CRUSE
30 SEP 2015