Electricity supply of Bucharest subway operator under question due to amassed debts
The company operating the Bucharest subway system, Metrorex, has outstanding electricity payments of over RON 11.5 million (EUR 2.2 million) to state-owned energy provider Hidroelectrica and was sent a disconnection notice, according to information published by Club Feroviar.The sum owed represents the value of the electricity supplied to Metrorex, as well as other obligations related to invoices and installments under rescheduled payment arrangements.
The debt reportedly features in a letter sent by interim transport minister Radu Miruță to Metrorex general manager Mariana Miclăuș. According to the document cited by Club Feroviar, Hidroelectrica issued the disconnection notice on August 9, 2026. The letter was sent for information to the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure and was registered by the institution on August 13. In the same document, the transport minister asked Metrorex management to explain why the invoices were not paid on time and to present the exact situation regarding the debts.
In a Facebook post, Radu Miruță confirmed that Metrorex had not paid its electricity bills for three months. However, the minister said that the supply is not expected to be interrupted, at least at the current stage of negotiations.
“Metrorex consumes EUR 1 million worth of electricity per month and has to pay for it. It has not paid it for three months and has received a notification. I spoke both last week and this evening with the director of Hidroelectrica. We are not in a situation where Metrorex will be disconnected, but an attempt is being made to negotiate a payment rescheduling,” Radu Miruță wrote on Facebook.
In reply, the subway company explained that the debts were mainly caused by the undercompensation of the public service and unpaid amounts owed by the state. In response to the statements made by the transport minister, the company’s management said that the cumulative undercompensation for the period 2018-2025 was estimated at RON 1.16 billion.
Metrorex also said that it currently has payment obligations of RON 419.94 million, of which RON 365.26 million were overdue. The largest debt, roughly RON 350 million, is owed to Alstom Transport, for subway train maintenance.
The situation is complicated by the company’s losses for 2025. Moreover, Metrorex estimated a loss of RON 431.29 million lei for 2026, 38.21% higher than the loss recorded in 2025.
Alongside the debt issue, the transport minister announced the expansion of the Control Body’s mission at Metrorex. “Meanwhile, we have expanded the mission of the Control Body at Metrorex, because the money there is not being used most efficiently,” the minister said.
Back in June, Miruță canceled the order allowing for the increase in the ticket price from RON 5 to RON 7. Instead, he announced checks at the state-owned company and claimed that it was poorly managed.
(Photo source: Andrei Stanescu|Dreamstime.com)
