The three bidders are US company OmniTRAX, Romanian private freight rail company Grup Feroviar Roman (GFR) and a consortium of Transferoviar Grup and Donau-Finanz GmbH & Co KG Austria, Fenechiu told Mediafax.
The auction price for CFR Marfa starts at 798.05 million lei (a little over EUR180 million).
As of Thursday, the ministry’s privatization committee will carry out separate negotiations with each of the three bidders, while the final and binding bids may be submitted until June 19 at the latest.
The ministry is expected to announce a winner on June 20.
CFR Marfa has a share capital of RON312.34 million. The company is 100%-owned by the transport ministry.
CFR Marfa’s privatization is prerequisite for the successful completion of a EUR3.6 billion loan agreement Romania and the International Monetary Fund have signed in the spring of 2011.