Rail transport in Romania

The first railway in the Kingdom of Romania opened in 1869 and linked Bucharest and Giurgiu. The first railway on electric current in the current Romanian territory opened in 1854, between Oravița and Baziaș in Banat, right next to the border with Serbia; however, that region was under the administration of the Austrian Empire at the time, and became part of Romania after World War I.^{[citation needed]}

Since then, the Romanian railway network has been significantly expanded, and is now the fourth largest in Europe by total track length, comprising 22,298 km (13,855 mi).^[1] Of these, some 8,585 km (5,334 mi) are electrified. The route length is 10,788 km (6,703 mi).^[2] Romania's railway system is inadequately-connected and one of the least durable railway systems globally.^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]

As of 2014,^[update] the railway network of Romania consists of 10,777 km (6,697 mi), of which 4,029 km (2,504 mi) (37.4%) are electrified.^[7] The total track length is 22,247 km (13,824 mi), of which 8,585 km (5,334 mi) (38.5%) are electrified. The CIA World Factbook lists Romania with the 23rd largest railway network in the world.^[8] The network is significantly interconnected with other European railway networks, providing pan-European passenger and freight services.

Romania is a member of the International Union of Railways (UIC). The UIC Country Code for Romania is 53.

Partial privatisation

Although passenger railway services are not a state monopoly in Romania, CFR remains the only passenger carrier operating at a national level. However, after the reorganization of CFR in 2011, around 15% of Romanian railway tracks have been leased to private companies. These are known as non-interoperable tracks (linii neinteroperabile in Romanian). The main operators are: S.C. Regional S.R.L., S.C. Transferoviar Grup S.A., S.C. Regio Călători S.R.L., and S.C. Servtransinvest S.A., which now operate a significant number (especially Regio Călători) of routes [1]. Early transfers to these companies included Zărnești–Brașov, Brașov–Întorsura Buzăului, Sfântu Gheorghe–Brețcu, Sighișoara–Odorheiu Secuiesc, Șibot–Cugir, Blaj–Praid, Galați–Bârlad, Buzău–Nehoiașu, Iași–Dorohoi, Timișoara Nord–Nerău, Satu Mare–Bixad, Arad–Nădlac, Bistrița Bârgăului–Bistrița Nord–Luduș, Arad–Brad, Roșiori Nord–Piatra Olt and many others lines. On these lines, CFR is not allowed to operate its trains—companies which have leased the tracks have a virtual monopoly on their usage. Aside from CFR Călători, 12 other companies provide local passenger services, on non-interoperable tracks, even though none of these services exceed 40 km (25 mi) in line length. 28 private companies, including Petromidia and Servtrans, operate freight transport services on main lines with their own rolling stock, leasing usage rights from CFR.

Future changes

September 2014 saw the publication of the government report: Master Plan General de Transport al României.

On the face of it the lengthy report envisages reduction of passenger services on 25% to 40% of the lines. The 'small print' reveals however that closures will not happen overnight or even over the next few years (there is no closure schedule in the report); and closures will only occur if private operators or local authority/perhaps EU financial support cannot be obtained. In addition the report has costed major improvements to the long-distance network considerably to reduce journey times. These projects include recommencing work on the abandoned construction (90% completed in the 1990s) of the 39 km link line from Râmnicu Vâlcea to Vâlcele which will reduce the journey from Bucharest to Sibiu by some 78 km and journey times by at least 90 minutes.

Operators

The network used to be operated by Căile Ferate Române, the state railway company, but since 1998, a number of private companies have begun operations in passenger and/or freight transport.

CFR's rail freight division became CFR Marfă.

Rail links with adjacent countries

Same gauge 1435mm:
- Hungary – Multiple crossings (from North to South - Carei, Valea lui Mihai, Episcopia Bihor, Salonta, Curtici. Multiple daily passenger frequencies to Budapest and beyond (only to Győr, Mosonmagyaróvár, Hegyeshalom, and Vienna for the moment)^{[citation needed]} from Bucharest and from many cities within Transylvania. Both networks electrified at 25 kV, 50 Hz AC (only electrified crossing at Curtici/Lokoshaza).
- Serbia – crossings at Jimbolia and Stamora Moravița. As of March 2020, no passenger rail transport from Bucharest to Belgrade via Timișoara and Vršac. No electrified crossings.
- Bulgaria – crossings at Calafat, Giurgiu and Negru Vodă. Daily passenger service to Sofia and beyond (Athens and Istanbul) from Bucharest. No voltage issues (currently no electrified crossings, Calafat-Vidin crossing electrification is planned, same voltage, 25 kV, 50 Hz AC.
- Ukraine – Dual gauge crossing at Halmeu. Crossing not electrified. Currently freight only. Dual gauge line enables standard gauge connections with Hungary and Slovakia through Chop.
Break-of-gauge:
- Ukraine – Break-of-gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)/1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in). Crossings at Vicșani, Valea Vișeului and Câmpulung la Tisa (including bogie conversion systems). Dual gauge (4 rail) track exists between Tereseva (Ukraine)/Câmpulung la Tisa – Sighetu Marmației – Valea Vișeului, going back into Ukraine. Ukrainian trains (both freight and passenger services) occasionally use this route without stopping within Romania. International passenger services exists between Bucharest and Kyiv (and onwards to Moscow) via Vicșani (operated by CFR, with UZ and RZD cars) and between Sighetu Marmației and Teresva (operated by UZ). Crossings are not electrified.
- Moldova – Break-of-gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)/1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in). Crossings and bogie changers exist at Ungheni (Moldova) and Galați-Reni. Crossings not electrified, as the Moldovan Railways network has Diesel traction only. Daily passenger service to Chișinău from Bucharest. Multiple daily services from Iași.

References

^ "Reteaua feroviara" (in Romanian). cfr.ro. Archived from the original on 2009-06-08. Retrieved 2009-09-06.
^ "CIA - the World Factbook -- Field Listing :: Railways". www.cia.gov. Archived from the original on 12 June 2009. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
^ Secretariat of the European Parliament, Directorates-General, Romania's general transport master plan and rail system, retrieved on 17 December 2018. Archived at the Wayback machine "It comprises more than 1,000 stations, almost 200 tunnels and around 6,800 bridges. It is also in an advanced state of disrepair due to a chronic lack of maintenance: most of the track-related assets are on their last legs...According to the draft General Transport Master Plan about 65% of the track, 80% of the turnouts, 85% of the overhead catenary, 66% of the embankments and 40% of the bridges would require renewal. According to the Ministry of Transport 70% of rolling stock is outdated."
^ Duta, Luminița. Computer-Based Decision Support for Railroad Transportation Systems: an Investment Case Study, Research Gate, retrieved on 17 December 2018. Archived at the wayback machine. "After 1989, Romania inherited one of the largest, very dense, and frequently-utilized railway networks in Europe, which has, at the same time, a relatively outdated and partially worn-out infrastructure. This situation, combined with the economic decline that Romania faced in the 1990s due to its transition to a market economy, resulted in CFR entering in a period of noticeable relative decline. In the early 2000s, CFR started on a comprehensive modernisation program with a view to improving its quality of services and image."
^ Barbu, Paul. Romania ranks last in the EU in terms of railway quality, Romania Business Review, retrieved on 9 June 2019. Archived at the wayback machine. "Romania ranks in the last place among the European Union member state in terms of railway infrastructure quality, according to Octavian Udriște, honorary president of Club Feroviar. ‘We are all trying to convince the authorities to support the railroad, because we are in the last place in Europe. Everybody says it, and the scoreboard published by DG MOVE (European Commission’s Directorate General for Transport) ranks 28th on all the analyzed transport systems –rail, road, naval, air, and public transport– with 30 criteria, and points: we are on the last place. With rail infrastructure we have won two seats, we are 26th, because Malta and Cyprus have no railways,’ Udriște said. ‘I do have to remind you that in 30 years we did not electrify a kilometre of railway, that the pace of modernisation is slow, that at this rhythm only for Corridor IV it still takes about 15 years, and for the entire TEN-T Comprehensive network, the Rhine-Danube network, almost 5,500 kilometres, takes nearly 200 years,’ he estimated."
^ Newsroom. Featured - "Railway reform": Destroy half of the national railroad network and fire 10,000 people, Romania Business Review, retrieved on 9 June 2019. Archived at the wayback machine. "Romania’s Government issued a memorandum regarding 'methods of increasing efficiency in the country’s railway system'. The document represents a necessity for the Transport Master Plan which has already been approved by the Executive. The memo includes drastic measures such as eliminating several routes spanning 4,000 km and reducing the national rail-network to just 6,200 km. Among the routes that could be closed down there is București-Oltenița, Galați-Bârlad and Iași-Botoșani, leaving tens of communes and villages isolated.."
^ "Lungimea căilor de transport, la 31 XII 2014". ziaruldeiasi.ro. 27 April 2015.
^ The World Factbook, Country Comparison: Railways