The history of Romanian Railways

The XIX century marked the beginning of the history of Romanian Railways, whose strong tradition was proved and certified by documents and archive images...

Romanian Railways have a history for more than 125 years. During all this period, the railway was a major factor in technical and sometimes even economic progress of the society. It also has been the factor of stability that could not have been influenced by political events.
The beginning of the XIX century have marked the birth of the railway, the real technical adventure of railway that determined the change of planet people's life and way of living.
Soon after the first travel by steam locomotive, the coming out of the railway has removed the principal competitor: animals' drive. Unavoidable the railways had to struggle with a strong competitor: the automotive transport.

A date that cannot be forgotten is September 15th, 1830: the first railway in the world was inaugurated in England, between Liverpool and Manchester.

On October 27th, 1831, the young Romanian student Petrache Poenaru traveled on this line and wrote in his official notes:

"I traveled by a new mean of transport which represents one of the miracles of the industry in this century... twenty carriages bound together, loaded with 240 people are dragged by only one stream machine..."

He was the first Romanian who traveled by train.

The first railway built on the Romanian territory: "The coals' railway" Oravita-Bazias

In 1845,Gustav Granzsteim, the director of the mining district in the Banat Mountains, underlined the economic importance of the coal extraction in Anina area, in his memorial to the Baron Kubek, the chief of the Imperial Treasure Administration in Vienna. In Bazias, this was an important source of alimentation with coal for the navigation lines on Danube.
Between 1845-1846, the Austrian State occupied all the coal mines in the Anina Mountains.
On October 31st, 1846, the Chancellery in Vienna approved the project for the building of the railway with animal traction that could have transported coal from Anina to Oravita. It also approved the building of a normal railway from Oravita to the Bazias harbor, on the Danube.

On August 20th, 1854, the railway Oravita-Bazias, in length of 62,5 km, was inaugurated only for the coal transport. It was the first railway built on today Romanian territory.
On January 12th, 1855, it was taken by the "Cezaro-Craiasca Society of the Austrian Railways", and after some improvements it was opened for the passengers transport, on November 1st, 1856.
The first railway in the world for freight transport was built in England and it was called the "Coal Railway": Stokton-Darlington (1825). In Romania, the first railway for freight transport was also a "coal railway": Oravita-Bazias.

The construction of railways in Romania
The period of foreign concessions (1864-1880)

In the Romanian Principalities, the construction of the iron tracks has begun with some railways built by foreign concessions: Barkley, Strousberg and Offenheim.

• Barkley's Concession
  On September1st, 1865, under the Ruler Alexandru Ioan Cuza, the Romanian Government offered for construction the railway Bucuresti- Giurgiu to the English Company John Trevor-Barkley, railway which was finished in August 26th, 1869. That time, the Ruler Carol I could traveled by train, the first Romanian train, from Bucharest to Giurgiu, and from there by ship, to Vienna.
  On October 19th, 1869, after the official inauguration, the railway was used for passenger's transport, under the leadership of the Frenchman Dubois.

• Strousberg's Concession In September 1866, the Romanian Parliament voted the law of the concession for the construction of Varciorova-Bucuresti-Buzau-Braila-Galati- Tecuci- Roman and Tecuci-Barlad railways, with a total length of 915 km, to a German syndicate led by doctor Strousberg. The concession was given for 90 years, the cost of the construction being around 270 000 golden francs/km.
  The Romanian Government guaranteed 7,5% of the invested capital as interest and payment.

To get the necessary capital for the construction the syndicate was authorized to emit obligations whose interest was paid by the syndicate during the construction. After the end of works and after the railways was to be used by the Romanian State, the interest was to be paid from the amount achieved through the utilization of railway.
On September 10th, 1868, the North Railway Station was established in Bucharest and the railway Bucuresti-Buzau-Braila-Galati-Tecuci-Roman was temporary opened, on December 27th, 1870. In the spring of 1871, rainfalls destroyed parts of the railway interrupting the circulation. As a result, the Romanian Government refused the payment of the costs for the period of time January 1871.
Strousberg Company was replaced by "The New Society of CFR Shareholders".
Pitesti-Bucuresti-Buzau-Galati-Tecuci-Roman railway is officially opened in September 13th, 1872, and Pitesti-Varciorova railway in May 9th, 1878. On December 1879-January 1880, the Parliament, under the pressure of Germany, voted the redeem of the railway built and administrated by the Strousberg syndicate and then by "The New Society of CFR Shareholders". Thus, the first CFR direction is inaugurated on April 1st, 1880, direction made up from Mr. Kalinderu, Statescu and Falcoianu.

• Offenheim's Concession On May 24th, 1868, in similar condition like in Strousberg's concession, Romanian State contracted with Offenheim syndicate a convention for the construction of Roman-Itcani, Pascani-Iasi, and Veresti-Botosani railways, with a total length of 224 km.
  Roman-Itcani railway is put in circulation, in December 1869; Pascani-Iasi railway in June 1870 and Veresti-Botosani in November 1871.
  The utilization of the railways was realized in very poor conditions, the State being obliged to pay the cost (the payment and interest summed on the basis of a credit and which had to be paid every year) till December 18th, 1888 when it is obliged to restrict the railways. In January 1889, it redeemed them for a cost of 3.865.173 golden lei.

In the meantime, after the Independence War in 1877, Dobrogea became a Romanian territory and the Romanian State redeemed Cernavoda-Constanta railway, in 1882. The same Barkley Company that built Giurgiu-Bucuresti railway and which used it at that moment built this railway under the Ottoman Empire.
Thus, Romanian State became the first owner of all the railways on its territory with a total length of 1377 km. Since then the railways were used in administration with its entire staff and control.

The first railway:~Buzau -Marasesti~,
built by Romanian engineers

Bucuresti-Ploiesti-Buzau-Galati-Barbosi-Tecuci-Marasesti-Roman-Suceava railway is opened on September 13th, 1872. 
A passenger who traveled from Bucharest to Suceava had to pass first on a long and expensive way through Buzau-Galati-Marasesti.
The lack of the connection between Buzau and Marasesti was realized for the first time during the military transport during the Independence War (1877-1878), especially because a part of the railway in Barbosi-Braila area could have been blocked any time by the Turkish army on the Danube.

Immediately after the war, due to the brave initiative of the Prime Minister Ion Bratianu, it was decided the construction of the Buzau-Marasesti railway by Romanian engineers.

This has represented a political and economic priority because in this way the Moldavian and Muntenian railways could have been connected in the shortest way. The law 591 was published in Official Monitory and promulgated by the King Carol I, on March 30th, 1879. On its basis, the Buzau-Marasesti railway was declared "public utility" and the projects were to be achieved by the Public Work Ministry. The track, in length of 90 km was studied, designed and executed between May 1879-June 1st, 1881, by the General Inspector, ing.Dimitrie Frunza in collaboration with a group of 22 young Romanian engineers.
The construction of the railway cost 8.548.675,4 golden lei, respectively 93.214 golden lei/km, compared with 306.000 golden lei/km, meaning the cost of the railways executed by the foreign concessions.
The Official opening of the Buzau-Marasesti railway was done on October 18th, 1881, in the presence of king Carol I and Queen Elisabeth, of prime Minister Ion Bratianu, members of the Government, Leaders of the General CFR Direction and of a numerous public.
Buzau-Marasesti railway was the first railway in Romania, designed and built by the Romanian intelligence. The railways have recovered for the first time in the old historical provinces of today Romania in Banat (1854), Dobrogea (1860), Transilvania (1868), Muntenia (1869), Moldova and Bucovina (1869) and Oltenia (1875). On August 20th, 1854, the coal Oravita-Bazias railway was inaugurated in Banat, the oldest track of CFR network. For this railway, 13 Engerth locomotives, made in Vienna, have been brought at that time.
On October 4th, 1860 Constanta Harbor- Cernavoda Harbor railway is given for use. For this railway the English Society "DBSR" brought the first 2 railway engines (Ovidiu and Tomis), made by Bayer Company in Manchester.
In Transilvania, the first two railway engines, made in Mayer Company in Moulhouse (France) have been brought for Pispocladany-Oradea and Szojl-Arad railways.
For the inauguration of the railways in Muntenia, between 1869-1872, 8 locomotives have been brought from the English Company "Canada works-Birkenhead".
Thus, for the railways built on today Romanian territory, between 1854-1875, railway engines built in England, France and Austria, were brought in our country.

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