The Bucharest - Campina Section has been opened

The month of March brought to the CFR - SA, due to the signing of four important agreements, the achieving moment of a long way targeted objective, that of insuring the interoperability with the European railway network, as part of the program for integration in the European Union. The modernization project with respect for the railway between Curtici and Constanta is included in a more ample European modernization program regarding the infrastructure within the pane-European 4 Corridor.

A very important section for the north branch of the 4 Corridor, Bucharest - Campina section, which is a part of the route Bucharest - Brasov, has entered a rehabilitation program whose complexity had as effect a regrouping of works for auction into eight distinct lots: 1. The route variant km 45+217 - 46+177 and the bridge over Prahova river; 2. Burrowed catwalks; 3. Modernization of current direct and turned aside railways; 4. Bridges and catwalks; 5. Civil buildings within the railway stations; 6. Modernization of contact line-trunk; 7. Centralizing installations; 8. Energo-feeding supply of contact line-trunk;
On March 16, 2001 it took place, within a festive atmosphere, the official signing moment of the constructor agreements by and between Mr. Mihai Necolaiciuc, General Manager of the National Railway Company CFR - SA, and the constructors declared as official winner of bids nos. 3, 5, 6 and 7, regarding the Bucharest - Campina section.
The festivity took place in the conference room within the Ministry of Public Works, Transportation and Habitat building, also being officiated also by MMs. Miron Mitrea, the minister of Public Works, Transportation and Habitat, Pierre Menat, the ambassador of France in Bucharest, and Karl Vetter van der Lilie, the ambassador of Austria in Bucharest. At this special event the representatives of the winning companies, journalists and other legal persons within CFR-SA were ala present.
For the 3 lot - infrastructure and superstructure for sections Bucharest - Ploiesti and Ploiesti - Campina, the winner of the bid was the SWIETELSKI (Austria), WIEBE (Germany) , CCCF (Romania) consortium, being represented by Mr. President Herbert Heinrichsberger (Swieteski - Austria), who signed the contract. The bid had two lots whose total amount reached Euro 140 million; companies such as Italstrade (Italy), Mustafa Ozkan (Turky), Etane Efkilidis - T.S.O. (Greece - France) and Leonhard Weiss (Germany) participated at such bidding event.
For the 5 lot, - civil works within railway stations for section Bucharest - Campina, the winner of the bid was the company CCCF (Romania), the signing party being Mr. N. Constantinescu, General Manager of CCCF. This lot in worth of Euro 8 million, was also bided by Balafas company from Greece.
For the 6 lot - workings on the contact line-trunk for section Bucharest - Campina, the winner of the bid was Spie Enetrans (France), ISAF (Romania) consortium, the contract being signed by Mr. Jacques Lemercier, manager of the exportation department with Spie Enertrans. This bid includes two lots in worth of Euro 25 millions; companies, such as Alstom (France), Balfour Beatty (Great Britain) and Siemens (Germany) were also to this bidding.
For the 7 lot -signaling and railway telecommunication devices, for section Bucharest - Campina, IMSAT company was declared winner, whose General Manager, Mr. Ion Morga signed the contract. The value of the workings is estimated at Euro 10 million; at this bid, ISAF SA Company from Romania was also present.
Modernization of Bucharest - Campian section belongs to the Program for rehabilitation of the railways, program that is supported by the Ministry of Public Works, Transportation and Habitat (MPLTL) and that is the beneficiary of several external financing funds from the World Bank, EBRD and EU - PHARE, loans which are guaranteed by the Romanian Government. The Minister of Public Works, Transportation and Habitat, Mr. Miron Mitrea, emphasized, during the speech after the moment of signing of such agreements that: “I am convinced that this is only the beginning. As we already know, we will continue the works on platform Bucharest - Constanta, in the next following period, and we intend to start the works on the entire 4 Corridor and to continue in the next years, the modernization works with respect to 9 Corridor.”
Mr. Mihai Necolaiciuc, General Manager of CFR - SA, stated for the Railway Journal: “Today we have signed four contracts whose total value amounts to Euro 185 million. Now that the spring has already begun, I think that this is the first step forward in a year, which is full of projects. There are eight contracts, which are going to be developed in 2001, starting with Bucharest - Campina where the works will begin right away, followed by Campina - Brasov, Arad - Brasov; we are also about to sign a contract with a Japanese Bank for the amount of Euro 240 million, regarding the works on Bucharest - Constanta platform. I would say that we are on the good way.”
The works on Bucharest - Campina section will bring to the Romanian Railways Company many advantages, as follows:
• Increasing the traffic speed for trains up to 160 km/h and implicitly the diminishing of travel duration on Bucharest - Campina route;
• Increasing of safety level regarding railway transportation;
• Increasing of traffic capacity;
• Reducing of duration and costs for the maintenance works;
• Introducing of modern traffic safety devices;
• Insuring of new working positions for the specialized railway personnel.

Silvia Mitulescu, reporting