Railway winter of 2000-2001,

as it really was

The preparations, which are made every year for welcoming the white season, are each time conditioned by the number and technical state of the machinery for snow removal.
At the moment, the management department of CFR - SA considers that the existent equipment, including the ploughs for interventions, are sufficient since they are very good maintained and ready for being used in any situation.
By order of the Minister of Transportation, each year on October 1st the winter intervention commandment is convoked. Its activity is supposed to last, at least theoretically, until March 31. Practically, there have been situations when winter lasted more than this date, and consequently, this winter commandment continued its activity as long as it was necessary.
The winter of 2000-2001 was not too harsh for the railway men; the lack of snow and the temperatures, which were not very low either, did not caused any perturbation in the railway transportation system. Still, during the last part of February, winter was very determined in showing us that it was fully recognized: almost the entire country was covered with snow, so that the patrols with the ploughs proved to be imperious necessary, especially along the Bucharest Regional Department. There where cases where in which the presence of the MAPN personnel was required during the interventions of the winter commandments’ activity.
Although the winter had tried so hard to impose its presence, the railway personnel managed to avoid the snow-bounding of trains on rail tracks, even if the snow rolls formed as the result of snowstorm, could have caused some troubles unless the ploughs had have been present on the rails.
The North Station, where the biggest problems were usually registered, had passed with flying colors the situation imposed by this short winter season; we may also say that the delay of trains were very few in number. The only problems, which still existed, were some misunderstandings between public, freight and infrastructure transportation companies. More exactly, as Mr. Lucian Blaga, general inspector with CFR - SA, said the neuralgic point was within the Grivita Wagons Inspectorate, but after the discussions between the representatives of the three railway companies involved in this conflict, in less than 24 hours, the situation has been recovered, so that any delay had never been registered for either of the expedition trains.
Anyway, the problems that occur during wintertime cannot be totally eliminated form the general picture of the activity on the railways and not only, since unfavorable weather conditions affect in the same way any transportation system.
It seems that the operability of the railway men was noticed even by mass media, which did not made any critical remarks regarding the difficulties in transportation. On the contrary, journalist and reporters even appreciated the promptness of the authorities in taking an attitude against this sudden changing of weather, which, let’s face it, could have caught those who are in charge with the administration of railway routes, unprepared, as it was the case for our national roads.

Reporting Ileana Statie