Policy for passenger cars

The technical stage of the park for wagons and locomotives used in public traffic has been acknowledging continuos degradation, due to its old age. Surpassing the industrial life limit may determine the issuance of certain negative effects, such as qualitative deterioration of transport conditions - implicitly of the traffic safety degree, high costs for maintenance and repairing works - expenses which has to be supported from the budget of sate, a much more discrepancy as related to the public European railway system, much more difficulties in insuring an international competitive transportation. All these unfavorable tendencies will be much more accentuated in time fact that will determine the obligation of erasing an important capacity of the public transportation assets, whereas the National Railway Public Transportation Company will reach the critical situation of not being able to insure all the transportation needs.
An important step forward in view of equipping with modern rolling -stock material our railway base, was the initiation of a program for bringing the new technology of fabrication in the process of wagons’ building activity, wagons that should meet the UIC requirements, but also the acquiring from DeDeitrich Ferroviare company of a construction certificate for wagon type Corail - AVA 200 - CFR.
In 1992, it was approved a guarantee for the realization of the above-mentioned project under the license granted by French Company and for the imports necessary for completing the range of 50 wagons. After only four years, the prototype-wagon was displayed, and by the end of 1996, the first six wagons of such type were ready for commissioning. There followed another 19 wagons of this kind; by the end of year 2010 the SNTFC CFR Calatori has to acquire from Astra Arda another 120 AVA 200-CFR 1st and 2nd class wagons, which means an increase in comfort for the traveling public. Why? Because the respective wagons have a series of characteristics, which offer the passenger the confidence of traveling on the railway: six places in the compartment, (heated) chairs, modern acoustic and climate installations, incandescent and fluorescent light, bogie type Y 32 R, whereas the traffic speed reaches 200 km/h.
But the ongoing process for such an acquisition program is based generally on certain funds allocated by the Ministry of Finances, in its quality as creditor of the granted loan.
We will present you in the following lines, the current situation of the rolling-stock material, on groups of wagons that belong to the CFR Calatori:
the wagons which apparently are new or rebuilt and whose technical stage is adequate but which run through a series of technical repairing and maintaining works; this presupposes an increase of the period between two successive revision times, being necessary for technical revising works to be performed in accordance to the kilometers on board;
wagons that are 15-20 years old and which can be rebuilt, given the relatively good technical stage of the bodies. Out of 1200 wagons for reconstruction, only to 750 of them could be implemented a bogie with superior technical performances, which are obviously better than the existing ones. On the other hand, all these wagons could be significantly improved in terms of inner arranging and equipment - heating installations, six individual places or of a clubhouse type. Once the reconstruction process is completed they could be commissioned for almost 10 years.
Wagons that are more then 20 years old and whose technical stage does not justify the execution of RK and RG works. Maintaining in traffic such wagons for another four years requires the approval of the SNTFC Board.
Another measure taken also by other railway administrations, which enjoyed a great success, is the general repairing -rebuilding process (REC). Such measure was taken also by the CFR Calatori management that has at the moment 240 wagons in exploitation. In order to extend such a program also to the short-distance trains, we could include the following types of serial trains: floored-wagons series 26-26 (184 items), which have a very good body and for which the construction of the prototype has already been started at REMAR SA Pascani; couple-floors (65 wagons of series 1617 and 391 wagons of the 2617 series) to which it minor improvement works have to be performed so that they could be maintained in traffic under proper conditions even on the routes where a greater number of thefts are registered.
Starting of such a reconstruction program with respect to the public wagons, meant in the same time the start in assimilating a new series of equipment in the Romanian industry, for which the supplying market during the past years no longer existed, or which were obsolete from the point of view of the technical performances.
Up to now, for the construction of public wagons, there has been assimilated the following parts: access harmonic doors, hall doors for clubhouse compartments, intercommunicating doors - all with pneumatic devices; modular WC cabin of PAFC or of phenyl resins; fixed windows; non-automated passing and compartment doors; curtain walls - assimilated in compliance with AVA 200-CFR model; luggage shelf, individual seats, inner decorative elements -tables, ashtrays, sills; false ceilings, acoustic installations, electrical panels; inverters for fluorescent lamps; static power supply sources. Bogies, breaks, crashing, connecting and tracking devices were kept in the initial state and were repaired in compliance with the current regulations. Now, at Astra Arad Company, they are trying to assimilate the bogie of type Y 32 in the current structure; such bogie has to be adjusted to the wagons equipped with soundproof floors, fact that will allow the increase of the passengers’ comfort.
All these parts meat the demands of the European rules in this sector, and are defined under the technical provisions issued by UIC, fact that creates the premises for insuring in the future a rolling stock material, which should offer special comfort conditions for the traveling public.

Modern railway transportation with electrical passenger trains

The National Railway Public Transportation Company has found a modern solution for helping the traveling public. It is about the measure of equipping its own rolling-stock material park with special equipment - Diesel and electrical automated devices that are totally different form the classical trains, which are composed of detachable locomotives and wagons, in that they are composed of a compact non-detachable group of wagons, with auto-ignition capacity, and which, depending on the power supply source, is called either automated Diesel train or electrical train.
The advantages that this modern material presents have determined all the European countries to build only electrical trains and automated devices, within the purpose of maintaining the public railway transportation on high levels of quality. Which are these advantages? They have an increasing availability, due to the superior adjusting degree as compared with the classical train, the energy consume is twice/thrice lower, and the necessary exploitation and repairing costs are up to 45% lower. We also could talk about the superior adjusting characteristics as compared to the classical model, and also of the possibility of constructing them in every country.
In 1995, the ex SNCFR initiated a program for modernizing the rolling-stock material park designated for public transportation with such equipment. The first two automated devices of type 628.4 were delivered by the German Company Duewag - AG and were submitted a testing program coordinated by AFER Company. But, the lack of investment funds led to the termination of such project.
After three years, once the restructuring of the railway transportation had been completed, SNTFC “CFR Calatori” targeted again the problem of modernization strategy of its own park. Together with the AFER specialists, under the exploitation tests for the two automated Diesel devices bought in 1995, they have been established the demands and the adjusting modalities with respect to these two automated trains regarding the current needs of Romania in transportation field. Also, AfER has completed a feasibility study regarding the equipping with electrical automated trains, establishing the technical and economical characteristics as well as the equipping relatedness. In this sense, they forecast the acquisition of a certain train modular range, realized with as many as possible common elements, including the possibility of implementing such device within the balanced fold, in order to cover all the exploitation necessities in the public inter-regional and regional transportation. In the vent of a minimal equipment necessity, the necessary quantity of the company has been estimated to 150 trains.
Correlated to the traveling fluency of that date and to the forecast regarding the evolution tendencies, there has been completed another evaluation regarding the necessary of electrical and automated trains equipment, the result being 224 automotor trains and 94 electrical trains for the entire capacity of public traffic. It would be most likable for the respective train types to resemble to the existent structure, so that to allow the inter-operability causing for the exploitation costs to reach much lower quotes.
This way, the folds will be common for all the types and variants, and the construction differences will be very few, being imposed by the under-floor emplacement of the equipment for different ignition systems (Diesel or electrical). The bogies will be almost identical, either in the case of electric or hydraulic transmission. This means that the same bogie pattern, with the same suspension elements and the same braking installation is going to be used.
As regarding the driving cabins, they will have a resembling location of the board equipment, in order to enable the personnel within the locomotive to easily accede to the driving devices whenever they change one train to another.
The inner arranging of the compartments will be identical with the current ones, the only registered differences being caused by the destination of the train: short or long distances. Thus, they will take into account the number of seats, the type of the seats, the equipment for bars or restaurants, the ventilating installations, the places for connecting the personal computer, etc.
Automated Trains are going to be implemented with Diesel motors of different power capacities, ranging from 300 kW up to 600 kW, depending on the number of connected wagons. That is why, it is possible to use both hydraulic and electric transmissions. When using the electrical transmission, the trains will by of type alternative/alternative IGBT with three-phased non-synchrony tracking electrical motor. The maximum speed for automated trains ranges from 120 km/h up to 140 km/h, depending on the hauling areas in exploitation.
Electrical Trains will also have power supply ranging from 800 kW to 1600 kW, depending on the number of carried wagons. Transmission will be as in the case of automated train with electrical traction, of type alternative /alternative IGBT, with three-phased non-synchrony tracking electrical motor.
Equipping the railway base with automated and electrical trains is going to be made in accordance with their exploitation activity:
Long distance
These trains will circulate on routes of more than 200 km, as rapid and express trains; they will be composed of three or four wagons and will use the maximum speed of 160 km/h. The wagons will be equipped with parts that will insure a better comfort during the journey: 50 seats per wagon, air conditioning installations, bar/restaurant, radio, etc.
Short distance
Taking into account the fact that the trains will roll on short and medium distances no less than 200 km, it will not be necessary to insure a better traveling comfort, hence the number of seats per wagon will increase up to approximately 80-100 seats. Since this type of trains will circulate as personal trains with frequent stops, they need an increased acceleration on the start in order to obtain a commercial speed up to 60 km/h. The automotor trains will be composed of two or three wagons and will circulate with a maximum speed of 120 km/h.
The equipment with short and long distance trains is going to be performed between years 2001 and 2010. They also intend to implement electrical balancing-folded trains, mainly designated for the pane -European 4 Corridor. The reduced axle weight of 14 tones as well as the 8 degree inclination of the fold while passing through the curves allow an increase of speed with 10-34%, on curved routes and for the straight ones as well, as compared to the speed limitations approved for the classical rolling-stock material. They intend that these types of trains to be composed of six high comfortable wagons: seats as of the type used in airplanes, bar/bistro, conference room, air conditioning installations, power supply devices for personal computers, etc. The maximum speed will be of 160 km/h.

Contribution of the Romanian specialized industrial sectors

Realization of automated and electrical trains will be insured by companies whose scope of business is the construction of rolling stock material, very famous on a worldwide, in corporation with the Romanian specialized industrial sectors. This is a very profitable moment for the Romanian companies, which will be able to assimilate in their technological process a series of components for electrical and automated trains, such as: folds, (carrying and motor) bogies, three-phased non-synchronic electric motors for insuring all the auxiliary services, command and break electrical devices, measuring installations for speed, high voltage electrical installations (pantograph, separator, main transformer) and convoluted compressors. Only the performing Diesel motors, hydraulic transmission with incorporated converter (VOITH), inverters power supplying to tracking motors, static converters for power feeding of the auxiliary services, vacuum main switchers (BVAC disjunction device) will be imported from foreign companies.
As related to the financing possibilities with respect to such project, we could mention:
Budgetary financing, due to the including within the SNTCF “CFR Calatori” annual investment planning all the sums necessary for equipping the company with brand new rolling stock material.
Payable loans under governmental guarantee;
Leasing, which offers the possibility of acquiring the respective rolling -m stock material after a few years of exploitation, time in which the recuperation of a certain amount of the costs is also possible.
Due to the beginning of the equipping program regarding the automated and electrical trains that are going to be built in our country, SNTFC “CFR Calatori” succeeds in complying with the demands requesting the European integration as well as in sustaining the national development of the industry, because of the large number of Romanian companies that will be involved in this project.

Ana Stanciu, reporting