“We will we work around the clock”

Interview with Mr. Nicolae Ciovica, Rail Region Director within the Bucharest Rail Region

Railway Journal: Rehabilitation and modernization sessions have started this month regarding the Pan European Corridor IV, the most important project of Romanian National Railway Company. Which are the implications for Bucharest Rail Region?

Nicolaie Ciovica: Rehabilitation and modernization of Bucharest - Brasov section, namely Bucharest- Campina, implies a great volume of work focusing all the rail personnel. We ought to assure a very strict works survey and, of course, optimal conditions for the unfolding of the established program. We are aware of the fact that our effort is highly required, because this process implies decentralization of the railway stations, and in the meanwhile the trains circulation shouldn’t be affected, in order to avoid any railways disturbance. The importance of this project for the Romanian Railways forces us to be prepared to find solutions for the problems that may occur during the process. We are also sure that we will have to deal with some new problems and complications during the project.
I can state that the rehabilitation and modernization of the Bucharest - Brasov section also implies supplementing the working hours, which is well known by the rail personnel, as well as work availability, and taking good decisions to solve any hindrance that may occur.
R.J.: What stage did you reach with your modernization works regarding the Interlocking System installation in Ploiesti Sud railway station?
N.C.: Mounting works of the new type of electronic equipment, SIEMENS, almost reach the deadline. It is the first equipment of the kind which is implemented in the territory, fact that implies besides the installation of such an equipment, also the training of qualified personnel who will supervise other new such implementations, in other railway stations. Being something new for us, we are forced to pay a special attention to the training process, exploitation and maintenance. The training is developed by the specialized departments of the company, and I hope that till the 1st of June we will be ready to start operating the equipment, taking into consideration the fact that our personnel is highly qualified.
R.J.: Can you outline to our readers, the importance of this project?
N.C.: The most important advantage in using the centralized electronic equipment is the increase of the safety degree. The implementation of this mechanism is meant to eliminate the human error. Other advantages that are implied are: improving railway traffic management; improving trains operation activity; system integration facilities with other data acquisition systems for the improvement of the rail management performance; major increasing of the operating system reliability, when prevented maintenance and repairing works are minimum; great flexibility in accommodation execution; possibility to make system changes and modifications during the operation process without being necessary to shut down the system for too long. Through this modern survey system of the railway traffic I think that the optimal solution has been found in order to prevent any train circulation disturbance. In fact, this is what Bucharest Rail Region personnel hope so: to have fluency in traffic for longer distances and without having any violation, at all, if possible.
R.J.: What other projects do you still develop lately?
N.C.: The repairs at the Friendship Bridge from Giurgiu will be over till the end of the current year, hoping that there will not occur any problems from our colleagues across the Danube. We also proposed a few more projects which we already get them started or we are going to finalize, as we are focused on our most important task: to accomplish the rehabilitation and modernization of the Paneuropean Corridor IV. Not so long before we finalized the General Overhaul works at the third track between Bucharest and Chitila. The maintenance and rehabilitation process of Bucharest - Urziceni section is going on presently, representing also the rounding route for Bucharest- Ploiesti section. Our task is to take over the traffic from this section and to develop it on the rounding route. We also planned for the current year to mount the new Interlocking System installation at the intermediary railway stations and, if there will be satisfactory results, we will extend this action on a higher level.
As about the patrimonial field, we already get started the rehabilitation program for platform 1 and 2 within North Railway Station, which has to be finalized till October, current year. We will also try to extend this program to the other platforms, fact that implies a precise coordination in order to avoid any delays of the trains.
R. J.: You have a very busy schedule this year. Do you appreciate another working approach as being suitable in order to accomplish your current plans?
N.C.: We, all, just need to focus more on the delicate problems, to manage them in a satisfactory way, because we all work together. It isn’t fair that some of us to work harder than the others. We tried to assure good working conditions in order to create a motivating climate for our employees to work hard.

Ana Stanciu