At the End of Year 2002 the Launching of

the New Train Timetable Has Taken Place

At half December, once with the launching of the new Train Timetable, the minister of Transports, Mr. Miron Mitrea, has been inaugurated, through a trial travel up to Ploiesti, the first rehabilitated railway section and the first complete intercity train set which is endowed with modernized coaches meeting the European standards.

According to the European directives, starting with year 2002, the change of the train timetable at CFR will take place on December of every year. Thus, on December 15, 2002, the new passengers train timetable has been enforced, in a structure that is a bit modified with regard to the number of trains, to the categories, for the internal traffic and the international one.
"Since 2003 only three categories of trains will operate, which will correctly reflect the quality-price report: intercity, interregional and local. The number of railway train sets is reduced, and the ones that will remain operational will provide an increased comfort", the minister of Transports wanted to specify.

Tariff and timetable changes
In comparison to the current schedule, the trains will suffer postponements twice, up to a few tenths of minutes. For example, the express train 653, which operates on Bucharest - Suceava route will leave the Nord Railway Station two minutes later that presently; the fast train 1741, leaving for Satu Mare, will have a ten minutes "delay" at departure and so on.
Starting with the next year, the price of the travelling tickets on the railways will be increased "similar with the increase of the inflation rate (estimated at 14% - 15%)", Mr. Valentin Bota, the general director of CFR Calatori has declared.

We are paying by card
The persons that travel by train have now the possibility to pay, at the Nord Railway Station counters, the value of a travelling ticket not only by cash, but also by card. This is possible because CFR Calatori has been recently endowed with POS-es (devices allowing the payment by card). For the time being, the respective facility is offered to the clients only in Bucharest, at the ticket counters from the Nord Railway Station.

Positive balance sheet at the Railways
During the testing travel on Bucharest - Ploiesti section, the minister of Transports has discussed with the press about the activity on 2002 of the three railway companies. Here we have a few brief appraisals in this respect.

CFR SA
Once with the finalization of the rehabilitation on Bucharest - Campina railway section, "we can say that the railway network is ready for the train traffic with a 160 km/h speed, as all the European regulations require, the minister of Transports has underlined.
The next year there will be started off three vast projects for CFR SA: the rehabilitation works on Bucharest - Constanta railway section, the signing of the financing contract with the EBI for Curtici - Simeria railway section and, probably the most important of them, the modernization program of the railway stations.

CFR Marfa
"It is very nice the fact that the freight transport is not decreasing, the traffic following the same ascendant line as in 2001", the minister has declared.
CFR Marfa has succeeded, during this year, through the implementation of certain modern systems that are measuring the fuel consumption, to save monthly up to 50 billion ROL. The minister of Transports has mentioned that this process should be continued, the same as the one that issues eurobonds, which will represent the base of the modernization of the locomotives and wagons fleet.

CFR Calatori
Named two years ago, CFR Cinderella, the passengers company has made great efforts on the financial and operational restructuring line, succeeding to change the policy of the passengers transport on the railways.
"As you already know, the slow trains are slightly-slightly replaced by the motorcars, rehabilitated at the Factory 16 Februarie, and in point of the intercity trains, which have in composition Ist class, IInd class and bistro coaches, the prices are now closed to the express trains", the minister Mitrea has commented.
The next year there will be put into operation three intercity train sets and two motorcars, being electrically heated.

Oana Branzan