A Promising Debut for CFR Calatori

On January 29, the current year, at CFR Palace, in the presence of the minister of Transports, Mr. Miron Mitrea, of numerous officials of the Romanian railway world, within MLPTL, railway companies and institutions - CFR SA, CFR Calatori, CFR Marfa, AFER, ISPCF, trade unions -, and also of important foreign personalities, among which Misters William Lash, the sub-secretary in the United States Government, Naotoshi Sugiuchi, the ambassador of Japan, Michael Guest, the ambassador of USA, has been signed the modernization contract of 57 Diesel electrical locomotives between CFR Calatori, represented by the general director, Mr. Valentin Bota, and the American company General Motors Corporations, represented by Mr. Charles Mann.

The loan necessary to support this project, in an amount of 100 million USD, has been granted by a consortium of banks, guaranteed by the Japanese Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), as well as by the Romanian state.
Year 2003 sets off, in fact, the starting off of a vast program for the modernization of the hauling rolling stock, which will be unfolded at Uzinele Electroputere Craiova. According to the provisions of the contract, the Romanian Railway Authority (AFER) should conclude, in an year, the fabrication and homologation process of the prototype, the so-called modernization of the 57 locomotives being scheduled to be performed in two years, or even less.
According to the declarations of Mr. Valentin Bota, the general director of CFR Calatori, this modernization program will be totally achieved by Electroputere Craiova Factory, the contribution of the company General Motors being to deliver the internal components of the locomotives. " Because during the last years there have been made two such locomotives, that will be a very difficult project for our specialists" - the director has appreciated.
Satisfied with the conclusion of the contract was also Mr. Miron Mitrea, the minister of Transports, because, he was saying, "through the agency of this modernization program we have succeeded to give a lot to work for the employees from Electroputere Craiova Factory, and concomitantly, to answer to the trade unions' requests regarding the creation of better working conditions for the engine drivers", he has stated. The minister has also mentioned the fact that this contract has a special importance for the Romanian Railways because it represents another decisive step in the national modernization program of the passengers railway transport, and also because they are once again collaborating with JBIC, which has become one of our main financing provider in the field of transport infrastructure, for the road sector, as well as for the railway one.
"We are glad that such well-known company world wide as General Motors is also collaborating with Romania. We would like to underline the fact that, after the political support granted by the United States the last year - and we are referring here to the invitation made for Romania to adhere to NATO -, we are receiving now this important economical support from the American government", the minister of Transports has concluded.
After the conclusion of the contract, Mr. Charles Mann, the representative of the American partner, wanted to specify that this contract will be a profitable one for both parties. "The idea of this project has appeared in year 1996 - he has specified -, its final goal being the delivery of two prototype of locomotives. The results obtained pursuant to their utilization have convinced the Romanian party to extend this contract… We are hoping that in the next 36 months to be able to deliver these locomotives, which will allow to CFR Calatori to be more efficient in the railway transport."
The sub-secretary of the American State, Mr. William Lash, wanted to specify, first of all, that he is delighted by the fact that he could attend together with the Romanian officials and specialists this festive moment. " We are very glad - he continued - of the fact that a great company as General Motors has the chance to collaborate with Romanian partners. It is very important for us the fact that the high level technology from America will reach also Romania. The modernization of the transport system in your country it is very important in order to achieve the objectives that you have proposed. I consider this partnership symbolic and also real. I say real because the Romanian specialists collaborate very well with the American ones and symbolic because General Motors represents a symbol in America. The modernization program of the 57 locomotives represents a sign that we are able to collaborate very well with our Romanian partners. And the respective contract is welcomed in this moment, because the locomotives are the ones that are hauling the entire train, I wish a lot of success to the Romanian partners, to General Motors Company and to the Ministry of Transports in their common efforts to approach the two countries!", the representative of the American government has concluded his speech.
On his turn, Mr. Naotoshi Sugiuchi, the ambassador of Japan in Bucharest and, in the same time, the representative of the financing party, wanted to specify: " This project has been initiated in 1996 by the Ministry of Transports from Romania, which was aiming that, in collaboration with the American company General Motors, to find the best solutions for the modernization of the old Diesel locomotives produced in Romania between 1964-1980. This way there has been started a collaboration between the two parties. The success vouchsafed by the performances of the DE locomotives of 2,100 HP has led to the conclusion of a contract for the modernization of other 57 locomotives. In this respect, in year 2001 has been signed a loan agreement in an amount of 100 million of USD, based on JBIC guarantee. In accordance with the agreement, the respective locomotives are going to be overhauled and modernized. There should also be mentioned the contribution of the Mitsui Corporation, which is an agency representing the Company General Motors in Romania. Since the beginning it had an important role in this trilateral project. It is also expected that the modernization of the locomotives will register an improvement of the energetic efficiency, fact that will make its contribution to the reduction of the air pollution and represents one of the major concerns of the Romanian government, as well as the Japanese government. We are hoping that through this project we will support the efforts of the Romanian party in this respect. The modernization project for the locomotives, for which the contract has been signed today, represents another example for the support granted by our country. It is a great pleasure to be the witness of this event. The trilateral cooperation Romania- Japan-USA is materialized today in an important project, which will significantly improve the railway services in Romania and will contribute to its economical development. I am hoping in a quick success of the project and, that this kind of trilateral cooperation will also continue in this fields, as well as in the others."
In his speech, Mr. Michael Guest the ambassador of the United States of America, has appreciated, among others, that the company General Motors could not find a better "home" than Romania, and the last one could not find a better "friend" than GM. He also wanted to specify the fact that year 2003 will represent a new step forward for the improvement of the Romania- American relationships in several fields. Through the modernization of the 57 locomotives, CFR Calatori will have available the "last hour" hauling rolling stock, which has been pointed out all over the world through the reduced fuel consumption, an increased comfort, due to the power supply of the heating and cooling equipment, and the low costs for the revision and overhauling. These modernized locomotives will replace the old express, fast and interregional trains.

After Almost 45 years…

The BLUE ARROW
Comes Again on the "Iron Way"

Starting with February the 1st, the modern Desiro motorcars, produced by the German company Siemens Transportation System Group, have been put into operation on the Romanian railways.

There are only a few Romanians that still remember that, on April 13, 1959, on Bucharest - Constanta the first motorcars called the Blue Arrow (series Ade 001-044) have started to operate on our railways. Built at 23 August Factories, from Bucharest (engine units), and at Gheorghi Dimitrov Factories, from Arad (the tows), these veritable jewels of the passengers railway transport, painted as the colors of the sky, were equipped with Diesel engines of 600 HP and were reaching almost 110 km/h.
Therefore, after almost 45 years, modern motorcars come again on the Romanian railways, generally arousing the admiration among the passengers and nostalgia to the ones that were once travelling by the Blue Arrow, only…to the seaside!
Through the cooperation convention signed in Berlin in 2001, between CFR Calatori and the German company Siemens, the rolling stock fleet will be renewed with 120 motorcars (57 will be imported from Germany, and 63 will be assembled in the country), the overall value of the contract being of around 300 million Euro.
Therefore, at the beginning of February, the current year, the first Desiro motorcar train sets, produced by Siemens Transportation System Group Company, has been put into operation.
For the beginning, the Blue Arrow will operate on Bucharest - Pitesti - Slatina - Craiova and Bucharest - Iasi, shortly after intending to introduce others on Cluj - Oradea - Timisoara section.

The official inauguration
The prime minister, Mr. Adrian Nastase, the minister of the transports, Mr. Miron Mitrea, the representatives of the government and of the Parliament, accompanied by high - officials of the Romanian and German railway world, have been the first "passengers" that have got on the train of the future.
In the inaugural speech, the prime minister, Adrian Nastase has underlined the fact that this railway project has a great political value, through its contribution to the strengthening of the Romanian-German economical cooperation: due to the fact that we have taken advantage of a special support from the German government and Siemens Company, I believe in the continuation of this cooperation, so that the achievements of an expertise and technology transfer will offer us the opportunity to provide new places of work not only in Germany, but also here in Romania. A real partnership on long term could be achieved only in these conditions. It is important to understand that we can patch up our railway equipment and systems, yet from time to time we should use high, modern and very performant technology". As the prime minister was appreciating, apart from other countries, Romania is counting very much on the railway transport, fact that means that SNTFC "CFR Calatori" should grant a special attention to the investments in this field.
As a "host" of the new Blue Arrow on the Romanian Railway, after admiring its modern "poise", Mr. Mihai Necolaiciuc, the general director of CFR SA had the curiosity to know closely its performances. That's why, he has attended the inaugural travel of the new motorcar next to the "master" …of its horse powers - in the engine driver's cabin. On this occasion his belief regarding the modernization of the Romanian railway infrastructure has gained a new stimulus: "the iron way" cannot be below than the rolling stock which operates on it!

Functional and… good-looking!
Therefore, now, at the beginning of the year we are facing not only the promises, even written, but even the material proof of the way in which the collaborations have been developed with the foreign investors in respect to the modernization of the railway rolling stock fleet.
The new train sets that will operate as Intercity trains are a new appearance on our railways, in point of aspect, as well as functionality. They are endowed with 12 Ist class seats, 98 IInd class seats and 13 folding dickey seats, the compartments being divided, as in the old trains. These ones are endowed with ergonomic armchairs, panorama windows coach, sound insulation, automatic check in doors, ultramodern lighting (general and local - at the armchairs), with spacious corridors, have available facilities for the persons with locomotion handicap and can reach a 120 km/h speed.
Because they are operating on medium distances, they have no restaurant car in composition.

Tariffs for everyone
Even if, intimidated by the special, luxurious poise of the new motorcars and assuming that the tariffs are also "luxurious", many of the constant clients of the transport on the railways could hesitated to buy tickets in order to travel by the motorcars, we would like to assure them that these are not more expensive than the ones currently applied to the express trains. According to the statements of the director of CFR Calatori, Mr. Valentin Bota, a travel by the Blue Arrow would cost only with 5,000 - 7,000 ROL more than a regular express train. Therefore, the tariffs applied will be: on Bucharest - Pitesti route 200,000 ROL for the Ist class tickets and 144,000 ROL for the IInd class tickets; on Bucharest - Craiova 334,000 ROL for the Ist class tickets and 226,000 ROL for the IInd class tickets; on Bucharest - Iasi route 534,000 ROL for the Ist class tickets and 358,000 ROL for the IInd class tickets. Meaning that only for a few thousand more, the three hours and 44 minutes of travel up to Craiova and the five hours and a half up to Iasi could be transformed in a very pleasant travel by train which offers maximal comfort conditions.

Computerized surveillance and autonomy
"The train has three times a more reduced consumption than the classical locomotive. This situation will allow the amortization of the investment in a shorter time", the minister Miron Mitrea has declared.
The new locomotion mean has autonomy and allows the coupling of two, maximum three motorcars in a single train set. According to the statement of Mr. Valentin Bota, this means that there can be two coupled motorcars at the departure and on the route, at a certain railway knot, they can separate, heading towards different directions. Moreover, the operation and the maintenance of the new type of train are safer and less expensive, because they are supervised by a computer, and the engine driver has in front of him a screen that displays all the damages, even… the blocking of the toilets doors.
The revision is performed simpler and faster, at a 24 hours interval, being helped by a laptop coupled in the command cabin.

A step towards the civilization
At these trains, the sanitary groups have been also modernized - they are ecological and, an unprecedented fact for us, are accessible even for the persons with handicap. The sink, situated in front of a huge mirror, is made of porcelain, framed in an aluminum mask. The lighting of the cabin is made through spots situated in the ceiling. The doors are automatically opened and closed the access being possible only if above it is displayed the green light.

The next motorcars will be assembled at Astra Arad
According to the contract with the German company Siemens, besides the 57 motorcars imported from Germany, other 63 will be assembled at Astra Vagoane Arad. "It does not imply a simple assembling of the new components - the chief of the motorcar department of the German company has specified -, but also the fact that we will look for Romanian suppliers for various assemblies". This can mean that a new step for the rejuvenation of our profile industry and of the auxiliary industries.

We are quite close to the European standards
Finally, we could appreciate that this collaboration between the Romanian and the German industry has various economical, social and political implications, which will contribute to the enhancement of the Romanian railways integration in the European system of railway transport, to the passing out of the critical state in which the passengers railway transport is currently experiencing, to the increase of the economical efficiency of this activity and the increase of the volume of transport and of the technical-economical parameters in which they are achieved and, by all means, to the increase of the number of places of work.
As the director Valentin Bota has declared to us, if the rhythm for the delivery that has been stipulated will be met, up to the end of the current year on the Romanian railways will operate at least 24 such motorcars.
We have to salute the bower up to date of the Blue Arrow. And as the prime minister, Adrian Nastase, was underlying there compulsory for every passenger to use the new trains in a civilized manner, without damaging them: " We all have to understand that it is about public money!".

Oana Branzan