EUROSTATIONS IN ROMANIA

 

The role of the railway station today

The statute of a railway station has been changed in the last decades - from simple terminals for train departures and arrivals, they have become real…urban centers. Why this change? The studies performed by the European Community make reference to two important motivations.
First of all, the infrastructure managers have directed their attention to the potential incomes which the railway stations can offer if the spaces are exploited for other activities, too, besides the basic ones, namely the railway activities. Due to the liberalization of the transport market and of the financial limitations of the state budget, the railway companies have been obliged to reconsider their policy: they have oriented to a profile and have focused on clients.
Secondly, at European level there has been stressed the need to integrate the transport modalities in a lasting development environment. This is considered a key-orientation that should be enforced in the EU member states for the reduction of environment issues and the congestions caused by the excessive use of the road transport.
The Eurostation concept has been issued once with the creation of the EU, fact that naturally led to a major increase of people mobility on the territory of the new union.
The new concept has been accepted and used by the majority of the European railway undertakings. Consequently, the countries from the Western Europe have implemented a series of modernization projects for the railways, especially for the big cities, according to various samples of management.
The International Railway Union has issued the File no. 140 aiming at defining the unitary framework for the design of the European stations, which will provide the harmonization of the measures taken in order to improve the access of the persons with reduced mobility. There has been noticed that the biggest segment of the population suffers of reduced mobility, caused by a permanent invalidity, either by a temporary incapacity after an accident or an illness, which has determined locomotion deficiencies, sight, hearing or mental deficiencies.
There should also be taken into account the persons who are difficultly displacing due to other reasons (are accompanied by children, have big languages etc.). As, at a certain moment any person can be in a reduced mobility phase, this means that a railway chain well designed from the accessibility point of view can become more attractive, leading to the increase of the number of passengers traveling by train.
That's why the provisions of the UIC File no. 140 refers to aspects which affect the accessibility in the stations, establishing their achievement standards within a new concept - eurostation.
According to the above mentioned document, "an eurostations should meet the basic criteria regarding the accessibility defined in the present file in order to provide a complete autonomy to all categories of passengers; there should be provided services and safe equipment, simple and easy to access in any conditions".
The access to the eurostations (parking, pavement alleys which lead to the entrance in the station etc.) should be studied together with the local authorities. The modifications - the renewal and reconstruction works -, justified from the technical and economical point of view, are going to be performed in a natural order: should respect the accessibility standards and, in the same time, to comply with the requirements aiming at protecting the historical monuments, as well as with those for the urban planning and environment protection.

 Projects in Romania

The modernization, for the beginning, of a number of six railway stations represents a section of a vaster program of priority investments meant to support the restructuring process of the Romanian Railways.
In order to sustain this program we have required from the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) a loan aiming three individual projects dedicated to CFR Marfa, CFR Calatori and CFR SA companies: the modernization/conversion of the freight wagons, the modernization of the electrical locomotives for the passengers transport and the modernization of the stations from the main towns district residence.
In Romania, the company for infrastructure administration, CFR SA, is the owner of other properties named non-operational: touring objectives, lands and railway stations. The incomes of CFR SA mainly come from the infrastructure access taxes collected from the railway transport operators, but this represents only two thirds from the current and maintenance costs, the rest of it being covered by the amount came from the state budget. This financial situation has imposed launching a new exploitation program of the auxiliary assets owned by the company, which would generate profit in order to support the basic activity. In order to achieve this program there has been decided the renovation of railway stations from the most important towns for the increase of the trade attractiveness of this assets, the maximization of the profit opportunities and the reduction of the maintenance costs.
As adequate for the implementation of this program have been localized 13 railway stations (Bucharest Nord, Galati, Constanta, Focsani, Iasi, Suceava, Cluj, Arad, Curtici, Timisoara Nord, Sibiu, Brasov, Craiova) on which CFR SA and ISPCF have performed preliminary studies.
In order to obtain financing, the 13 investment projects have been revised, the final selection being performed by respecting the following basic criteria: the location of the railway stations in the most populated town (with more than 300,000 inhabitants), the passengers traffic and the localization of the railway stations on the multimodal corridors TEN type. Six of the railway stations have reached the supplementary evaluation: Bucharest Nord, Cluj-Napoca, Craiova, Constanta, Iasi and Timisoara. Consultants have inspected these locations in the autumn of year 2001, the results being discussed later on together with the representatives of CFR SA and EBRD.
For the definition of the final options there has been performed a serious analysis of the current situation of each of the six railway stations, from the infrastructure point of view, as well as of the exploitation: Bucharest Nord station has been excluded from this program, which is scheduled to be part of a separate project.
The works, which will be executed at the stations selected in the first stage, will be centered upon the following objectives:
Ø The renovation of the common transit stations, of the waiting rooms, of the public telephones, of the tickets counters, of the existing commercial spaces and of those that will have later on such a destination;
Ø The restoration of the roofs;
Ø The replacement of the pavement inside the railway stations, as well as in the building adjacent areas;
Ø The change of the joinery and of the current windows;
Ø The replacement of the existing thermal stations, where there is necessary, as well as of the radiators, of the valves and secondary pipes;
Ø The demolition of the building "the old post office" from Cluj railway station and the building of a new wing, which will be framed as height regime in the zonal architecture;
Ø The building of a new wing for Constanta station, in the access area from the main platform in the pedestrians passage, as well as the extension to the open space of the building where there is located the office of the chief of the railway station, in order to provide a symmetry to the architectonics of the station;
Ø The increase of the commercial area and the reduction of the surfaces meant for the specific railway activities, in order to create the opportunity to obtain in the futures incomes bigger than the rents;
Ø The relocation of activities unfolded inside the railway stations so that those commercial to be grouped in areas of maximal passengers flux, in order to confer a unitary aspect of these area and in order to attract not only the passengers who are transiting the railway station, but also the natives.
During November 25-26, 2002, at the headquarters of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development from London, there have been developed the negotiations regarding the loan agreement and this guarantee loan. The loan, in a value of 24 million Euro, has been required by CNCF"CFR"SA aiming at sustaining the project named the Modernization of the trade activities in the railway stations in order to increase the incomes obtained from rents and the reduction of the maintenance costs. During the two days there have been analyzed, discussed and negotiated all the articles and sections included in the juridical documents proposed by EBRD, according to the respective mandate.
EBRD has also required the signing of the loan agreement at Bucharest on April 4, 2003.

Cluj-Napoca railway stations

Having a population of 322,000 inhabitants, Cluj- Napoca is the biggest town from Transilvania. Dating since Roman age, rebuilt later on by the Saxons, location placed at the crossroads of certain important trade routes had, along the time, a very good economical development. This situation is also maintained nowadays in the town that twins two ancient names: a roman one - Napoca and a Hungarian one - Cluj.
The building of the railway station from Cluj-Napoca is the oldest of the six selected to become the first eurostations in our country. It is situated in the north side of the town, at almost 1.5 Km far from its geographical center, which is linked by the Orea street and the bridge over Somesul Mic river. The link with the others neighborhoods of Cluj is made through a viaduct built by the municipality in collaboration with CFR. The effective connection from the railway station and the rest of the town is performed by public transport. The private parking spaces, the ones for the buses and taxies are still limited, but there is a underground pedestrian passage, which crosses all the railway lines offering the possibility to be built in the future new parking spaces. Or, according to the study concluded on June 2002, 14,000 passengers and 111 trains transit this railway station daily. Railway station Cluj-Napoca dates since the Habsburgic period, it is formed of several buildings, among which the main building contains the atrium, the tickets counters and other functional offices of the station, where there are already in development stage works for the consolidation and restoration.
The study performed shows that there is a very good potential for commercial use, especially the eastern side of the building the railway operations occupying only part of the viable areas from this point of view.
One of the criteria according to which the restoration works are unfolding is the movement of commercial gravitation center to the east, area where there is concentrated the passengers flux who are using the local trains.
Besides the works that are already in development stage, for Cluj-Napoca railway station there are many other stipulated as: the modernization of the tickets counters; the modernization of the common spaces, of the galleries and of the sanitary groups (excluding the atrium); the modernization of the pedestrian passage, including the exit on the opposite side of the stations, as well as the roof and the access gate.
The historical building will be very carefully restored and modernized in order to create certain spaces appropriate for unfolding the activities specific to the railways stations, as well as a pleasant and attractive atmosphere for the passengers. On this purpose there are stipulated:
· The restoration of the inside mortars on the walls and ceilings;
· General overhaul at fixed elements made of wood and the replacement of the degraded ones with new elements having the same design;
· The replacement of the floor of the atrium, of the gallery and of the commercial area;
· The assembling of new and adequate lighting electrical equipment;
· The restoration of the sanitary groups;
· The replacement of the tickets counters with new others, made of unbreakable glass, endowed with inter-phone systems and lighting information displaying
· The achievement of new fixed indicators.

Constanta Railway Station

Constanta is the second town as size from the country, the most important port of Romania and, in the same time, the fourth in Europe. With a population of almost 340,000 inhabitants and a history written starting with the VIIth century B.C., since the time when there was the Greek colony Tomis, the town was situated along the shore of the Black Sea.
The railway station is a relatively new construction achieved in the '70s, when the needs of the town were permanently increasing, and it is located 2 Km far towards west in comparison to the center of the town.
The railway passengers' traffic has a special specific: is of seasonal nature, observing the notable difference between the summer periods and the winter ones - from 54 trains during the wintertime, almost double during the summer. According to the data gathered there result an average of 7,000 passengers per day, reaching a maximal of around 10,000 in the peak summer season.
Being a modern construction, the vertebral column of the entire functional organization of Constanta railway station is represented by its atrium, situation similar with the one in Craiova railway station, which has been achieved according to the same architectonic tendencies.
Presently, the private vehicles parking space occupy the market place located in front of railway station and by the bus stops for public transportation, on the platform being placed kiosks that are paying rent to CFR SA.
The market entrance in the atrium of the building is made by four access doors, and on the platform, through a succession of stairs, representing a potential danger for the passengers. The access passage to the lines two and there is in very bad shape, being noticed water infiltration, which have caused the deterioration of the mortars and the painting, and the stairs are in bad state of wear and not so much resistant. Still, the conclusions of the study show that in comparison with other railway stations that have been analyzed Constanta proves to be, on the whole, more adequate to be transformed in a eurostation.
The works that will be performed here are aiming at: the modernization of the entire central building of the station (the atrium, the ticketing counters, the mezzanine and the passage entrance) and the development of the spaces meant for the commercial exploitation.
The surface of the station (30x30m) has proved to be narrow during the summer months, especially in the conditions of creating in the current precinct of some commercial spaces. Reason why it is considered to be necessary the achievement of new such spaces outside the main building, by constructing other two pavilions, on the two wings of the central building, meant for commercial spaces and for new tickets counters; the two pavilions will be linked by the main atrium by two access ways.
Finally, for Constanta railway station there are stipulated to be unfolded the following works: the modernization of the common spaces - the atrium, the entrances and the toilets; the modernization of the tickets counters; the building of two pavilions made of concrete or metal and glass; the modernization of the entrance in the passage and of the spaces located in front of it; the opening of two more access ways in the wall of the central atrium, to the new pavilions.
The rehabilitation of the railway station from Constanta implies the following categories of works:
· The restoration of the mortars and the inside painting;
· The general overhaul of the fixed elements made of steel existing in the central atrium;
· The removal and the replacement of the floor from the atrium, from the entrance area and from the mezzanine;
· The endowment with a new electrical equipment, able to provide an adequate lighting at the level of the ceiling;
· The assembling of a new system of air evacuation in order to provide an appropriate ventilation;
· The repair of the existing fixed elements made of wood;
· The achievement of a self-service for the languages;
· The restoration of the sanitary groups;
· The achievement of new fixed indicators etc.

Craiova Railway Station

Craiova town is situated in the center of Oltenia region and has a population of around 300,000 inhabitants. It is an important university center, and also an industrial one, here operating the famous locomotive construction company Electroputere and other numerous factories in the mechanical industry field.
The railway station, built in the '60s, is situated in the northern side of the town, at around 1 Km from the center of the town, being linked to it by a boulevard. The existing road network around the railway station is good, and the traffic is developed normally, without any congestion.
There are around 100 trains transiting this station daily, the number of passengers raising up to over 10,000 in 24 hours.
Craiova railway station has an atrium in rectangular shape transited by the main passengers flux. The market square in front of the railway station building, owned by the municipality, is occupied by a great number of kiosks, which are in an obvious competition with the one owned by the railways. Moreover, this worsens the access from the railway station to the public means of transportation (buses, private cars and cabs). On the left and right side of the central building there are two rectangular buildings raised on the pillars parallel to the tracks, buildings hosting the headquarter of a bank (bankrupted) and a restaurant. Both buildings are involved in litigation with CFR, which is trying to reconstitute the property right. Over the atrium of the station there are several floors, where the offices of the railways are located.
Unfortunately, the state of Craiova railway station when the study has been performed in order to obtain the financing can be considered bad, being signaled shortcomings with negative consequences on the passengers' safety: the poor situation of the lighting system, the pavement of the platforms and of the stairs, where is also added the inappropriate situation of the sanitary groups, of the painting and of the electrical equipment.
Due to the conditions mentioned above there have been established the general criteria regarding the modernization of the station there has been stressed the development of the commercial areas and the improvement of the functionality and of the aspect of the public area (the atrium, the transit corridor and the entrances). Therefore, there will be executed works aiming at:
Ø the modernization of the public spaces: the atrium, the entrances, the exterior vestibule and the sanitary groups;
Ø the modernization of the tickets counters;
Ø the modernization of the mezzanine, namely its transformation in a commercial area;
Ø the achievement of a board at the mezzanine and of two escalators, in order to cover the level differences;
Ø the modernization of the entrance in the underground passage, including the shops located in front of it.
In order to achieve these desiderata there are practically stipulated the following types of works:
Ø the restoration of the mortars and of the inside painting;
Ø the repairing of the fixed metallic elements from the atrium of the passengers building;
Ø the removal and the replacement of the floor in the atrium, at the entrance and the outside vestibule;
Ø the assembling of certain electrical and lighting equipment;
Ø the assembling on the atrium roof of an evacuation system of the air, in order to provide an appropriate ventilation in the summer months;
Ø the repairing of the fixed elements made of wood from the inside to the outside of the passengers buildings;
Ø the restoration of the sanitary group;
Ø the achievement of a self-service for the luggage;
Ø the replacement of the tickets counter with certain made of unbreakable glass, endowed with inter-phone systems and lighting information displaying;
Ø the achievement of new fixed indicators etc.

Iasi Railway Station

Iasi, the capital of Moldova, is the third town as size from the country, having around 300,000 inhabitants. Famous for its large hillocks, offering a splendid view of the surrounding villages, and especially for its reach cultural and religious inheritance, Iasi becomes every autumn a center for the religious pilgrimage.
The railway station from Iasi, located in one of the valleys formed by the hills from the western side of the town, is an old building of a real architectural value. There is also added the fact that one of the few railway stations from the country endowed with parking space for the passengers cars, also having available a foot bridge making the connection between the railway station and the area of the town located on the other side of the tracks. Almost 65 trains pass by here every day, transporting over 11,500 passengers/day.
Iasi railway station presents certain special features, being composed of three parts representing the central building and which have already been renovated and modernization: the building A - situated in the southern side, built before the Second World War and meant for offices (presently, completely renovated); the building B - located in the northern side, built in the same period (which is in full renovation stage, being finalized in about 70%) and the third building - the atrium of the stations and the tickets counter, dating since the Habsburgic period (where the consolidation and the restoration works have been achieved in about 60%).
Being already in development stage vast modernization works, the report achieved at the end of the last year could notice the stage of the works and to make certain recommendations. Therefore, there have been proposed the achievement of a polychrome façade, painted in warm colors, in order to stress the depth of the numerous decorations. The consolidation works at the stairs being in full developing stage, there is recommended the improvement of the pavement from the level of the pavement to the level of the second and the third tracks.
The needs of the station, as there have been emphasized, would be the following:
- for the inside areas:
- new floors;
- the restoration of the mortars and the painting on the walls/ceilings;
- new electrical, phone and sewerage equipment,
- the general overhaul and, it there is necessary, the replacement of the fixed elements;
- the achievement of new sanitary groups;
- new lighting equipment;
- new endowments for the atrium of the tickets counters;
- new endowments for the tickets counters hall;
- new indicators.
- for the outside area:
- the restoration of the façade, including the repairing and of the painting of the façade in front of the tracks and the painting of the one between the station market square;
- new electrical and lighting equipment , located under the cover of the platform of the first track;
- the achievement of the shop galleries, protected with a light structure (aluminum and polycarbonate), to the station for the local trains;
- the achievement of certain stirs linking from the foot bridge to the tracks platforms 2/3 and 4/5 and the repainting of the foot bridge (there are not scheduled any structure works) etc.

Timisoara Nord Railway Station

Timisoara is the fourth town of the country, with a population of 332,000 inhabitants. Situated in Campia de Vest, is the most "occidental" town from Romania, being the most opened to the western influences - commercial, cultural and industrial. The railway station from Timisoara is located at 1,5 Km southwest from the center of the town. In the neighborhood of the railways, fact that represent an important risk for the passengers, risk that has been worsened by the existence, on the other side, of an industrial and residential intensely populated area.
Presently, 76 trains and over 42,00 passengers are transiting the Timisoara Nord railway station. Being situated along the road, the building of Timisoara railway station has no real market square, and no space for cab stations, yet the public transport; the buses and the trams have quite a regular flux.
The configuration of the station is complex - there are several buildings, achieved at different dates and with different initial destinations: a central building, to the post office, the parcel office, a commission with workshops for the general overhauls at the rolling stock and various warehouses, and in the western side - the building of CFR offices (under-crossed by the underground passage of the station, which operates five track), the office of the track officer and the departure area for the trains to Resita, with six tracks with platforms.
The conservation state of the station is the best in comparison with the others that have been studied: the one of the central building is considered acceptable, and the building between the east and west sides are in a bad state, the entrance of the passage, with the office meant for storing the luggage, and the sanitary groups being very degraded. The structure of the buildings did not present any special problems when the visual inspection, yet the electric system and the stairs from the pedestrian passage needs repairing, representing a potential danger for the passengers.
According to the rehabilitation station, the building of Timisoara railway station will be performed the following:
- the modernization of the public areas: the atrium, the entrances, the outside vestibule and the sanitary groups;
- the modernization of the tickets counters;
- the modernization of the mezzanine in order to be used in commercial purposes;
- the assembling of a pair of escalators to the mezzanine;
- the modernization of the entrance area in the passage, including the shops and the offices found in the area.
In order to achieve the respective objectives there are imposed the following categories of works:
- the restoration of the mortars and inside painting;
- the repair of the fixed elements made of steel from the atrium of the passengers terminal;
- the removal and the replacement of the floors in the atrium, at the entrance and at the vestibule;
- the endowment with new electrical and lighting equipment;
- the assembling in the atrium of a modern system of air ventilation;
- the restoration of the sanitary groups;
- the replacement of the tickets counters with new ones, made of unbreakable glass, endowed with inter-phone systems and light information displaying for the public;
- the achievement of new fixed indicators.
In order to reduce the power consumption there have been included in the investment package and a series of measure in order to improve the efficiency of the energetic system of the railway station.

According to the schedules established at the end of the last year, SC ISPCF SA has elaborated the technical projects of five railway stations and there is in progress the obtaining of the notices in order to be issued the construction authorizations.

Silvia Mirea