Romanian Railway Study and Design Activity, Celebrating 124 Years

April 26, 1879 - April 26, 2003

Through the law no. 591 promulgated on March 17/29, 1879 has been approved the achievement of Buzau - Marasesti railway section. In this respect, there were stipulated the following:
· the projects will be drawn up by the Ministry of Public Works;
· the bridges and the culverts will be built only in wood;
· the buildings will be built in the most economical way.
In order to draw up the projects and the technical specifications, through the Decree no. 886 from April 14/26, 1879, there has been set up the Iron Way Unit Marasesti - Buzau, the first…Romanian institute for railway design.
The director of this unit has been assigned the engineer Dimitrie Frunza, graduate of the School of Bridges and Roads from Paris, in year 1856, which has managed a team of 12 experienced engineers, 7 probationer engineers and 5 technical leaders.
The study of the land has started on May 1/13, 1879; the route that has been designed included the bridges of over eight big rivers, with torrential regime waters that was less know, and land that was not too appropriate for foundations.
At the end of August, the first projects have been finalized, being announced the auction that was to take place in a month.
On September 3/15, 1879, the Railway Department Marasesti - Buzau was set up, having the headquarters in Focasni, the director in charge being the same D. Frunza, and had as assignments: the organization, the management and the supervision of the works and the continuation of drawing up the projects and the technical specifications, and as deputy director has been assigned Gr. Dumitrescu Tassianu, and many of the engineer from here (among which, Scarlat Ottulescu, I. Baiulescu, Al. Cottescu, M. Romniceanu) have turned to be in time very valuable employees in the technical body.
Pursuant to the auction and the supervision of the team of engineers, on November 15/27, 1897, the 17 enterprises have started the embankment works, the pose of the track, bridges, buildings, level crossings etc.
On April 23/May 4, 1880 the Princely Department of the Romanian Railways, which will buy-back, impound and unify the railway network on the Romanian territory, either owned by state, or under concession. The CFR initials, which have gained a symbol value, date since then. On November 19/ December, 1880, within the Workshop and Hauling Unit, there is set up the studies office, and five years later there were already four study offices, at the following units: hauling, workshop, savings and maintenance.
Buzau - Marasesti railway section (90,067 km) being finalized, the Royal Department of CFR has opened the passengers' traffic on June 1/13, 1881, and the freight traffic on August 20/ September 1, 1881, and the official inauguration took place on Sunday, October 6/October 18, 1881. At Focsani, on the occasion of the official opening, the king of Romania, Carol I, was saying: "We are celebrating a double holiday, the opening of the line of a great economic and strategic importance and the inauguration of the first iron way conceived, managed and accomplished by us. I thank to all those who have contributed to this beautiful achievement".
The line was allowing the operation of the rolling stock with the axle load of 14 tones and the maximal speed of 65 km/h. The seven stations from the route were endowed, according to their size, with: stopping lines, warehouses, revolving plates, dumping bridges and a water supply installation of the locomotives, in Focsani. The 77 bridges and culverts were made of wood, the big bridges, eight in number, have a total length of 1,325 m and they were designed by Scarlat Ottulescu.
After only three years, the traffic during the night has been ceased. And for the safety of the transports the Royal Department of CFR has demanded from the government that the line should be endowed with metallic bridges and there has been set up the Bridges Unit, which management has been assigned to Anghel Saligny (1854 - 1925). Saligny has rebuilt the eight bridges, having a length of 1,100 m, which have represented 1,923,696 ROL.
Even after the replacement, in 1885, of the temporary bridges and culverts made of wood with metallic bridges, stones and masonry, there have been reached to the cost for 1 km of rail to almost 119,000 gold ROL, instead of 320,000 gold ROL as 1 km of rail achieved by the concessionaires was.
In 1881, eng. Gheorghe Duca has reorganized the superior technical education, being the first director of the National School of Bridges and Roads , where there has been initiated, still in that year, the railways course, which he has taught up to the end of his life, in 1899.
Through the Law no. 810, published in the Official Journal of Romania no. 285 from March 19/31, 1883, there has been approved a historical railway document: the Law for the exploitation of the state railways, the first law through which there have been regulated the organization and the operation of the railways on the principle of the complete autonomy.
During 1890-1895, eng. Anghel Saligny has deigned and achieved the famous Danube bridges. With respect to the bridge from Cernavoda, this has been appreciated in all the specialty treaties as the biggest metallic bridge from Europe.
In 1889, eng. Al. Cottescu (the head of the Operation Unit) and Mihail Romniceanu (the head of New Works Unit) have achieved the first centralized mechanic station on the CFR network - in Buftea station.
Mihail H. Romniceanu (1854 - 1915), railway constructing engineer has elaborated the "Romanian method for building the tunnels in clay grounds".
In year 1901, the law from 1883 was repealed, the CFR administration becoming, according to the new law, the General Department of the Ministry of Public Works and Communications. In a personnel status from the central administration of this ministry since 1914, within the Department I, Bridges and Roads - the Iron Way, operated the Superior Technical Council, having as vice-president the general inspector Anghel Saligny, and as members: Al. Cottescu - the general director of the railways, Elie Radu - general director of the Construction and Design Unit, arch. Peter Antonescu, arch. D. Marcu and so on.
We mention here that, during the construction of Tg. Ocna - Palanca railway section, eng. Elie Radu, in collaboration with arch. Petre Antonescu, have introduced the Romanian architectonic style at the railway station buildings, as it was the case of the small and skittish railway station from Brusturoasa, which for a while has been called Ellie Radu.
In year 1925, the exploitation of the railways has been assigned to the Administration of the Romanian Railways, having juridical personality, under the subordination of the Ministry of Communications.
In year 1933, the construction and maintenance activity was developed within the Maintenance Department (L) and of Department of Bridges, New Works, Studies and Constructions (D).
In year 1937, the design activity was performed within the New Works Department (LS), where there have been achieved and designed and executed the CFR Palace. As a sign of appreciation of the Romanian Railways prestige on European plan, during May-12-14, 1938, the plenary works of the International Railway Union - UIC have taken place in Bucharest, for the first time in Romania.
In the Law for the organization of the Autonomous Company of the Romanian Railways - CFR from March 31, 1939, there have been mentioned the departments and the central units, which were divided in four groups, Administrative, Exploitation, Technical and Economical. The technical activity included, among others, the Study Department (S), which was mainly in charge with the study of the means of improvement and adaptation to the technical progress. In year 1939, the Study Department included 161 employees (among whom, 35 temporary) of a total number of 85,997 employees of CFR.
Through the Order no. 3/2623 of the General Department of the Romanian Railways, there was set up, starting with November 1, 1947, the Study and Projects Institute. In year 1959, there took place a formal union of this with the road and telecommunication design formation, under the name of the Institute of Transport and Telecommunications Design, and since 1966, by separation, it has become again the Railway Design Institute.
Through the Government Decision no. 570/1991, the Institute of Railway Study and Design was separated from the SNCFR, becoming a stock trade company, based on G.D. no. 692/04.10.1991.
As a conclusion, we can say that April 26 1879 is the birthday date of the Romanian railway design activity, is, in fact, the birthday date of the present railway Design and Study Institute - SA Bucharest.
· There has been initially a 19 engineers and 5 technical managers team for the coordination of the design and the execution of a railway line on a length of 90 km (Buzau - Marasesti);
· The Romanian engineers and architects have assimilated the technical knowledge necessary for designing the tracks, bridges, buildings and specific equipment, taking into consideration the fact that in year 1870 only in Europe there were put into operation over 102,000 km of railways;
· The Romanian specialists have completed their theoretical and practical activity, railway engineers as Dimitrie Frunza, Al. Cottescu, M. Romniceanu, Elie Radu and A. Saligny, arch. I. Duca and so on, becoming the achievers of great works ( as the bridge from Cernavoda) or the founders of the Romanian railway education;
· Within the various organizational structures which have been approached by the Railways administration, starting from the iron track study unit Marasesti - Buzau, there have been set up study offices, study departments, reaching that in 1947 to concentrate these teams in an independent organizational structure within the Railway Department, the design and study activity practically being unfolded without any interruption during all this time.
· Presently, the specialists of the Railway Study and Design Institute SA - Bucharest are ready to face the greatest challenges of the new eve, directly participating to the modernization of the Romanian railway network in order to make the connection to the railway transport European network.

Ivana Cezar
Mihail Galea