A May Day at Craivoa Rail Region

Craiova Rail Region is one of the biggest on the railway network from Romania: it includes eight districts - Arges, Valcea, Gorj, Mehedinti, Dolj, Olt, Teleorman, and Sibiu. It practically covers a great area of the southern side of the country, the railways crossing in this case all the relief shapes.
Having available 2,777 km of rail, from which 2,158-km - simple track and 618 km of double track; approximate 50% are electrified; more exactly 1,187 km, from which 632 km of simple line and 555 km of double line. Along the network, there are 167 stations, among which 96 CED, 13 CEM and 44 SBV. On the area of Craiova Rail Region the railways crosses 2,218 bridges (more precisely, 663 bridges and 1,555 culverts) and 64 tunnels having a total length of 18,825 m.
BLA safety Traffic equipment is assembled on a 579-km length, among which 318-km of simple line and 268 of double line.

The history of Craiova Rail Region is written for over a century and it is naturally plating with the history of the Romanian people. The initials of CFR, present all over the place - from the famous lines of the coal, to the real woks of railway art achieved by the greatest engineers in the field, and not only, evokes it …
On the territory of this rail region there are found among the most important "railway guiding marks".
Here we have a few of the most known railways marking the evolution of the railways in this region of the country:
· Pitesti - Craiova - Varciorova border, inaugurated in year 1875, the first line built on this land, which later one was to represent the central railway region of Bucharest - Timisoara main section;
· Costesti - Rosiori - Turnu Magurele, the third railway line built on Craiova Rail Region area, achieved by the General Department of CFR, in collaboration with the Genius Regiment I Bucharest, between 1884 - 1893;
· Golesti - Campulung, inaugurated on July 1, 1887, built under the management of Anghel Saligny and continued, between 1962 - 1972, with Campulung - Argesel railway section, used especially for the industrial traffic;
· Ramnicu Valcea - Piatra Olt - Caracal - Corabia - Corabia Port, the first railway work that has linked Transilvania and Oltenia, therefore opening the way to the Danube and, in the meantime, the second line of the wheat from Romania (after Bucharest - Giurgiu). The building of this railway line on Valea Oltului has taken advantage of the imagination and the knowledge of a plied of railway engineers having as leaders Anghel Saligny, Dimitrie Frunza and Elie Radu.;
· Podu Olt - Rm. Valcea, continues the link between Transilvania and Oltenia, another railway section reach in special works of art, with unique technical solutions. Among the specialists that have used their knowledge for building the most solid line from the Romanian railway as it was named, and we remind in this case the engineers Mihai Ramniceanu and Gheorghe Panait;
· Babeni - Berbesti - Alunu, a relatively new line, built between 1982 - 1986 for opening the coal exploitation of the Mining Undertaking Berbesti;
· Filiasi - Bumbeni - Livezeni, one of the famous coal lines, built between years 1886 - 1948, in five stages, taking advantage during this time of the enthusiasm of the young volunteers, and the support of the Romanian Army; it mainly serves for the transport of the "black gold" from Petrosani basin;
· Craiova - Calafat, the railway link between Craiova and the rich fields of Bailesti, which cover the area up to the Danube, it has taken advantage of the craftsmanship of Elie Radu, gaining its name as the line with the most beautiful passengers buildings from the Romania Plain;
· Pitesti - Curtea de Arges, another railway route enchanting the eyes of the passengers with its stations, real Romanian architectural jewelry, made of red brick from Ciurea, designed by the same Elie Radu;
· Orsova - Turnu Severin, covering the area along the Danube in the area of Hydro-energetic and Navigation System Portile de Fier; the building of the barrage in the 60's has imposed the deviation of the railways from the old route, three existing stations from the previous location (Gura Vaii, Orsova and Varciorova) remaining under the waters.

In order to…measure the rhythm in which the life of the railway employees from Craiova is developing, in a chilly morning of May, I took the train - of course? - to the town sheltering the rail region headquarters: Craiova town. And these four pages are witnessing what an editor and a photo-reporter have succeeded to do during eight hours - practically a workday. Look what we have seen, listened to, photographed and learnt.
We have started by talking with the man that we have considered the most suitable to offer us pertinent information about Craiova Rail Region, Mr. Ion Stefanescu, the rail region director.
The first question has aimed, of course, the news:
What modernization and restructuring projects are presently developed on rail region area and what is it scheduled for the next period?
Ion Stefanescu: During the year 2002 we had, in comparison to the other rail regions, a biggest volume of general overhaul works and I believe that the situation will be similar the current year, too. It is natural what it is going on, taking into consideration the age of the network and the problems that have occurred, in time, in the railway structures. Consequently, for the year 2003 we have in development stage a program for the general overhaul at 1.04 km of track. We have another work of a great span: the rehabilitation of the bridge over Olt river from Lotru Caineni, situated at km 325 + 704, on Piatra Olt - Podu Olt railway section, work that has been started off in 2002, and which will continue for more five years from now on. There are also unfolded general overhaul works at the bridge from km 303+982 on 100 line, Bucharest - Orsova, as well as other smaller works, but essential; for example, the one from the culvert at km 341 + 600.
In Gura Vaii - Orsova railway section the consolidation works at the railway embankment are continuing. This work presents more special features: it generally consists in the achievement of a system of columns linked between them through a beam, at the superior side, and behind them will be used raw rock (in certain areas using floodgates). The finalization deadline of this work is quite long, because it continues on the neighbor rail region, namely Timisoara.
For the future, there are scheduled the achievement of another important project - the modernization of Craiova Railway Station. For this project there has not been yet finalized the documentation, but during the current year the work should be started off. Taking into consideration the projects and the initial machete, there seems that Craiova will be one of the most beautiful eurostations from our country. In parallel, in collaboration with the city hall and with other decisions factors, there is also tried the systematization of the entire assembly from the railway station square market, which will provide a fluent car and pedestrian traffic.
Still at this chapter of projects is also included the rehabilitation and the modernization of Craiova- Calafat railway section, branch of the pan-European Corridor IV, concomitantly with the works for the building of the Bridge from Calafat - Vidin.
Railway Journal: What can you tell us about the traffic on the rail region area, how was it unfolded during the last years?
I.S.: The pounding of the coal transport is quite significant in our activity: between 1,500.000 - 2,000,000 tons/month. Through this, Craiova Rail Region succeeds to hold approximately 34% from the total freight traffic on the railway from the entire country, serving six thermal stations from this area (Turceni, Rovinari, Craiova 1, Craiova 2, Govora and Halanga) and the Heavy Water Combine from Turnu Severin.
R.J.: How is the situation of the coal transport, now, after the year 2000, because there is well known that before 1990 the quantity of exploited coal and, implicitly, transported, was huge, afterwards being dramatically decreased?
I.S.: The quantity of transported coal has been in a continuous decrease and quite fluctuant, taking into consideration the fact that the thermal stations do not constantly demand coal, but only during the peak periods, in order to make some stocks. And also the putting into operation of the nuclear reactor from Cernavoda has also led to the decrease of the coal need. On the other hand, the extended draught from the last year made necessary the increase of the pounding of power support achieved by the thermal stations, in the conditions in which the pounding of the hydro-stations has been decreased; but the factors leading to the fluctuation of the necessary of coal can be quite various.
R.J.: What can you tell us about your work colleagues? How do they approach their railway employees status, is there still important the tradition in this guild?
I.S.: We have a number of 6,068 employees on the entire Craiova Rail Region, among which almost 13% represent TESA. I consider that the status of railway employees from Craiova is identified with the one of the railway employees from all over the country; or, if you want so, coincides with the one of the railway employee from all over the world: they are always there on duty in order to provide the passengers and freight train traffic in optimal conditions, permanently aware of the huge responsibility that they are in charge with.
That is why, in the handicrafts that we practice there is needed a permanent training. And we perform it through the school of the personnel, in groups or individually, with very good trained specialists, belonging to our rail region. And the fact that the last period of time we had no railway events demonstrates their thorough training and they reached their goal.
R.J.: Now allow me to ask you about the man Ion Stefanescu; why did you approach the Railways?
I.S.: My parents have been railway employees and, against my mother's will to approach the medical field, I have preferred to wear the uniform of railway employee and not the white smock of the physician. Right after the faculty graduation, although I have received the offer to remain in Bucharest, I have chosen the tumultuous life on the site, where I have considered that I can better apply the theoretical knowledge assimilated in the schooling years.
About the professional evolution what can I tell you? I have crossed all the stages, from probationer engineer up to the current position: head of team, head of decision, technical director… I have worked for a long time on the Site 2 Tracks Overhaul Craiova. I have developed my activity only on Craiova Rail Region (in fact, I have been born here) and I can say that I know it very well; I believe there are only a few kilometers of the track that I have not crossed by foot.
R.J.: Which do you consider to be the most important attributions of a rail region director? Which of them demand you more intensely?
I.S.: Taking into consideration the experience that we have gained in time I consider that - especially at the Railways! - any person assigned in a managing position on any hierarchy, should prove his flexibility, receptivity and team spirit, which has to try to also inspire to his collaborators. Moreover, he should have initiative and promptness in solving certain unpredictable issues, which can occur in any moment and in order to solve them he should operatively take measures that are imposed in order to provide as fast as possible and in safety conditions the unfolding of the railway traffic. Generally, I say that a rail region director can be compared to a conductor of a big and complex orchestra, a conductor that should be careful with any instrumentalist, with each accord, in order to avoid any false note. A director, no matter his professional formation, it is not advised to make differences between various activity sectors that he is coordinating: traffic, tracks, equipment, real estate and economic. I consider that he can not do that…if he wants to normally develop his activity. For a rail region director all the activity sectors have the same importance; he should provide their operation as a unitary whole in order to really fulfill the mission he was assigned with.
R.J.: What else are you bragging with, you, the railway employees from Craiova? For example, now, because the summer season is approaching, do you have an offer to attract the tourists from this geographical-railway region?
I.S.: From the touring point of view, unfortunately, this geographical area is poorer… it is true that we had no time and no money either, the railway traffic being always quite intense here; even after the 1989 it was quite large.
We have a special line, Valcele - Ramnicu Valcea, where currently there seem to be resumed the works that have been abandoned and by putting it into operation the traffic between Transilvania and the western side of the country towards the seaside will be shortened.
More recently, on our rail region area there have also occurred the first signs of the modernity in the passengers railway transport; recently, there has been introduced the Blue Arrow train set up to Tg. Jiu, and soon enough this modern train set will operate to Ramnicu Valcea, on Piatra Olt - Sibiu railway section, and I consider that then we will feel an increase in the number of passengers. We can be proud of the fact that in Craiova Railway Station has been assembled a new computerized equipment for the announcement and the display of the trains, which operates very well and it is very useful for passengers' orientation.
Drobeta -Turnu Severin Railway Station will also be entirely rehabilitated, in modern spirit (the works will be started off during the current year), and it will finally have available all the services necessary to develop a civilized traffic.
And, if you are inviting us to brag, we can tell you that we also have some extra-professional activities: people dance assembly and a people music orchestra, well known and awarded (you should have heard of them…Doina Jiului!), and a few railway employees are people's music soloists, quite well known in our region. We have a football team CFR Craiova -, which we are trying hard to promote, a feminine handball team, which is now in a tour in Caransebes, a boxing team which has raised two national champions and two young nominated in the national lot for the World Championships.
We have a CFR fanfare, well known all over the country: it went touring in many European countries, where it succeeded to gain the sympathy and the praiseworthy appreciation of the hosts. Unfortunately, there were not so many "going abroad " lately, due to the health problems of its conductor, Mr. Ion Gavenea, whom we wish a fast recovery and we remind him that our young railway employees joining the fanfare are waiting for him.
We also have a stadium, which we will try to improve, especially that our football team will be qualified further on; and we are expecting to be increased the number of football supporters.
Pursuant to this discussion, we have naturally accepted the invitation that the director made us to see how are the railway employees from Craiova working on field. We have jointed him, together with Mr. Radu Fetoiu, the head of Tracks Division, along the railways, in a few work spots. We had first of all the occasion to see how it is performed the mechanized screening in the area of the track equipment from the X end of Cernele Station.
We have went back then at the bridge over Motru river, at km 303 + 984, from Videle - Orsova railway section, which is in full development stage - since July 2002 - the work for the replacement of the old bridge with a new one, as well as the rehabilitation of the infrastructure on the second line, for a 1,000 m length, work that has the deadline at the end of August of the current year. Mr. eng. Costache, the chief of the site from this work spot, has specified that the constructive solution chosen in this case is a modern one, offering the advantage of a better maintenance in exploitation; the new bridge built of "beams with low rail bars (railway situated in a ballast vat), with two openings of 45.5 m." in another work spot, situated at km 341 + 635, there were developed works for the rehabilitation of a culvert vaulted in bricks, built "on Strussberg times".
We have therefore understood that the life of the railway employees from Craiova Rail Region is complex, not quite easy, but, finally, full of satisfactions, too. Because people living here have winners' mentality: being well trained, from the professional point of view, as well as morally and humanly, to successfully handle any attempt, the satisfaction of the success being to the extend of the challenge.
Going back to Bucharest, at the end of a day spent among the railway employees from Oltenia, we have waited for our train on the platforms of Craiova Railway Station and we could admire a Blue Arrow train set stopped at the second line, at the end of the platform, with its futurist, modern air…It seemed like a tiny part of the future…was ready to rush in.

Silvia Mirea