Railway Employees from Galati, Becoming almost…European like

The status of the railway stations has been changed quite a lot in our country, too, in the last two years; from simple terminals for departures and arrivals for the trains, these have reached real urban centers. Why so? First of all, because adapting to the "new times" our railway employees have become pragmatic: they have thought to entirely valorize the spaces from the railway stations and around them. Secondly, in order to "keep up" with the west-Europeans, who are more and more concerned of the integration of the transports in a lasting development environment.
This method of becoming …European like starts to be outlined in our country, too, through a vast program of investments for the modernization of certain great railway stations, which will be given the status of Eurostations. Among which, the one from Galati Municipal.

A "brilliant " solution

The modernization, for the beginning, of a number of six railway stations represents part of a complex program of priority investments meant to support the restructuring and the modernization process of the Romanian Railways. According to the strategy of CFR SA, Galati is one of the towns, which will take advantage of a modern railway station, at European level.
Yet, let's remember when and how was born the project for the construction, in the town next to the Danube, of a new railway station.
The old building for passengers of Galati Railway Station has been demolished during the war, there has been found another, as a temporary headquarters, in the current building - unfortunately, totally inappropriate from the functional and esthetical point of view. During the 20 years, the railway employees from Galati have taken various measures in order to approve the construction of a new building for passengers, in the meanwhile searching other locations (at Barbosi and Filesti).
In year 1988, the program named the Electrification of Doaga - Tecuci - Barbosi railway section has been approved, which, besides the so-called electrification was stipulating the building of two bodies of buildings in Galati Railway Station: one for the future railway station for passengers (C body) and one for the Railway Exploitation Dispatcher (E body). In fact there was about a small trick: under the "neutral" name, it was masked the provision for the construction of a passengers building in Galati. Why masked? Because, according to Mr. Ion Ilie Dumitrescu, architect, within ISPCF, at the respective time there was not approved any investment which was not productive. The hanky panky has succeeded: "the great battle" of the railway employees from Galati has been successfully concluded."

The occidental style in our country, too

· Passengers building (C body)
For the transposition into practice of the project, the management of Galati Rail Region grants a special importance to all the constructive details, using materials and advanced technologies. The body C, which is in full execution stage, is located behind the current building, which is going to be demolished, fact determining the extension of the ending and exploitation railway tracks.
The spaces that the new passengers building will have available have been strategically dimensioned, in order to provide the units meant for the public (waiting rooms, information offices, commercial units etc.), as well as offices for the railway personnel. Therefore, for example, in order to meet the requirements of the passengers, upstairs being stipulated spaces for public food services, endowed will all necessary equipment, from the beginning leading to a reduction of the crowds around the tickets counters, from the waiting rooms or on the platforms.
The new building will also be endowed with its own thermal station, as well as with air conditioning equipment, clock displaying and announcement and warning of the passengers, and also with its own potable water equipment in order to prevent the fires, a conversion post and electrogenic groups; these means that there will be provided all the exploitation conditions. "The inside of these building will be achieved according to the requirements. Up to the present time, there has been assembled the residence structure of the framework, we have already purchased the clothing, and there are going to be started off the works at the perimeter closing side", Mr. Aurel Ciotarca, the rail region director, has declared to us.Concomitantly, there should be also mentioned the fact that in the lateral side of the new building will be assembled the rolling stairs which will allow the access to the first floor, as well as to the gangway (a kind of "tunnel" made of termopan glass) which will cross the railway tracks. Some rolling stairs will make the link between the gangway and the platforms. The platforms afferent to the tracks will be covered with metallic covers, supported on pillars made of metallic profiles, and will be elevated, enhancing the access of the passengers to the wagons. There is also important to mention the fact that, respecting the European directives, for the persons with locomotion deficiencies will operate a special elevator at the end of the platform.

· Exploitation building (E body)
The works in this respect, which has three floors, are more advanced, almost all the rooms being in the finishing stage. Inside, it is endowed with aluminum and PVC carpentry, with double rygips dividing walls, with mineral wadding between them, there was assembled parquet on the floor, and the windows will have termopan glasses. The stairs hall and the halls (where at both ends there will operate an elevator) are finalized, floored with white and cherry red venetian mosaic, matching the faience that is plating the walls. The sanitary group are modernly equipped, the sandstone and the faience having various colors at each floor.
In order to provide a permanent ventilation of the outside walls, at the first two levels these were plated with sand stone assembled on an aluminum profile at around 20 cm distance.
Mr. Aurel Ciotarca, the director, seemed confident: "The advanced stage of the works will allow the inception of the activity unfolding in the new building right after we will purchase the thermal station. Therefore, the third floor will be shortly put into exploitation, where the telecommunication unit and the IT office will operate. The lack of funds, the biggest issue that the Railways is dealing with, has led, unfortunately, to the slowing down of the work rhythm. Yet, the stage of the works is quite delayed, we are hoping that, slowly-slowly we will succeed to "catch up" with this project. Certainly we will regain the lost time and, due to the funds that we have received, we are hoping to succeed to advance with the works at both buildings. We wish to finalize all the big works, so that the deadline for putting it into exploitation not to be delayed."
Two companies achieve the projects of the two objectives: SC UNICOM SA Galati - for the construction of the building bodies, and ISAF Bucharest - for the electrification.
We have also found out from Mr. Mihai Parlatescu, the director of SC UNICOM SA that the project for the construction of a new railway represents the greatest achievement of the company he is managing. "Out of the experience I have accumulated in time, I have learnt that in order to maintain a project under control, each moment, an important step is represented by the detailed and viable planning of each stage of work. By all means, we have no way to estimate all the problems that can occur during the works, but through an ordered planning of what we have to do, we have integrated quite well in this project. Although Galati Rail Region has confronted with certain financial issues up to the present time, this year we have resumed the works at the two buildings and we will make all the possible to recover the delays and to finalize the program as short as possible."
Pursuant to the discussions held at the respective place with Mr. Aurel Ciotarca, the rail region director, we have seen quite clearly that the railway employees from Galati will succeed pretty soon to see their dream come true - to develop their activity in a modern location, in occidental style. And their townsmen will be able to be proud of one of the most modern railway stations in the country.
Parallel with this vast and ambitious program, the collective of the rail region from Galati is also developing other works - the modernization and the hygiene works of the railway stations located in its activity area, rehabilitation of the tracks, general overhauls at the tunnels. Which…you will know about in the next issue of our magazine.

Oana Branzan