Cluj Rail Region,
News of 2003

The territory of the rail region that we decided to talk about in this article - Cluj Rail Region - is extended on the area of Bihor, Satu Mare, Salaj, Cluj, Maramures and Bistrita - Nasaud districts. It is situated in the northern-western side of the country, having as "neighbors" Iasi, Brasov and Timisoara Rail Regions, as well as the Hungarian Railways (MAV) and the Ukrainian Railways (UZ), Cluj Rail Region, as CFR SA subunit administrates the public railway infrastructure and owns in private propriety other railway infrastructure elements (fields, buildings, production units etc.).
The geographical region that Cluj Rail Region includes today has been inhabited by the oldest times. The archeological findings on this area attest the existence of a civilization well integrated in the European life and culture. In the IInd century B.C., a Geto-Dacian civilization has been developed, which was also mentioned in the writings of Herodot. Dacia has been transformed in a province when the Romans have conquered it, the old time Napoca has been set up to the rank of municipal by the emperor Adrian (124 B.C.) and then it has been transformed in a colony, during the kingship of Marcus Aurelius (16-180 B.C.) the town has been an important political center during the Roman governing, for a period of time being even the capital of Dacia Porolissensis.
In this part of the country there are mainly found two forms of relief: heals and mountains, with altitudes between 227 m and 1,825 m over the sea level.

Cluj Rail Region, in figures:
- 2,657 km of deployed railway track;
- 1,851 km of exploited railway track, out of which 523 km of double track;
- 419 km of electrified line that it is in exploitation, out of which 280 km of double electrified track;
- 621 bridges;
- 3,320 culverts;
- 23 tunnels;
- 145 railway stations and halts, among which: 72 stations with CED equipment, 13 stations endowed with CEM equipment and 60 stations endowed with SBW equipment;
- 3,301 equivalent track switches, among which 1,832 line equipped with BLA;
- 161 level crossings with safety equipment, among which: 156 endowed with SAT equipment and 5 endowed with BAT equipment;
- 5 substations with electrical hauling;
- 102 conversion posts of 20/0.4 kV;
- 88 electrogen groups;
- 16,000 kVA of electrical power installed in the low tension equipment;
- 160 kVA electrical power installed in the electrical hauling substation.

The sights are picturesque and attractive, and the fame of the Apunseni Mountains has been spread around for a log time, even outside the borders of our country: wide pastures, volcanic peaks, narrow and deep canyons, unique in Romania, as well as in Europe, as we can mention Cheile Turzii and Cheile Turenilor canyons. Through these places there are also 600 objectives of touring interest, architectonic monuments covering all the European styles, from Gothic style, to Baroque and Renaissance style, and even to the modern style.
The headquarters of Cluj Rail Region is located in Cluj-Napoca, the main town of Transilvania, which name reunites the two dimensions held along the history: Napoca, the name of the all Dacian fortress, and Cluj, coming from the Latin name Clusium (closed town). The town could be also proud with other two names, the Hungarian and the German ones: Koloszvar and, respectively, Klausenburg. Important cultural, university and industrial center, Cluj - Napoca has been and it still is a symbol along the history: the university, the opera, the music and art academy, and the medicine and pharmacy institute from here are well-known in Europe.

Current overhauls and modernization
The activity of the railway men from Cluj is not different from the one developed by their colleagues from the other railway regions, and the spirit that animates them is the same: the responsibility and the maintenance of the tradition.
Year 2003 did not bring to the railway men from Ardeal other special work conditions. The works unfolded took into consideration the improvement of the activity on the railways in this region, the projects put into practice aiming especially the general overhauls.
Therefore, in the Tracks sector there are still in developing stage works on 5.8 km of tracks, on Salva - Viseu de Jos and Satu Mare - Baia Mare railway sections. On the second railway section, the general overhaul program will continue in the next years, up to the finalization of a total length of 58.9 km of railway line.
An important place in the railway men activity from Cluj was taken this year by the overhaul of the bridges and embankments. There has been completely rehabilitated the embankment and there has been replaced the railway superstructure with concrete slippers and with the track of type 60 on Boju - Tunel inter-station, line 1, km 472 + 747 - 478 +467. The works are part of a vaster project, consisting in the rehabilitation of the railway infrastructure on the track between Canepisti - Cojocna stations, on the line 1, km 458 +500 - 484 +000.
There have been rehabilitated the deteriorated culverts, situated at the km 546+139 and at the km 546+630, work that has also included the achievement of the adjacent embankments located on the 300 main section, between Stana and Huedin railway stations.
There have been also achieved the works at the bridge from the km 664 +415, on this occasion being also achieved an improvement of the railway path in order to increase the traffic speed of the trains from 70 km/h to 100 km/h.
Another work has been represented by the rehabilitation of the sustaining wall, that was in an advanced state of degradation, from the entrance of Oradea Railway Station, through the use of certain modern and efficient technical solution: the sub-horizontal boring and the passive berthing.
In the field of railway equipment we have found out that there has been concluded the complete rehabilitation of the compressed air supplying equipment of the track brakes from Dej Railway Marshaling Yard Complex, including the assembling of certain steam roller completely automated.
On the list of objectives stipulated to be achieved during the year 2003 is also the overhaul of Cluj Rail Region headquarters, building declared as historical monument, situated in the center of the town, Cluj-Napoca, where there has been completely replaced the roof tile cover of scales type. This work is part of the project meant to transform the Railway Station from Cluj-Napoca into an eurostation. In fact, as we have found out through the kindness of Mr. Ioan Pintea, on the entire area of the rail region there are developed hygiene and modernization works at the railway stations.

Railway Stations of Cluj Rail Region are getting ready to become eurostations
The first works at the building of the railway station from Cluj have been started off at the end of year 2001, once with the overhaul of the roof. During October 2001- February 2002, there have been executed consolidation works of the resistance structure of the central hall, as well as the rehabilitation of its ceiling, deteriorated due to the infiltration of rainwater. In the spring of the current year, there have been started off the overhauls at the central hall, consisting in: the consolidation through the injection of concrete of the walls, finishing works at the walls, the assembling of a fake ceiling, the replacement of the entrance-exit portals, of the electrical equipment (including the lighting devices), as well as of those afferent to the telecommunications. There have been also executed works at the ticketing counters and there have been replaced the heaters in the central hall. All these works have been unfolded during the entire year, having as finalization deadline the end of November 2003.
During 2003-2004, within a project financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, there are also going to be executed modernization works at the spaces and also meant for the efficiency of the commercial activities, leading, in the end, to the transformation of the railway station from Cluj-Napoca in an eurostation.
This new set of works is aiming at modernizing the ticketing counters, the common spaces, of the sanitary groups and corridors, the restoration of the inside mortars and the paintings of the walls and ceilings, the redistribution and the changing of the destination of the spaces used by CNCF "CFR" SA and of the commercial spaces from the building of the railway station, the complete repairing of outside carpentry from the ground floor the replacement of the floors according to the new requirements, the endowment with new electrical, sanitary, thermal and telecommunication equipment. These works are going to be finalized up to the end of the year 2004.
The regional director, Mr. Ioan Pintea, wanted to specify: "The aspect of the railway stations has been emphasized by the management of Cluj Rail Region, so during 2003 - 2004 there will be executed hygiene works and for the improvement of the look of 62 objectives on the rail region area. In order to provide better work conditions for the personnel, in year 2003 there has been started off the assembling of the thermal stations and there has been approached the modernization of the heating systems in 14 railway stations. During the next period, there will be executed water supply works and repairs at the water and sewerage networks in 16 railway stations and there will be assembled ecological toilets in 135 railway stations.
Still, among the concerns for the improvement of the work conditions of the rail region employees there are also included the modernization works at the heating equipment (thermal stations) and for gas supply equipment in Apahida station, in the building of the personnel training center from Cluj-Napoca and in the headquarters of Cluj Electrification Unit. Such works will be executed further on in other 26 railway stations".
At the chapter of future plans we have found out that on Cluj Rail Region area, during 2004-2005, there are stipulated to be executed improvement works of the border railway stations - in the railway stations from Episcopia Bihor, Salonta, Valea lui Mihai, Carei and Sighetu Marmatiei -, so all these access gates to Romania on the railways will get to the European standards.
Concomitantly, in the plan of year 2004-2005 there it is stipulated the execution, with external financing, of modernization and transformation works in the railway eurostation from Oradea, Baia Mare, Satu Mare and Zalau.
We will try that in the future (which arrival is vertiginously approaching) to keep you informed about the activity developed on Cluj Rail Region area, and with the other rail regions in our country, with the help of our faithful collaborators whom we would like to thank for the important help they are granting us.

Silvia Mirea