“We are ready for the winter”

Interview with Mr. Silviu Andrici, Director of the CF Bucharest Zonal Department

 

Railway Journal: Could you tell me, what your previous position was and what plans did you have for the development of the zonal department?
Silviu Andrici: I have been appointed manager of the zonal department since November 1, 2000, the moment Mr. Cutieru was appointed technical director of the company. I used to be in the position of chief reviser with the Regional Reviser Office for Traffic Safety (RRSC). Due to my activity there, I got to know in every detail each canton and each of the stations within the Zonal Department. I also got involved in every problem and I tried to find the best solutions.
The activity of the zonal department will have as priorities in the future, the general development strategy, promoted by the company, with precise tasks whose achievement I will personally involve in the process; in the same time I will enforce all the ordinances and current rules of the company.
RJ: How do you approach the activity programs before you had been appointed director of the zonal department?
SA: We are running at the moment a series of specific activities of maintenance, under some strict programs set forth by service instructions, as related to Rails, aiming also at a proper exploitation of the railway installations. Other program of maintenance of the patrimonial assets undergoes the organization - it is a pretty new activity that we took over from the Patrimony Division. This activity aims at a rational exploitation of the “inheritance” from the ex-SNCFR, meaning all the buildings of the railway stations, but also buildings from the other departments as (Rails, Installations, Traffic), which became private assets of the CFR - SA and which has to be maintained and exploited. Other activities of RK to the rail-tracks, buildings and installations are also performed by the annual RK and investment program, activities mainly financed by the company. I cannot forget the other works we have already complete that are meant to insure an improved image of the buildings from the railway stations within our area.
RJ: These programs you have just mentioned about, will be finalized by the end of the year or do they need a longer period?
SA: These are programs whose development spreads out on several years. For example, modernization of the CED installation at Ploiesti Sud railway station, which includes the replacement of the entire old installations, with an electronic plant, of SIEMENS type. This project needs several years to complete, being one of the main objectives of our company and being also the first time CFR - SA performs such a project in Romania. It is the first installation of this type tat is implemented in the territory; this fact implies aside from the installation of some new equipment, training of specialized personnel who, in turn, will continue this activity of implementation in other stations, too. The same situation we confront also at the Rails department.
RJ: Still, you must have some programs that you are going to finalize by the end of this year.
SA: Of course. Some of them, as for i.e. improvement of the lightening systems and of the facades from the buildings, as well as the campaign of hygiene have already been completed partially. This was also a major project coordinated by the Ministry of Transportation and the National Railway Company CFR - SA, in order to render a new image at the existing objectives we owe in the territory. I could also mention about the winter preparation program. From this point of view we think that we are pretty well insured, in the sense that we performed the entire supplying with all the necessary equipment and consumable materials - meaning especially fuels - as well as necessary equipment for the employees, which will constitute the teams for snow removal. All these materials have already been distributed in the territory and all the equipment devices for mechanized snow removal are ready.
Another problem we are dealing with at the moment is the one of the protection equipment against cold - coats, boots, hats, for the employees. Supplying for these products is performed only at the center, but we hope that until the cold comes, it will be finalized as well. Preparation of the areas for the cold season, from the point of view of tightening raised some difficulties, because of the financial blocking, but we succeeded in the end to solve them. There are of course, other small problems, but our role is to find solutions for them. Each time we face difficulties, we ask for help to the specialized departments and we finally put an end to them.
RJ: What other projects are you planning for the next year?
SA: We will have in mind especially the rehabilitation of the railway platforms belonging to the IV pane-European Corridor. Works that are going to be performed on route Bucharest-Ploiesti-Brasov, presuppose major implications in the development of the railway traffic, with traffic deviations; this represents for us a great responsibility, a thorough programming and developing of the entire process, so that we should avoid the apparition of some distortions in the development of the railway traffic in the area. We are also planning some project works related to Bucharest - Constanta highway, which will affect us so to speak, because of the small distances between the highway and the rails. And at last but not at least, let’s not forget the administrative, economical and maintenance problems we face day by day.
RJ: What responsibilities presuppose your position as regional director, and what does it mean to you?
SA: Unlike the activity of chief reviser in traffic safety - which included nevertheless all activity branches, but which was mainly based on control, supervision and discipline maintenance, the position as regional director has much more implications, not to call them responsibilities, since now I shall have to coordinate the entire zonal department under any aspects. That related to the representation, to the image of the company in the field, which are generally based on a perfect consummation of the entire activity in the whole zonal department. Leaving aside all major problems that seem to be much more once that I got this position, since traffic safety, labor protection, or fire-control still remained important issues, I consider that my new position represents for me a welcome test for my professional maturity, which I gathered by the years of experience, due to the stages I was going through, during my career in the railway field which demands approval.

Reporting Oana Brans