Modernising the railway network on the 4 Pane-European corridor will begin with the Bucharest - Campina section

Railway infrastructure will undergo an exploitation, ownership and access change until 2015 on a European scale. To this end services will be improved and diversified, the public transportation will cover a well-defined segment of the transportation market and the freight transport will gain the lost market both on distances of 500 kilometres and 200 - 300 km.
The Bucharest-Campina will start important rehabilitating and modernisation works on the Romanian railway networks that will allow an increase in traffic speed up to 160 km/h for passenger trains.
Romania shaped a rehabilitation and modernisation strategy for the railway infrastructure. This means that through execution of rehabilitating works an improvement of technical parameters will be attained that will allow an increase in traffic speed.
Between 2000-2015 the priority will be modernising the routes mentioned in European Norms signed by Romania as well. An increase in traffic speed on certain sections up to 120 km/h for freight hauling and up to 160 - 200 km/h for passenger trains is the aim. Two branches of the 4 Corridor cross Romania from West to East - the northern branch (Curtici, Arad, Coslariu, Brasov, Bucharest, Constanta) and from South to West - the southern branch (Curtici, Arad, Timisoara, Craiova, Calafat).
As mentioned in the common strategy of the Transport Ministry and the National Railway Company - the northern branch of the 4th Corridor has priority on the route Curtici, Arad, Alba Iulia, Brasov, Bucharest, Constanta, that insures the railway transit link on Romanian territory for the Central and Western Europe with the Southeast Europe and the Middle Orient relation. The importance of the Constanta harbour is added to the equation that facilitates the means of transport for an important segment in international freight transportation. On the northern branch, finalising rehabilitating works is due in 2008 - 2010, a fact that will allow the integration in the European Transport Network. The routes has a total length of 861 km and circa 35% of freight and passenger transportation on the CFR network represent the total transport volume on these lines. Due to the fact that this section must be brought fast to the required parameters imposed by AGC and AGTC norms that Romania is a part of, financing was obtained through a 200 million euros loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) for the necessary works on the Bucharest-Brasov section (Law 35/1999) with a finalising term set for 2003. The effective start was set for the current year. The first section to undergo modernisation works is Bucharest-Campina. Monitoring the implementation of the project made by ISPCF SA will be the group TRANSURB TUC RAIL BELGIUM that won the international auction. An international auction will also be used to select constructors for the eight sets of works divided on speciality groups that will work on the Bucharest-Campina section.
The eight sets of works are:

· a variant for a section on 45+217-46+177 and a bridge over the Prahova river, Km 45+703;
· small carved bridges;
· infrastructure and super structure for direct and angled from stations current lines (two sets);
· bridges, small bridges, tunnels and edge fortifications;
· civil works in stations (three sets);
· works for the contact line and protection for railway and neighbouring installations;
· works for CED, BLA, BAT+SAT installations, railway telecommunications;
· power sources for the contact line.

The task books for the eight sets were sold in August and September this year and by the end of the year contracts will be drawn, some works will even start this year.
As mentioned before, all improvements to be made on the Bucharest-Campina section will have as final aim the increase of maximum traffic speed from 120 km/h to 160 km/h.
Moving to this superior speed will be assured by the following works:
· rebuilding rail supports armed with geogril and geo-textile and rebuilding the prism with new square stones;
· replacing the superstructure with UIC 60 rails;
· introducing elastic supports on dedicated reinforced concrete lines;
· replacing the current bridges with others made of pre-compressed reinforced concrete;
· changing the contact line and mounting H-profile metallic poles;
· mounting new pendulums for the 160 km/h speed;
· modernising the power feeds for the necessary consumption needed to the speed increase;
· modernising signalling;
· Modernising and repairing buildings in railway stations and rebuilding all adjacent building installations.

All works within this ample project will be realised according to European standards that Romania adhered to, through the ratification of the AGC and AGTC norms.
A principle accord was also signed between the Romanian and Japanese governments for financing with a sum of up to USD 240 millions for a project that includes the Bucharest North - Bucharest Baneasa and Fetesti - Constanta sections. The total estimated value for the works according to a feasibility study made by ISPCF, would be in the neighbourhood of USD 526.74 millions. The financing accord with JBIC (Japanese Bank of International Cooperation) will be signed probably in the first months of 2001. The works will take place between 2002-2005. Another potential financing source for works on the Bucharest -Constanta section could be the program Instrument for Structural Policies for Pre-Accession (ISPA) belonging to the European Union that takes place between 2000-2006. The necessary projects will be promoted on stages. CFR-SA promoted for financing through ISPA sources the Bucharest Baneasa-Fetesti section.
The project was accepted on a preliminary basis and the financing will start next year for this section within annual sums ranging between 50 - 70 million euros.
Within this ample modernisation program for the northern branch of the 4th Corridor, in the last semester of this year a feasibility study will be finalised this year for the border section Curtici-Arad-Deva-Simeria that CFR SA ordered to ISPCF SA.

Data gathered with the help of the External Financing Project Implementation Direction - the European Routes Promotion Service