Passing through the longest railway tunnel in Romania by train

Long before people thought of crossing the Carpathians through the Predeal Pass, in 1862 Gheorghe Baritiu suggested a crossing through the Buzau Pass to reach the Danube. Misfortunately, the idea never caught although economic and commercial interests would have supported it. In 1909 a railway was opened from Buzau to Nehoias. From Brasov to Nehoias a study was drawn only in 1922 that determined the officials to declare this railway link of "public usefulness" and grant a credit.
Eight years had to pass for the railway to come to life and reach Intorsura Buzaului where it ended. The effective cross was never accomplished but the railway, aside from helping to the development of the area beyond Harman, it was one of the most picturesque of the CFR network.
The line we are writing about branches off from the railway that links Brasov to Deda, on the exit of the Harman station. It climbs a small slope on the valley of Tarlungul, an affluent of the Olt River then on the valley of the rivulet Teliu, crosses a plain area, without curves and reaches Budila, a city near the renowned mineral water springs at Zizin. After Budila, it goes up again, snaking through the hills and inching through the heart of the peaks that climb down from the neighbouring mountains - the Columbelul, Morii and Teliu tunnels. The latter is considered the longest tunnel on the entire Romanian railway network (4369 meters).
When exiting the tunnel, the train enters the Intorsura Buzaului Station, a terminus station for the Brasov - Intorsura Buzaului line. (37 km total length). About the Teliu tunnel, we must mention a few things that will reveal its special position and the importance it had at the time: it was built by a German company (Julius Berger) in five years (1924 -1929). The tunnel was made to include a double electrified line - an avant-guardist solution for that time; the line wasn't even electrified. The maximum difference level for this line is 12% and the smallest curve has a 360 meter-radius, the whole itinerary including 348 bridges and small bridges. These technical characteristics wish to prove the tourist attire of the route, the landscape is beautiful. Tara Barsei and Depresiunea Brasovului inspire quietude and urge to travel!
Just after the train leaves Budila Station, the landscape puts on a Carpathian look, the peaks of the Ciucas and Siriu Mountains are visible on a right sight of the railway. After it crosses several valleys and two hills that block the view, a large valley filled with vegetation, forested even opens up: it is the valley of the Teliu that we are crossing at 20 meters in the air on a curved viaduct, almost 150 meters long. Immediately after that, the train enters the third and last and longest tunnel, called as the viaduct, after the name of the preceding valley -Teliu.
Intorsura Buzaului is a settlement with deep roots into history. The people here, are hard working, they are employed either in woodcutting or wood processing operations or in the Brasov industrial area, a fact that makes them go the whole 37 km between Brasov and Intorsura Buzaului with three pairs of trains that insure commuting service.
For the closing we will underline that on June 25, 1931 when the said railway was inaugurated, after the works meant to make the junction through the Buzau Pass with the end of the other railway-finished 20 years earlier - Buzau - Nehoias stopped, locals and especially people from Brasov still hoped to get to Galati or Constanta on a railway shorter by 100 km, without having to pass through Ploiesti. Troubles that foretold the World War 2 and the wounds it left made vain the hope of the realisation of the seventh railway crossing of the Carpathians.

Dan Dragos Aldea