"Just One Mistake Is Affordable at the Railway"

Interview with Mr. Aurel Ciotarca, manager of Galati CF Rail Region

 

CURRICULUM VITAE

Name and surname: AUREL CIOTÂRCĂ
Date of Birth: 16.02.1954
Marital Status: married, two children
Education: Polytechnics Institute in Iasi, Faculty of Construction Specializing Railways, Roads and Bridges
Profession: engineer
Specialization and Training:
    - Training course for the maintenance technologies of the railway without joint.
    - Course for the retracing of the railway curves by computer
    - Course for the management and the leadership of L sections
    - Course for the management of the quality
Professional Activity:
    - 1981 - 1988, engineer, Tecuci L6 Section
    - 1988 - 1996, Chief of Braila L2 Section
    - 1996 - 2001, Head unit of Galati Track Sections
    - 2001 - Rail region director
Years of service in Galati CF Rail Region 20 years

 

Railway Journal: When and why did you choose to work in railway field?

Aurel Ciotarca: I was always attracted by the constructor handcraft, fact that determined me to attend Construction High School, specializing Roads and Bridges in Iasi, after that attending superior studies with the same profile: Faculty of Construction, Railways, Roads and Bridges Section, After the graduation, in 1981, I chose to work in Tecuci L6 Section, Galati CF Rail Region. I decided to choose railway because we always had respect and admiration for the order and the discipline that characterize Railway, for the strictness of the regulations and instructions that are permanently active, fact that makes our institution to be called "the second army of the country".

R.J.: If you would have the chance to start again, what profession would you choose?

A.C.: There is no way to choose some other profession than that of a constructor engineer, wishing to work at the railway maintenance. I love this profession due to its rigor; and, here, everything must be performed with millimeter precision, any mistake can lead to situations or railway disasters. In this profession you do not "risk": At the Railway you can not mistake but once; any error can lead to the perturbations of the transport activity or to serious accidents. We are responsible and we are proud with that with the railway safety circulation.

R.J.: Romanian railways experienced lately a series of changes in point of structure, as well as at management level. What meant for you the assignment in the rail region manager position?

A.C.: First of all, a greater responsibility and, in the same time, the privilege to participate with a greater involvement at decision taking regarding the dynamic of the structural transformations of our organization. It is not easy, in the context of the changes of the current economical and social realities, but I am aware that the managerial policy has a correct direction, which has to be sustained with firmness by dynamic persons, decided and, especially, remarkable skilled workers. Of course that a thorough knowledge of the persons I am collaborating with, taking into consideration every availability, determined me to constitute what I like to call a real team. I trust my colleagues in charge with leading tasks and I hope that in my new position to enjoy the same trust from their part.

R.J.: Which are your requirements from your employees, as director, and on your turn, what do you offer them?

A.C.: I confess that I am tough with me first of all. I treasured the rigor and the discipline, having a special consideration for the operational subordination principle. We are, by definition, an operational unit and if there is no discipline, order and an adequate instructional frame, our activity will be negatively affected. That's why our expectations are big, but they imply just respecting the instructions and regulations in force, the main goal being the safety circulation of the trains.

R.J.: What rehabilitation and modernization works are performed presently on Galati CF Rail Region area?

A.C.: On our rail region activity area are performed a series of important works, first of all the rehabilitation of the railway tracks and the works of art. In this respect, we can mention the unfolding of the rehabilitation works on the entire length of 700 line, first line, Faurei Tandarei, from km 16 + 500 to km 35 + 000. Also, there are continued the RK (general overhaul) works of Filesti tunnel, first line, 700 m long, on 700 main line, first line, works started since 1996 and which are highly difficult to perform due to the loessoid field and its repercussions to the supra-terrain. The current year we resumed electrification-centralization works on 704 line, Tecuci- Barbosi, both lines, and we have started finalization works at the exploitation building in Galati Passengers' Building, something we wished for a long time.
I can not remind the fact that we are going to start modernization and construction works in Focsani railway station in order to align it to the European standards. Another really important work is the capital repairs performed at the bridge from km 131 + 888, on 500 main line. Also capital repairs we are developing presently at Adjud CED equipment.
As it regards the works with a cyclic character, namely PRMG with integral piercing, general packing performed with efficient Plasser heavy machinery, bridges repainting, consolidation of the tracks in the stations, these once are performed according to the programs established for 2001.
We proposed and we are going to finalize rehabilitation works for the links in the stations between Galati and Tulucesti, line that was closed to the train circulation in 2000 due to the massive field sliding, phenomenon that in this period has a great amplitude, advantaging the execution of the works for the reopening of the circulation.

R.J.: Extremely high temperatures from this summer have created big problems in railway circulation. Which were the "obstacles" occurred due to this phenomenon on Galati CF Rail Region area and how did you solve this situation?

A.C.: This summer our activity had a special feature, recording several days with temperatures in the track up to 55 to 60 degrees Celsius, fact that determined us to act permanently in order to take special measures that are imposed in these cases, taking into consideration the fact that practically welded tracks worked at the superior limit of the temperature considered at the calculations for the establishment of the rail stability. There have been taken measures for circulation speed limitation for passengers and freight trains when the temperatures in the track imposed these changes. There have been provided permanent survey of the welded track, by executing the supplementary revisions on foot and from the cabin of the locomotive, actions performed by our entire technical personal. In these objective conditions, there have been recorded deviations from the train circulation graph, but we did not record any case of rail stability changing, providing trains circulation in perfect safety conditions.

R.J.: What projects do you still have to finalize during this year and what results are you hoping to achieve?

A.C.: The current year will be finalized the rehabilitation works on 701 section, Faurei Spicu, first line, Km 16 + 500 Km 35 +000, and we will reestablish the link between Galati and Tulucesti stations, km 5 + 100 Km 5 + 900. We will also finalize RK (general overhaul) works from CED Adjud B railway station and we hope to conclude this year with good results the works with cyclic character, as well as other important indicators which reflect the entire activity of Galati CF Rail Region per assembly, first of all as it regards the safety and the regularity of train circulation.

 

Oana Bran