THE BUCHAREST-BRASOV RAILWAY SECTION UPGRADED TO EUROPEAN STANDARDS

On June 30, 1998, Romania and the European Investments Bank (EIB) signed ECU 200 million loan accord, designated for the CFR - SA National Railways Company. The loan - granted for a 15-year period (with a 5-year grace period) under particularly favorable conditions - will finance the 4th pan-European Corridor. The project is part of the Romanian Government's strategy to join the European Union, which, in transportation and in railways in particular, stipulates an alignment of infrastructure to European standards. To achieve this the EIB loan is the best financing solution to modernize the 4th Corridor, a major axis of railway transportation, included in the European accords Romania is a party to.
The main works that will rehabilitate the 4th Corridor will include:
- embankment consolidation;
- bridge rehabilitation and replacement;
- modernization for railway superstructure;
- tunnel repairs;
- electrodynamic centralization operations;
- rehabilitation of telecommunications gear;
- platform heightening and modernization;
- station modernization;
In compliance with the loan accord, international tenders were organized to select a consultant for the entire railway section, and a general entrepreneur for the Bucharest - Ploiesti section.
The modernization project for the 4th Corridor drew the interest of many well-known consulting firms. The following were selected:
1. Lahmeyer International GmbH, Parsons De Leuw Cather International;
2. Transurb Consult SA, Tuc Rail;
3. Sofretu Systra Sorerail, Gibb ltd., Sotecni SpA;
4. Maunsell Ltd., Kaiser Engineers Ltd.;
5. PG Kennedy & Donkin Ltd.;
6. Hill International Inc., Daniel, Mann, Johnson & Mendenhall.
After financial offers were opened and analyzed, the tender was won by Belgian firm Transurb Consult SA, Tuc Rail, which on November 11 signed the contract with the CFR - SA National Railways Company.
The completion, planned for 2003, of all modernization works on the Bucharest - Brasov section, the object of this EIB-financed project, will result in allowed travel speeds of 160 km/h and 200 km/h, and in the improvement of the quality and competitiveness of transportation services offered to Romanian Railways customers.
The pursuit of rehabilitation and modernization of the railways will contribute to Romania's accession to the EU. Every project enforced in the railway sector is in strict compliance with European norms and standards. Moreover, because of the geographical location and the fact that three trans-European corridors (IV, VII and IX) cross Romania, our country will play a key role in freight and passenger transportation in Europe.