ISPA, Once Again Within Railways

The company Deutsche Eisenbahn Consult, from Germany, will design and will supervise the rehabilitation works at Bucharest - Constanta railway section, within a contract summing up 9.76 million Euro. The design works are co-financed by the European Union (75%), through ISPA, and by the Romania Government (25%).
ISPA program has been launched in 2000 aiming at co-financing the big projects from the transport and environment quality fields.

At the beginning of this month, National Railway Company "CFR" SA has signed an ISPA contract for the rehabilitation of Bucharest - Constanta railway section, an important section of the pan-European Corridor IV. The contract, assigned to the company Deutsche Eisenbahn Consult, from Germany will enhance our company for the modernization at the European standards for over 150 km of railway, in the same time providing the increase of the traffic speed up to 160 Km/h for the passengers trains and up to 120 km/h for the freight trains, in complete safety conditions.
Through drawing up the technical design for Fundulea - Fetesti railway section and through the supervision of the rehabilitation works on Lehliu-Fetesti railway section, there is aimed at modernizing the railway infrastructure - of the railway line, of the railway stations, of the signaling systems, of the telecommunication and power supply equipment. This design and supervision contract, which will be terminated in a year, it is a first step in the achievement of the entire projects, there being scheduled international auctions in order to select the contractor that will perform the entire series of works.
"Being part of a vast enhancement program of the transport conditions of transport on the Romanian railways, the modernization program of Bucharest - Constanta route aims at increasing the mobility along the pan-European corridor IV, the reduction of the travel duration and the increase of the transport safety. The increase of the railway compatibility at the standards imposed by the European Union also represents a major objective for our company, in the conditions in which Romania aims at integrating in the European political and economical structures", Mr. Mihai Naceolaiciuc, the general director of CFR SA, has declared.

What Means ISPA?

Together with other nine countries from the central and Eastern Europe, Romania is one of the countries candidate for adhering to the European Union, presently being in application stage certain specific measures complying with the community aquis. One of the modalities through which EU supports the efforts of the candidate countries in the achievement of certain measures is the Instrument for Structural Policies Adhering (ISPA). Created through the regulation no. 1267/99 from June 21, 1999, ISPA is managing only the environment and transport issues, and its implementation will be unfolded in seven years period (2000 - 2006).
Within CFR SA operates ISPA Implementation Department, which daily monitors the achievement of the respective projects; it is run by a sector authorization officer (SAO), who represents the company as contracting implementation/authorization agency for the projects financed through ISPA.
Since 1989, when the states from the Central and Eastern Europe have started the restructuring of their political and economical systems, European Commission has provided them, on behalf of EU, support and assistance in the economical restructuring. The basic instrument for this support is represented by PHARE program, which main objective is to provide technical assistance and know-how to the countries of this part of the world.
Therefore, the EU member states have decided to support the candidate countries, granting assistance in order to prepare them for adhering. Part of this preparation will be achieved by ISPA initiative, managed by the European Commission.
For the transport sector, the general goals of ISPA are focused on; the extension and the provision of the access on the trans-European transport network, the achievement of certain adequate connections between the EU candidate states, the provision of the inter-connection and of the interoperability of the national networks with the trans-European transport networks and, of course, the promotion of the lasting mobility. a few years ago, the Ministry of Transport from Romania, has included among the strategic objectives of its economical policy the rehabilitation and the modernization of the most operated railway sections on the pan-European Corridor IV, Bucharest - Brasov and Bucharest - Constanta. With respect to Bucharest - Constanta railway section, there will be rehabilitated, for start, Bucharest - Bucharest Baneasa railway section) Km 0+000 - Km 5+830), being followed by Fetesti - Constanta section (Km 147 + 184 - Km 225 + 567), through the use of a loan granted by JBIC and co-financed by the Romanian party.

Bucharest Baneasa - Fetesti Railway Section

On a length of 141 Km, with 18 railway stations along, this railway secession has been initially built as a simple line, being then doubled and electrified. Certain sections are put into operation for more than 100 years and have never been repaired, so that the electrical equipment and the signaling and interlocking systems are deteriorated. Due to their situation, a certain sections there are imposed speed restrictions, in order to provide appropriate traffic conditions being necessary the acceleration of the rehabilitation program.
The main non-concordances with the current requirements in point of infrastructure are: longitudinal profile - with too many profile elements, the insufficient width of the superior side of the platforms, the lack of water collection ditches, the absence of counter-curbs, the existence of certain bridges and culverts with operation duration exceeded, the inadequate placement of switches against the geometric point, the inappropriate superstructure of the level crossings etc.
Through the achievement of the rehabilitation programs, on Bucharest - Fetesti railway section there is estimated the increase of the passengers railway transport with 21% in 2005, in comparison with the situation "without the project", and respectively 59%, in 2025, and of the freight transport with 33% in 2005, and, respectively, 98% in 2025. The elaboration of a plan was based on several aspects and strategic principles. Because there is necessary to be performed a general overhaul of the track and of all its technical systems, CFR Sa has proposed to achieve this objective in a single stage. Yet, in order to maintain the low level of investments, these standards will be enforced on the sections where there is expressly necessary, thus representing that there will not be performed any major changes at the geometrical elements. This seems to be acceptable because the majority of the sections do not present important curves, so in the future the restrictions will be necessary only on very short segments. In order to shorten the time allocated for the achievement of the works, on certain sections, in order to avoid the repeated closures and to maintain at a low level the exploitation losses and the general expenses, the intention of the company is to exclude the possibility that the rehabilitation works at the tracks to be performed simultaneously. The general plan will be pointed out on rail, tracks, slopes of the embankments, sewerage channels, catenary, power supply systems, signaling and communication systems, the structures of the culverts, the rectification of the curves and, finally, the improvement of the conditions in the railway stations.

Specific Objectives

For the modernization works which will be develop on the respective section there are expected to drawn up a detailed and exact project, in compliance with the standards required by AGC/AGTC, the fulfillment of the conditions regarding the evaluation of the impact on the environment, stipulated in ISPA financing memorandum efficient and transparent selection of the candidates, through adequate auction documentation in order to assign contract for the works performed on Fundulea - Lehliu, Lehliu - Ciulnita, Ciulnita - Fetesti railway sections and to respect the contracting provisions through supervision, complying with FIDIC, of all the stages of work.

The Role in the National Transport Policy

The rehabilitation of Bucharest Baneasa - Fetesti railway section is considered a priority for the national economical development plan, because the pan-European Corridor IV, this section being part of this corridor, represents the most important section for the national and international railway traffic. Through the finalization of this vast program there will be increased the traffic speed and the safety in transport, there will be reduced the travel duration and will be provided the interoperability of the Romanian railways with the international railway networks.

Oana Branzan