Railway Station in Modernization Stage

The modernization and "European like" program of the railway stations situated on the main railway arteries of the country continues: new pre-feasibility studies are in working process, new projects are outlined, new railway stations are experiencing the rush of the works…

Alba Iulia Railway Station, the gate to the Union Town
Another main objective of the Action Plan for the Rehabilitation and the Modernization of the Transport Infrastructure during 2001-2010, approved through the GD (Government Decision) no. 456/2000, is the rehabilitation of the railway stations in order to bring them to the standards defined by the UIC norms. In this respect there has been initiated the Rehabilitation program for a few railway stations from Romania, that is full development stage at CFR SA and it is sustained by MTCT. Alba Iulia Railway Station is also included in this program.
Through the GD no. 403/2003, on Alba Iulia municipal area there have been approved works included in the program meant for The 85th Anniversary of the Great Union from December 1st, 1918. Among them, it is also included the modernization of the railway station, which building is one of the most important of the town, having the status of historical monument.
There are quite a lot of documents mentioning the arrival in Alba Iulia, in 1918, in passengers and freight trains, including on the roofs of the trains, of a large number of people, coming from all over the country to this town destined by history to host the accomplishment of the Great Union. Since then, each year, in the first day of winter, through this railway station the Romanians are coming to Alba Iulia to commemorate together this event with special significance in our becoming. And, every year, this meets its guests dressed up for holiday.
This year the railway station will wear special "clothes", result of the large span and complexity works, which deadline is November 15. Presently, in Alba Iulia Railway Station, situated on the oldest railway section from Brasov Rail Region (inaugurated in 1871), there are performed works mainly for the consolidation of the building, being executed the following types of operations: - repairing of the tile covers; - the replacement of the wooden carpentry with another one, made of PVC, and with termopan glass; - the restoring of the outside mortar and of the ornaments.
There should be also mentioned the fact that the works that are developed now come to complete the ones stipulated through the GD 1,254/2003, aiming the transformation of the current railway station in a eurostation and they imply interventions at the existing building, as well as modernization works in the area of the market square situated in front of the railway station.
During the next period, there will be executed hygiene works in the tunnel meant for pedestrians. This also implies: - the hydro-insulation with membranes and the achievement of a vat up to the level of the culvert; - the puttying of the edge preparation between the prefabricates with special hydro-insulating materials; amounting gritstone made of non-skidding porcelain on the floor, including the stairs; - assembling the current hands made of stainless steel; - a special thin plastering up of BAUMIT type; - the replacement of the cover made of tin plate with another one, made of polycarbonate; - the painting of the metallic structure;- the replacement of the existing water pomp; - the replacement of the pictograms.
Besides the things mentioned above, there will be also performed on the building stone plating works on the bed plate, using the stone brought from Babadag, and the backside of the cover between the railway lines will be plated with metallic plates. The floor of the first platform and of the one meant for the access to the operation office will be made of treated and impressed concrete. In front of the railway station there will be also achieved an access and waiting platform for the buses and the cabs. In order to protect the passengers of the sun or other events up to their getting on the modes of transportation, there has been decided to be covered with a (transparent) polycarbonate cover, with a resistance structure made of pillars, beams and metallic finishing.
This solution, - as, in fact, all the interventions that are made on Alba Iulia Railway Station - has been chosen because it implies only the "discreet" intervention on the valuable architecture that the building maintains for over a century and that we are hoping to last even longer, being an important witness of the history of this people.

New building in Rupea
Another railway station on Brasov Rail Region area which needs a new "façade" is the one from Rupea, locality situated in the northern-eastern extremity of Fagaras Depression, on the right bank of the Homorod brook, on Brasov - Sighisoara railway section, that is part of the Pan-European Corridor IV.
The building of the railway station from Rupea is almost 100 years old, initially being made of the basement, ground floor and one floor. The location where the railway station was built is a former moor area, clogged by being filled in with heterogeneous materials, fact emphasized in time by the presence of the water infiltrations at the superior levels of the field (2 -2.50 m). The foundation is achieved of blocks of stone with hydraulic lime as bounding material, the masonry of the building being an alternative of burned brick with formed stone, quarry stone type, bounded with mortar based on lime.
Along the time, the passengers building has been affected by numerous transversal cracks, which endanger its stability, and due to the clogging of the channels taken over by the rainwaters, the basement has been flooded. In order to remedy these situations there were only two versions: the repairing of the building or its pulling down and the building of a new one, for each version there have been performed pre-feasibility studies, which have been carefully analyzed by specialists and, finally, the second solutions has been accepted.
The feasibility study drawn up stipulates the construction of a new building, designed in compliance with the prescriptions in force (including the earthquake-proof). Made of three bodies, with separate access doors, with structures made of enforced concrete frameworks, with boards and stairs, also made of enforced concrete, and the cover of the building will have a metallic structure. The inside and outside finishing will correspond to the functions: from the wear resistant floor, to the washable paints and mortars with stones and ceramic plywood.
These three bodies are going to include spaces for the offices of the CFR employees (chief of station, technician and IDM), for the electrogen group etc., as well as for other, meant for the passengers: ticket counters, information office, spaces for luggage, commercial units and so on. The study makes reference to the afferent endowments (sanitary, electrical heating, ventilation - acclimatization installations, railway telecommunications, CED equipment), which will be modern and more resistant.
The feasibility study has been favorably advised within the Technical Council of CFR SA, on August, being sent to ISPCF the requirement to proceed for contracting the project in order to achieve this investments, and presently there is waited the finalization of the documents precursory to the beginning of the reconstruction works.

Therefore, in a quite near future, in Rupea Railway Station, the railway men from Brasov region and the passengers will take advantage of a new, modern and functional building.

Ileana Statie