We all know that, unfortunately, the research activity became one of the most sensitive issues of the Romanian society. The research institutions in various fields ceased, one by one, their activity. There are, of course, real reasons for this situation, which are linked also to the financing problems; however, this fact is not an excuse for the lack of interest for the Romanian research activity. Under such circumstances, when such a research institution is carrying on its activity based on contracts and moreover, it is very successful on the market, this is like a ray of light on a cloudy sky of the Romanian research activity. This is the case of the railway research within AFER (The Romanian Railway Authority).

AFER is an institution functioning under the coordination of the Ministry of Transport, being entirely financed from extra - budgetary revenues. Its role is to ensure the official inspection and the control of the safety of the circulation of the railway and underground transport; it is also carrying out the railway registry activity, authorizes and supervises, from a technical perspective, the domestic suppliers of goods and services for the railways, grants railway transportation licenses, organizes exams and issues certificates and licenses for the employees of the safety of the circulation, carries on the research of the railway events and accidents.

This institution was born in 1993 through the detachment from ICPTT of the Transport Research Institute (INCERTRANS) and of the Romanian Railway Registry (REFER). In 1996, REFER became AFER, an extra - budgetary public institution that also comprises the Research Direction which includes five sections, a regulatory and technical documentation section and a workshop for prototypes and micro - production.

The section for the Technology of the Railway Transport has as main object of activity the accomplishment of studies and scientific research regarding the management of the transport, strategies and prognosis for the evolution of the railway transports.

The Rolling Material section has been set –up for realizing studies and researches for technological development regarding the rolling material as well as the installations and the corresponding equipment.

The Rails and Works of Art has the role to realize the scientific research regarding the upgrading of the constructive structures of rails and works of art, as well as the improvement of the construction technologies and their maintenance.

The Railway - Cybernetic section has as object of activity the performance of studies, researches and technological projects. Its purpose is to promote the technical progress and to ensure the safe functioning of the various types of installations.

The object of activity of the Cybernetic Systems section is to organize and to perform the cybernetic studies necessary for the management of the railway transport.

Within the Regulatory and Technical Documentation Department there are elaborated and promoted the technical norms destined to ensure the compatibility of the domestic railway system with the international ones, to supervise the technical documents and to organize the library.

In the Prototypes and micro - production workshop there are executed prototypes, installation and equipment used for the railway transport, including the ones resulting from the research activity; here, there are also produced, for being commercialized, small series products necessary for the railway activity.

The AFER Research section employs graduates of the Polytechnics Institute, the Academy for Economic Studies and of the Psychology University. The idea of hiring psychologists is modern and salutary, being known the fact that this specialization was not agreed at all under the former regime. Due to the lack of tradition in this field, the existence of such specialists is not a very common thing yet and depends upon the decision of the management of the companies. However, within AFER the necessity of employing psychologists was standing out, as the stress in the field of transports represents a very important issue.

The works that are being carried out within AFER’s Research section are contracted from ANSTI (The National Agency for Technological Sciences and Innovation). This year, there will be carried out 40 projects within the National Program Orizont 2000, such as:

• the harmonization of the domestic railway legislation with the international one;
• the evaluation of the stress factors for the railway people;
• the computer – assisted programs for operating the trains;
• the expert system for the maintenance of the ruling material;
• compulsory technical norms for the construction and maintenance of rails and railway bridges;
• the elaboration of the energetic program for the underground;
• the systems for the control of train’s speed;
• the upgrading of the simulator for electric locomotive from the CFR Galati depot.

In the future, the Research section will finalize other projects that will participate within the Frame-program no. 5 financed by the EU. This program started in 1998 and will last till 2002 and it is one of the most important projects coordinated by the EU where Romania can take part. Among the institutions that will submit programs for being approved, and subsequently executed, is AFER also, as mentioned above.

Taking into account this presentation, it is easy to imagine that at least the railway research have found its way, having real chances to exist and to contribute to the development of the Romanian transports.

Poliana Balaci