On November 25, Alstom will deliver to Romania the first train of the 37 RE-IR1 electric frames to be provided under the contract signed by the Railway Reform Authority (ARF) and Alstom Ferroviaria SpA in March 2022, ARF informed on October 6. This first train will serve the Bucharest-Constanta route.

The cost of the trains and the maintenance for 15 years was RON 2.42 billion (EUR 480 million, VAT not included).

The new train is expected to arrive in Bucharest between December 2-3, 2023.

Between October 4 and 6, a delegation of the ARF carried out a technical visit to the Alstom Konstal factory in Katowice (Poland) in accordance with the provisions set out in the contract. During this visit, working meetings were organized with the supplier (Alstom) and the supervisor (Egis Rail) in order to monitor the actual status of the delivery of the ARF RE-IR1 series electric trains.

State company CFR Calatori is the only company that submitted an offer in the first competitive award procedure for the contract regarding the provision of public railway passenger transport services with electric frames purchased by ARF.

"The contracted services are expected to start in December 2023, with the first service route between Bucharest and Constanta. As the trains are delivered by Alstom and made available to the operator, the services will cover the routes serving the county seat municipalities of Craiova, Drobeta Turnu Severin, Reşita (via the Caransebeş railway junction), Timisoara, Ploiesti, Braşov, Alba Iulia, Deva, Arad, and Targu Jiu," reads ARF's press release.

iulian@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Facebook/ARF)