Romania has changed the name of its trains, aligning them with European standards, while shunting ticket prices and adopting a new timetable. The 2011-12 Romanian train timetable came into effect yesterday ( December 11 ) and will be valid until December 8, 2012. With the new timetable come changes to services demanded by EU legislation. Passenger services will now be categorized as Intercity, InterRegio (formerly Accelerat and Rapid) and Regio (formerly Personal). The prices for Intercity and Regio services remain unchanged, while InterRegio services will be priced in between the old Accelerat and Rapid services (about 22 percent less than Rapid and around 12 percent more than the Accelerat services).

Discounts are now available when buying multiple tickets with Romanian Railways Company (CFR) trains: 10 percent discount on tickets for two trains, 15 percent off tickets for three trains and a 20 percent saving on tickets for four trains. The 'Train Timetable 2011-2012' brochure costs RON 12 and can be purchased from main railway stations and travel agencies in Bucharest and other cities.

Alex Camburu, alex.camburu@romania-insider.com

(photo source: CFR)