Romania has received the green light from the European Commission for two railway projects worth EUR 944 million, most of which will be funded with EU money. Funding will be available for revamping the railway connecting Romania's Eastern Border to Curtici and further on to Arad, as well as for the Simeria-Coșlariu connection. Train speed will double on these tracks and railway traffic will be revived, according to Alexandru Nazare, Romania's Transport Minister.

Of this amount, EUR 771 million will come from the Cohesion Fund. Romania hopes to receive the OK for the EUR 900 million financing needed to repair the segment Coșlariu-Sighișoara, which would bring the value of ongoing railway work to some EUR 2 billion at the end of 2012.

The first railway segment, some 41.1 km of double railway will be repaired, to allow speeds of up to 160 km/hour. Railway stations in this section will also be renovated and refurbished.

Alstom Transport S.A., Swietelsky Baugesellsachaft m.b. H, Astaldi S.p.A, Euro Construct Trading ΄98 SRL and Dafora S.A. will work on this project, with a EUR 300 million value for the contract, over 27 months. Work started on March 15.

The Simeria-Coșlariu segment, some 74.4 km of railway track, will also be revamped. Ten railway stations will also be repaired, along with 33 bridges, six cuttings and a tunnel, all part of a EUR 184 million contract, over 30 months. The winning company for this public bid was Impressa Pizzarotti.

At the end of modernization work, the times on these routes will be shorter by 10 minutes for local trains, by 18 minutes for long distance trains and almost halved for freight trains.

editor@romania-insider.com

(photo source: Corina Saceanu)