Romania's oldest railway line to be renewed in this huge project

The Asocierea RailWorks consortium, consisting of French company Alstom and Romanian company Arcada, will modernise the Bucharest–Giurgiu railway line, according to news from railway.pro. The €450 million (approximately HUF 177 billion) investment is being carried out by CFR SA, Romania's state-owned infrastructure operator. The contract includes a 36-month design and construction period.

The investment includes the electrification of the line and the implementation of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) Level 2 signalling system. The development will modernise 93 km of single-track railway line from the Romanian capital to the Bulgarian border town, the oldest in Romania, opened in 1869. The line connects to Bulgaria via the Friendship Bridge over the Danube, and the works extend to the entry point of the bridge.

Key South-East European corridor

According to the railway.pro news, capacity, energy efficiency and reliability of service are all moving forward in the project. The upgrade will improve a key strategic route linking Romania with the Rhine-Danube corridor and south-east Europe via Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey.

The complete modernisation of the line will be carried out, including infrastructure and superstructure works, upgrading of the signalling system and telecommunications. Once completed, trains will be able to run at speeds of up to 160 km/h.

The French-based multinational railway company will supply the ERTMS Level 2 system, the digital train control solutions, the electrification, the power supply and the overhead line, while Arcada will supervise the civil engineering works.