Railways

[Bytson]

I have found some short videos of romanian trains on the modernized track sections ( Bucharest - Campina and Bucharest - Constanta ).

http://www.rail-videos.net/video/view.php?id=2182
http://www.rail-videos.net/video/view.php?id=530
http://www.rail-videos.net/video/view.php?id=1081

[ionutzyankoo]

Guys I don't understand why are you complaining so much on the duration Buc-CT. There are A LOT of works going on. We have to suffer a little bit in order to travel fast later.
As it concerns the IC being the lowest class, I don't think so Fallen. In western countries the regional trains are the lowest class (as it should be in Ro). Don't forget DB's highest ranking train is InterCityExpress (equiv to TGV).
Perhaps a good reform for CFR would be the changing of classes as follows: Reg (regional trans replacing Personal partially under local councils), IReg (Personal trains traveling through more than one "regionala"), IRE (InterRegioExpress replacing Accelerat-the most afordable for masses), R and IC (the present Rapid trains and InterCity-IC stopping only in major cities).

[crashu]

Originally Posted by Sbz2ifc

The one with the truck happened near Arad in December 2007.

A girl died in the recent accident at Valea Calugareasca.

Sry i just took the news from here:
http://www.realitatea.net/125382_Tre...u-un-TIR-.html

They say there that the accident with the truck happend on 14 may 2008.... I didnt know about the Valaea Calugareasca accident..... It's a pitty a 17 year old girl lost her life..

I'l make some pictures with the construction of Bucharest-Constanta high speed line.. as the railway pass near my home....

[crashu]

Originally Posted by pescarush

i traveled by train since i was a kid and last 7-8 years frequently. i never complayn. i have no relation with CFR or some persons working there.
mostly, the delays are hapening because of accidents or during the hollidays.
1st of May is an example, when everybody tries to reach to the sea. and mostly people are rude and uncivilised. should we speak about people who are still smoking in trains or destroying toilets or making drawings like m... dinamo?!

Really the delay is because of the construcion works.... there are sections were it's under construction and the train can go only on one line.. So you wait in the middle o nowere for 20 min beacuse u have 2 wait for other trains 2 pass the single linde part... Bucharest-Constanta line is havley used becouse of summer Black Sea resorts and beacuse of the Constanta Shipyard
so lots of trains pass there.... Another reason for 6h trip are becouse trains go sometimes on other routes like Buchares-Pantelimon(you actualy go around bucharest for a long time) and after that go to Constanta beacuse Bucharest-Baneasa is closed....

About the Highest train class... Isnt the new express line the highest train class?? By the way... Ic trains are verry good in Romania...

Oh and about the sleeping wagons... You have verry good conditions in the romanian sleaping weagons.... # moths ago i went from BUcharest to Wien in a romanian sleeping wagon... The conditions were verry good... When i comed back i took a'n austrian sleeping wagon.. The conditions were miserable... Didn't even had hot water and heat( it was the middle of winter, i had 2 sleep in my ski pants)... It had broken bads... miserable windows( personaly i think they didnt clean them up for abut 10 years ago)... So horible trains are in west 2... I rember everibody in that wagon piking op on the wagon chief... And he was always sayin that he doesent know english or romanian just to skip the complainings....(sry for my bad english)

For the hungarian friends... I must say i was impressed by the Hungarian border guards... They were always speeking verry polite... And even in romanian(not necesarly at the romanian border)... I remember in 2002 at the border with Croatia he spoke in romanian 2 me.... And they had verry nice clothes 2

[Cosmin]

Last year I traveled from Bucharest to Budapest by train (not my choice ). I can't remember how long it took to get there, but I know I'll never do it again. The conditions were ok I guess, but the journey time, the Romanian border guards and THE BLOODY HEAT made the journey a nightmare.

I agree that the Hungarian border guards are more polite, well dressed and nicer than the Romanian ones.

While strolling along the train I passed trough several ÖBB (Austrian Federal Railways) cars and I was not impressed. They were slightly better than CFR's cars, but nothing to write home about.

Note to self: if you ever buy an Interrail Pass, go as far as at least Budapest by car and take the train from there.

[Le Clerk]

I travelled about 2 years ago from Bucharest to Vienna, via Budapest, and didn't have problems with neither the Romanian customs officers, nor the Hungarian or Austrians. In fact, I liked the Austrians most, as they were the only ones carring laptops to check IDs and had a nice and well mannered German sheppard who was sniffing around very politely for drugs I suppose.

The journey took abot 14 hours, and it didn't seem very long to me, but i guess it could take less time.

[Cosmin]

I travelled about 2 years ago from Bucharest to Vienna, via Budapest, and didn't have problems with neither the Romanian customs officers, nor the Hungarian or Austrians.

I didn't have problems with them, but the way they talked to us (like we were all old high school buddies) left a lot to be desired for.

The journey took abot 14 hours, and it didn't seem very long to me, but i guess it could take less time.

For me it took about 12 hrs I guess, from Gara de Nord to Keleti pályaudvar. Too much. 7-8 hrs at most would be ok for this route. And the ticket was quite expensive as I recall. I personally would've taken the plane, but it wasn't my call.

[BND]

Originally Posted by nebunul

One of my usual routes: Bucharest - PiatraNeamt

Train


Distance:~365km
Depart: 15.30
Arrive: 20.35
Cost ~ 20Euro

So CFR uses the Siemens Desiros on IC routes? That is strange... Desiros are used on suburban routes usually what I've already seen in Hungary, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. Do they have a different interior for the long-term journeys? I couldn't imagine travelling for 5 hours on a MÁV Desiro.

[Bytson]

Yes unfortunately, CFR is using the Desiro units on some IC trains who are running on non electrified track with destinations like: Galati, Bicaz or Piatra Neamt, etc., and as regional trains on routes with high traffic. The interior is the same and I am reffering at the hard, uncomfortable and narrow seats. This DMU is like a tram on rail tracks, unnapropiate for long distances or being used with the intercity ranking.

[ionutzyankoo]

CFR is beginning to change the Desiro's from IC to regional routes, but the process is a bit slow

[BND]

I see... Here MÁV chose to change the loco when the train arrives at the end of the electrified section. The train therefore has to stop for 10-15 minutes, at least you can sit in a normal carriage. It goes for the IC trains too, like Budapest-Szombathely or Budapest-Tapolca (northern shore of Balaton)

[Fallen]

Yep. Our ellectrified trains stop in Constanta also and change the locomotive to go south to the Black Sea resorts and Mangalia....I think the Constanta - Mangalia section should be a top-priority for ellectrification (of the rail of course ) since it links the summer resorts(which we try to promote so much) with the world...

[nebunul]

Originally Posted by Bytson

Yes unfortunately, CFR is using the Desiro units on some IC trains who are running on non electrified track with destinations like: Galati, Bicaz or Piatra Neamt, etc., and as regional trains on routes with high traffic. The interior is the same and I am reffering at the hard, uncomfortable and narrow seats. This DMU is like a tram on rail tracks, unnapropiate for long distances or being used with the intercity ranking.

Interior is fine (for me anyway) Well of course it can be improved ...

[Fallen]

I took one of these from Bucharest to Pascani this autumn... a 5 hour ride. It was a bit too much for my bones... they're comfortable, but not for long rides

The interior of the train i took looked different.... it had 2 small compartiments in the center (on the left side) with normal seats in both ends of the wagon, and some chairs positioned face to face vis-a-vis from the 2 small compartiments...
i'll try to find pics a bit later.

(I'm supposed to be studying right now ) )

[nebunul]

Craiova-Sibiu Desiro

[tomis3]

That track needs an upgrade.

[Le Clerk]

HotNews.ro
Marţi, 20 mai 2008, 17:01 Ultima ora

CFR: Timpul de calatorie spre Constanta se reduce cu 30 de minute



Incepand de miercuri timpul de calatorie spre litoral se va reduce cu aproximativ 30-35 de minute datorita terminarii lucrarilor la infrastructura pe tronsonul Baneasa, relateaza NewsIn.

"Timpul de calatorie s-a redus deoarece CFR Infrastructura a terminat lucrarile pe tronsonul Baneasa", a declarat directorul general CFR Calatori, Alexandru Noaptes.
Primul tren R 687 va circula de miercuri pe ruta directa spre Constanta, cu plecare din statia Bucuresti Nord la ora 7.51 (in loc de 7.12).

De asemenea, CFR a anuntat ca, incepand cu 16 iunie, se vor introduce trenuri suplimentare de sezon pe relatia Constanta- Mangalia ale caror orare vor fi afisate in statiile si agentiile de voiaj.

[Qtya]

Originally Posted by tomis3

That track needs an upgrade.

Absolutely! Before I saw Your post, I wanted to write the same thing...

I have concerns about the speed of the Desiro on that track too...

[nebunul]

That's why they've got speed-limitS ... and that's why the system is pretty slow ...

[Fallen]

A while ago, I was reading an article about the possible reunification of Moldova and Romania. The article was invoking the costs of the unification.

And one of the main problems was the railway infrastructure.
All of Moldova's rails would need to be changed, cause they use a narrow gauge there, and the estimated cost for that only was around 4 billion euros :-S

I wonder what the costs would be to upgrade all of the existing main rails in Romania to 120-160hm/hour :-S