Romanian railway infrastructure to undergo €1.7bn revamp

The government of Romania, working alongside national railway company CFR has secured a €1.7 billion loan from the European Union to modernise the railway infrastructure of the country.

The loan is set to help modernise the infrastructure of the Romanian railway. (Photo: Adobe Stock)

Awarded through the National Recovery and Resilience Program, it is said the money will modernise up to 162 km of train lines, including the Caransebeş – Timişoara – Arad railway line.

Described as the “most important financing contract for the railway sector,” the money is expected to be used to double the railway line along the entire route, establish a maintenance and a regional traffic management center as well as restoring the lines and correcting the route so that trains can run at increased speeds.

CFR also plan to renovate railway stations, remove level crossings, build pedestrian walkways and adapt the level of platforms to European standards.

Announcing the project on social media, Sorin Grindeanu, Minister of Transport, who signed the deal alongside the general director of CFR said that all four lots of the project had already seen contractors appointed, and the “contracts for design and execution will be signed after the resolution of the appeal.”

The four sections of the project are Caransebeş – Lugoj, Lugoj – East Timisoara, East Timisoara – Ronat Triage Gr. D and Ronat Triage Gr. D – Arad.

The National Recovery and Resilience Program was set up by the European Union to help member states minimise the impact of the pandemic and to make European economies and societies more “sustainable, resilient and better prepared for the green and digital transitions.”