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Caile Ferate RomaneCăile Ferate Române is the state railway carrier of Romania. It is the fourth largest railway network in Europe (in terms of volume of passengers and freight), with good connections internationally and to nearly every part of Romania. It was criticized in the early 1990s for poor service, but it has recently improved vastly and now provides services that are comparable to those of Western Europe. CFR has sector branches in the following Romanian cities: Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Craiova, Iaşi and Braşov. Although passenger railway services are not a state monopoly in Romania, CFR is the only passenger carrier. Its international code is 53-CFR. Speeds The speed limit for trains in Romania is 160 km/h, although the only sectors trains run at that speeds are Bucharest-Campina and Bucharest-Constanta and the only trains allowed to go that fast are InterCity and Rapid. All other trains have a general speed limit of 120 km/h. Average operating speeds were in 2004 : 34.3 km/h for Personal, 67 km/h for Accelerat, 85 km/h for Rapid and 87 km/h for InterCity (source: CFR). Train Types CFR operates seven types of passenger train, both on Romania's territory, with rolling stock and locomotives, or internationally, with rolling stock. Also, CFR operates international trains on Romanian territory with its own locomotives. CFR train types are: - Personal (P) and Cursa (C) - the trains have assigned numbers from 2000 to 9999
- Accelerat (A)- the trains have assigned numbers from 1000 to 1999
- Rapid (R) - numbered from 200 to 499, from 600 to 999 and from 10000 to 14999
- InterCity (IC) - numbered from 500 to 599
- EuroCity (EC) - numbered as IC trains from 500 to 599
- EuroNight (EN) - numbered as IC trains from 500 to 599
- Night trains, which can be of any status
Personal and Cursa Personal and Cursa trains are the cheapest trains run by CFR. They usually operate on local routes, calling at every station and halt. No supplement is payable for travel on these trains, and seats are not usually reservable. Cursa trains are to be found on very few routes and, in any case, they are identical to Personal in terms of comfort and status. Personal trains have a reputation for being extremely slow, and, if not crowded, usually display a very rustic feel. The rolling stock used to form Personal trains is often old and spartan, consisting mostly of uncompartimented double-deckered cars for 2nd class and uncompartimented single-deckered cars for first class. Most Personal cars are painted in blue and have been built in the 1970's and 1980's. Other cars are former 1930's and 1940's express cars, refitted with bus seats and used for very short routes in Romanian Bukovina. Recently, however, many trains that were formerly of Accelerat status have been downgraded to Personal without a corresponding downgrading of quality. This has meant that there are now in effect two unofficial "classes" of Personal trains: those that travel short distances in rural areas, which remain uncomfortable and slow, and those that travel over medium distances, stopping at nearly every stop, which are more comfortable. As of 2003 all Cursa trains have been upgraded to Personal. Accelerat Accelerat trains are long-distance trains that stop only in towns or cities. They are not particularly comfortable, even though they are a little more expensive than Personal trains. Depending on the train, seats may require reservation. Of all the train types, Accelerat tend to travel the longest distances - there are routes that cross the country: for example, from Oradea to Galaţi (a huge distance) or from Timişoara to Iaşi, stopping at many stations en route. For this reason, Accelerat trains are very popular: even though they are seldom used for express travel between two large cities, they are extremely useful for cross-regional travel between smaller cities. The rolling stock is single-deckered, painted in blue, either plain or with a white horizontal stripe. All cars are compartmented, with 8 seats per compartment in second class and 6 in first class. Sleepers are available on longer routes. Rapid Rapid trains are the ones most commonly used by Romanians use to travel quickly and comfortably between main cities. Rapid trains do not travel very long distances - usually operating only on main lines and between key Romanian cities. They stop at most towns and all cities on the way. Especially recently, Rapid trains have become comfortable, with the introduction of more modern cars. The majority of Rapid trains have been refurbished to provide an attractive and comfortable travel experience. Rapid trains are of the same standard as other long-distance European trains. As of December 10 2004, new Siemens Desiro multiple units have been introduced on medium distance routes on Rapid trains. The rolling stock is single-deckered, usually painted red, with a white horizontal stripe. All cars are compartmented, first class may be air-conditioned, with 6 seats per compartment both in second class and first class. Sleepers and dining-cars are available on most long routes. InterCity InterCity is Romania's premier train status. It is the most expensive (about $5 for each 100 km, making the longest route in Romania about $30 by InterCity, while the same route using a Rapid is $28, an Accelerat $19 (CFR-July 2004)), but also by far the quickest and most comfortable. There are two main types of CFR InterCity: standard and Desiro. Desiro InterCity trains are run by modern diesel multiple units between the principal Romanian cities and stop only in sizeable cities (see CFR Development section for more information). They run mostly on middle-distance routes. Standard InterCity trains are made up of very comfortable and modern stock and run on routes similar to those of Rapid trains, usually long-distance with a large number of passangers (for example, between Bucharest and Transylvania or Bucharest and Suceava). Before early 2003, there was also a train type known as InterCityExpress (ICE), but these have been discontinued and transformed into IC, while maintaining the former ICE comfort. All IC trains are air-conditioned, and most provide complimentary newspapers and meals in first class. Due to only a very slight difference in prices between Rapid and InterCity, the latter have become the favorite mean of transport for many Romanians, especially during the holidays, so they too may become crowded. The trains are usually very comfortable, all cars being built after 1995, rivaling most western carriers premier services. In 2003, after the sleeper service for the Bucharest-Vienna IC train was taken over by the Austrian Railway Company (OBB) many complaints arose due to a decrease in comfort (source Friends of CFR). Standard Long Distance IC trains are painted in red and grey. Desiro trains are blue and white (they are known as "Sageata Albastra" - the blue arrow). Cars are compartmented, 2nd class compartments have 6 places with airplane style, plush bucket armchairs. 1st class compartments have 4 places with plush bucket seats. EuroCity and EuroNight EuroCity and EuroNight are usually not run by CFR alone, since they are all international trains. Not all international trains that come to or via Romania are EC or EN - most are usually run as Rapid trains on the territory of Romania. However, the night train from Belgrade to Bucharest is run as a EuroNight train, and there is both a EuroCity and a EuroNight train from Budapest to Bucharest via Arad. EuroCity trains are almost always comfortable and modern, even though not perhaps as comfortable as InterCity, but more similar to Rapid trains. EuroNight trains are very safe night trains of a Western European standard. CFR Development In 2003, CFR put into operation modern luxury trainsets from Siemens of Germany, with aim to connect all main cities in a modern IC network. The trainsets, known as (Siemens Desiro), were built in Germany, with some also being assembled in Arad, Romania. They are used on intercity-type trains (IC) in the following services: - Bucharest - Iaşi
- Bucharest - Ploieşti - Braşov
- Bucharest - Brăila - Galaţi
- Bucharest - Piteşti - Craiova
- Bucharest - Constanţa - Mangalia
- Bucharest - Tulcea
- Timişoara - Arad - Oradea - Cluj-Napoca
- Cluj-Napoca - Alba Iulia - Sibiu
- Cluj-Napoca - Baia Mare - Satu Mare
- Sibiu - Rmnicu Vlcea - Craiova
- Braşov - Sibiu
- Timişoara - Deva - Sibiu
- Cluj-Napoca - Bistriţa
- Reşiţa - Caransebeş - Timişoara
Overall, Bucharest, Alba Iulia, Arad, Baia Mare, Bistriţa, Brăila, Braşov, Caransebeş, Cluj-Napoca, Craiova, Constanţa, Dej, Deva, Galaţi, Iaşi, Mangalia, Oradea, Piteşti, Ploieşti, Rmnicu Vlcea, Reşiţa, Satu Mare, Sibiu, Timişoara and Tulcea are serviced, as well as a few other smaller cities. During the winter season of 2004-2005, Desiro trainsets are also used as shuttle services between Bucharest and a number of Romanian skiing resorts, such as Predeal, Sinaia and Buşteni. Desiro trainsets are now also used on Rapid status trains. Mobile Services In 2003, Connex GSM Romania, the country's largest mobile phone operator, struck a deal with CFR to provide quick mobile services to the CFR timetable and booking system. Currently, a 24-hour hotline operates where customers of Connex can call a certain three-digit number (652) and get real-time information on train routes, timetables, station platform depatures, delays, prices and ticketing information and booking of trains from Bucharest North station. Orange Romania has signed a similar agreement in early 2004. All train routes are covered by mobile operators. External link
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