Rail transport in Romania
Encyclopedia
The first railway in the Kingdom of Romania
opened in 1869 and linked Bucharest
and Giurgiu
. The first railway on current Romanian territory opened in 1854, between Oraviţa
and Baziaş in Banat
, however that region was under the administration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the time.
Since then, the Romanian railway network has been significantly expanded, and is now the fourth largest in Europe
by total track length, comprising 22,298 km (13,855 mi). Of these, some 8,585 km are electrified. The route length is 10,788 km.
, the state railway company, but since 1998, a number of private companies began operations, both in passanger and/or freight transport.
Romania is a member of the International Union of Railways
(UIC). The UIC Country Code
for Romania is 53.
Kingdom of Romania
The Kingdom of Romania was the Romanian state based on a form of parliamentary monarchy between 13 March 1881 and 30 December 1947, specified by the first three Constitutions of Romania...
opened in 1869 and linked Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
and Giurgiu
Giurgiu
Giurgiu is the capital city of Giurgiu County, Romania, in the Greater Wallachia. It is situated amid mud-flats and marshes on the left bank of the Danube facing the Bulgarian city of Rousse on the opposite bank. Three small islands face the city, and a larger one shelters its port, Smarda...
. The first railway on current Romanian territory opened in 1854, between Oraviţa
Oravita
Oravița is a town in southwestern Romania, in Caraș-Severin County, with a population of 15,524 in 2000. Its theatre is a fully functional scaled down version of the Burgtheater in Vienna...
and Baziaş in Banat
Banat
The Banat is a geographical and historical region in Central Europe currently divided between three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania , the western part in northeastern Serbia , and a small...
, however that region was under the administration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the time.
Since then, the Romanian railway network has been significantly expanded, and is now the fourth largest in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
by total track length, comprising 22,298 km (13,855 mi). Of these, some 8,585 km are electrified. The route length is 10,788 km.
Operators
The network was previously monopolized by Căile Ferate RomâneCaile Ferate Române
Căile Ferate Române is the official designation of the state railway carrier of Romania. Romania has a railway network of of which are electrified and the total track length is . The network is significantly interconnected with other European railway networks, providing pan-European passenger...
, the state railway company, but since 1998, a number of private companies began operations, both in passanger and/or freight transport.
- RegiotransRegiotransRegiotrans is a private rail company headquartered in Brașov, Romania. It was founded in 2005 and is exclusively active in the passenger transport sector.-Routes:Regiotrans primarily runs local trains...
- Grup Feroviar RomânGrup Feroviar RomanGrup Feroviar Român, or simply GFR, is the largest private railway company in Romania and one of the largest in South Eastern Europe. Founded in 2001, the company owns freight operations in Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Serbia, Ukraine, Moldova, Montenegro and Mozambique, and railcar production and...
- ServtransServtransServtrans is a railway private company from Romania.The main activity is the railway transport as well as the logistics required by this sort of activity. During 2005, it realized the freight of 6% of the transported goods on the Romanian railway...
- Transferoviar GrupTransferoviar GrupTransferoviar Grup is a private railway company in Romania, founded in 2003. Initially the company only operated freight trains but in 2010 it also started passenger services.-Passenger transport:...
- Unifertrans.
Romania is a member of the International Union of Railways
International Union of Railways
The UIC , or International Union of Railways, is an international rail transport industry body.- Brief history :The railways of Europe originated as separate concerns. There were many border changes after World War I and the Treaty of Versailles. Colonial railways were the responsibility of the...
(UIC). The UIC Country Code
UIC Country Code
The UIC Country Code is a two digit number used to identify member countries of the International Union of Railways . The UIC has issued numbering systems for rolling stock and train stations that both contain the UIC Country Code. The values are defined in UIC leaflet 920-14.-Table of Codes:-...
for Romania is 53.
Rail links with adjacent countries
- Same gauge:
-
Hungary Hungary - yes - Multiple crossings (from North to South - Carei, Valea lui MihaiValea lui MihaiValea lui Mihai is a town in Romania.-Geography:It is located around 66 km north-east of Oradea, 9 km from the Hungarian border in Bihor County, western Transylvania, Romania.-History:...
, Episcopia Bihor, SalontaSalontaSalonta is a city in Bihor County, Transylvania, Romania, near the Hungarian border.-Population:According to the last Romanian census from 2002, the city has a population of 18,074, made up of Hungarians , Romanians , Roma , and others .In terms of religion, 51.12% are Reformed , 36.46% Romanian...
, CurticiCurticiCurtici is a town located in Arad County, far western Romania. The town is situated at a 21 km distance from the county capital Arad, in the western part of Arad County. It is the most important railway meeting point of Central Europe with the western part of Romania...
. Multiple daily passenger frequencies to BudapestBudapestBudapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
and beyond (ViennaViennaVienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, PraguePraguePrague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
) from BucharestBucharestBucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
and from many cities within TransylvaniaTransylvaniaTransylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
. No voltage issues, both railroad systems electrified at 25 kVVoltThe volt is the SI derived unit for electric potential, electric potential difference, and electromotive force. The volt is named in honor of the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta , who invented the voltaic pile, possibly the first chemical battery.- Definition :A single volt is defined as the...
, 50 HzHertzThe hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications....
AC (electrified crossing at CurticiCurticiCurtici is a town located in Arad County, far western Romania. The town is situated at a 21 km distance from the county capital Arad, in the western part of Arad County. It is the most important railway meeting point of Central Europe with the western part of Romania...
/LokoshazaLokösházaLőkösháza is a village in Békés County, in the Southern Great Plain region of southeast Hungary.-Geography:It covers an area of and has a population of 2044 ....
only). -
Serbia Serbia - yes - crossings at JimboliaJimboliaJimbolia is a town in Timiş county, Romania. In 2004, it had a population of 11,605.-History:The earliest record of a community in this location is a place identified as Chumbul in a papal tax record in 1333. This place came under Turkish administration in 1552. As a result of the Treaty of...
and Stamora Moraviţa. Daily service from BucharestBucharestBucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
to BelgradeBelgradeBelgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
via TimişoaraTimisoaraTimișoara is the capital city of Timiș County, in western Romania. One of the largest Romanian cities, with an estimated population of 311,586 inhabitants , and considered the informal capital city of the historical region of Banat, Timișoara is the main social, economic and cultural center in the...
. No voltage issues (crossings are not electrified). -
Kingdom of Bulgaria Bulgaria - yes - crossings at GiurgiuGiurgiuGiurgiu is the capital city of Giurgiu County, Romania, in the Greater Wallachia. It is situated amid mud-flats and marshes on the left bank of the Danube facing the Bulgarian city of Rousse on the opposite bank. Three small islands face the city, and a larger one shelters its port, Smarda...
and Negru VodăNegru VodaNegru Vodă is a town in Constanţa County, Dobruja, south-eastern Romania.The name is probably derived from the legendary Radu Negru , founder and ruler of Wallachia.It has an area of .-Villages:...
. Daily passenger service to SofiaSofiaSofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
and beyond (AthensAthensAthens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
and IstanbulIstanbulIstanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
) from BucharestBucharestBucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
. No voltage issues (crossings are not electrified). A new crossing between the two countries will open in 2012 between CalafatCalafatCalafat is a city in Dolj County, Romania, on the river Danube, opposite the Bulgarian city of Vidin, to which it is linked by ferryboat. The construction of the Calafat-Vidin Bridge is planned between the two cities....
and VidinVidinVidin is a port town on the southern bank of the Danube in northwestern Bulgaria. It is close to the borders with Serbia and Romania, and is also the administrative centre of Vidin Province, as well as of the Metropolitan of Vidin...
, this crossing will be electrified.
-
- Break-of-gaugeBreak-of-gaugeWith railways, a break-of-gauge occurs where a line of one gauge meets a line of a different gauge. Trains and rolling stock cannot run through without some form of conversion between gauges, and freight and passengers must otherwise be transloaded...
:-
Ukraine Ukraine - yes - Break-of-gauge /. Crossings at Vicşani, Valea Vişeului and Câmpulung-la-Tisa (including bogie conversion systemsBogie exchangeBogie exchange is a system for operating railway wagons on two or more gauges to overcome difference in the track gauge. To perform a bogie exchange, a car is converted from one gauge to another by removing the chassis containing the wheels and axles of the car, and installing a new chassis with...
). Dual gaugeDual gaugeA dual-gauge or mixed-gauge railway has railway track that allows trains of different gauges to use the same track. Generally, a dual-gauge railway consists of three rails, rather than the standard two rails. The two outer rails give the wider gauge, while one of the outer rails and the inner rail...
(4 rail) track exists between Tereseva (Ukraine)/Câmpulung-la-Tisa - Sighetu MarmaţieiSighetu MarmatieiSighetu Marmației , formerly Sighet, is a city in Maramureş County near the Iza River, in north-western Romania. It administers five villages: Iapa, Lazu Baciului, Șugău, Valea Cufundoasă and Valea Hotarului.-Geography:...
- Valea Vişeului, going back into UkraineUkraineUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. Ukrainian trains (both freight and passenger services) occasionally use this route without stopping within Romania. International passenger services exists between BucharestBucharestBucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
and KievKievKiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
(and onwards to MoscowMoscowMoscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
) via Vicşani (operated by CFR, with UZUkrzaliznytsiaUkrzaliznytsia , also known as Ukrainian Railways, is the State Administration of Railroad Transportation in Ukraine, monopoly that controls vast majority of the railroad transportation in the country with a combined total length of track of over 23,000 km, which makes Ukrainian railroad...
and RZD cars) and between Sighetu MarmaţieiSighetu MarmatieiSighetu Marmației , formerly Sighet, is a city in Maramureş County near the Iza River, in north-western Romania. It administers five villages: Iapa, Lazu Baciului, Șugău, Valea Cufundoasă and Valea Hotarului.-Geography:...
and Tereseva (operated by UZUkrzaliznytsiaUkrzaliznytsia , also known as Ukrainian Railways, is the State Administration of Railroad Transportation in Ukraine, monopoly that controls vast majority of the railroad transportation in the country with a combined total length of track of over 23,000 km, which makes Ukrainian railroad...
). No voltage issues (crossings are not electrified). -
Moldova Moldova - yes - Break-of-gauge /. Crossings and bogie changersBogie exchangeBogie exchange is a system for operating railway wagons on two or more gauges to overcome difference in the track gauge. To perform a bogie exchange, a car is converted from one gauge to another by removing the chassis containing the wheels and axles of the car, and installing a new chassis with...
exist at UngheniUngheni----Ungheni is the seventh largest city in Moldova and, since 2003, the seat of Ungheni District.There is a bridge across the Prut and a border checkpoint to Romania. There is another border town with the same name in Romania , on the other side of the Prut River.- History :The first historical...
-PrutPrutThe Prut is a long river in Eastern Europe. In part of its course it forms the border between Romania and Moldova.-Overview:...
and GalaţiGalatiGalați is a city and municipality in Romania, the capital of Galați County. Located in the historical region of Moldavia, in the close vicinity of Brăila, Galați is the largest port and sea port on the Danube River and the second largest Romanian port....
-ReniReni-People:* Guido Reni , Italian Baroque painter* Alan Wren , nicknamed Reni, drummer for The Stone Roses* Reni Mimura, a Japanese pop singer who is known for using cosplay in her performances....
. No voltage issues (None of the tracks of the Moldovan Railways are electrified). Daily passenger service to ChişinăuChisinauChișinău is the capital and largest municipality of Moldova. It is also its main industrial and commercial centre and is located in the middle of the country, on the river Bîc...
from Bucharest. Multiple daily services from IaşiIasiIași is the second most populous city and a municipality in Romania. Located in the historical Moldavia region, Iași has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Romanian social, cultural, academic and artistic life...
.
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See also
- Căile Ferate RomâneCaile Ferate RomâneCăile Ferate Române is the official designation of the state railway carrier of Romania. Romania has a railway network of of which are electrified and the total track length is . The network is significantly interconnected with other European railway networks, providing pan-European passenger...
- Grup Feroviar RomanGrup Feroviar RomanGrup Feroviar Român, or simply GFR, is the largest private railway company in Romania and one of the largest in South Eastern Europe. Founded in 2001, the company owns freight operations in Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Serbia, Ukraine, Moldova, Montenegro and Mozambique, and railcar production and...
- RegiotransRegiotransRegiotrans is a private rail company headquartered in Brașov, Romania. It was founded in 2005 and is exclusively active in the passenger transport sector.-Routes:Regiotrans primarily runs local trains...
- International Railway SystemsInternational Railway SystemsInternational Railway Systems is a Romanian rail company based in Luxembourg and it is the largest European freight railroad car producer with a production capacity exceeding 5,000 units per year....