Bucharest’s main railway station Gara de Nord could undergo EUR 1.5 bln modernization in Belgian partnership

Bucharest’s main train station Gara de Nord may be upgraded and turned into a transit station in a project worth EUR 1.5 billion, which could be implemented in partnership with a Belgian firm, using European funds, said George Micu, general manager of CFR SA. He did not mention the name of the Belgian firm, but he said that there will be an agreement between the Romanian and Belgian govermments for such a project. According to Micu, turning Gara de Nord train station into a transit point implies putting all railway lines underground, allowing the space to be better used for commercial purposes, as happens in all major European capitals. “The plan is to make a connection with Basarab and Progresul train stations, in order to transit through Gara de Nord. The project implies costs of over EUR 1.5 billion. It’s just a feasibility study which will be implemented only by collaborating with someone who already has such a project, that works in other capitals of the world,” said Micu, quoted by local news agency Mediafax. He also said that there is a development plan that “will be implemented little by little,” adding that the train station’s appearance has been improved recently through sanitation services, security and the recently inaugurated taxi area. Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com