Romania's railway operator CFR signs EUR 900 mln contracts to refurbish railway sections

Romania’s railway operator CFR has signed two contracts totaling EUR 900 million with the joint venture of Astaldi, FCC Construccion, Salcef and Thales to refurbish two railway sections from the Curtici – Simeria segment, which is part of the Pan-European Corridor IV. The winning companies will refurbish about 78 kilometers of railway, will build or modernize 28 bridges, two of which will cross the Mures river, and a tunnel with a length of 603 meters. Following the refurbishing work, trains will be able to travel at a speed of 160 km per hour on these sections. The money comes from non-reimbursable EU funds and from the state budget. The Pan-European Corridor IV is about 2,000 kilometers long. It connects the German cities of Dresden and Nuremberg with the Turkish capital Istanbul crossing the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria. The Romanian segment is about 800 kilometers and stretches between Curtici and Constanta, on the route Curtici - Arad - Simeria - Sighisoara - Brasov - Bucharest - Constanta. The railway operator CFR recorded a profit of RON 400-500 million (EUR 88-109 million) last year, according to the company’s general director Marius Chiper. The company receives subsidies of over RON 1 billion (EUR 220 million) every year, but its actual needs are higher, Chiper said. editor@romania-insider.com