Bucharest’s railway link to the airport could be put into operation in December, transport minister says

Transport minister Lucian Bode believes that the new railway line connecting Bucharest’s largest train station Gara de Nord to the Henri Coanda International Airport in Otopeni will be put into operation on December 12, local Agerpres reported.

“The distance between Gara de Nord and Otopeni is 19.5 km. The railway line on the 8 km between Mogosoaia and Balotesti is modernized, we will have a double line. There is also that 3-km long segment that is being built from scratch,” Bode explained.

“We believe that, with the new train timetable from December 12, from Gara de Nord to Otopeni, or from Otopeni to Gara de Nord, we will cover the 19.5 km in 15-17 minutes,” the transport minister also said.

Railway infrastructure company CFR Infrastructura announced a few days ago that the railway link between Gara de Nord and Otopeni Airport is 97% completed. This railway connection was one of the requirements Bucharest had to meet to host EURO 2020 matches.

The project’s value is RON 398 mln (EUR 82.4 mln) and was mainly financed with EU funds. Arcada Company, Wiebe, and Alstom are the contractors for this project.

(Photo source:CFR Infrastructura Facebook page / photo by Oana Branzan)