Bucharest-Craiova railway journey time to drop by 33% after EUR 240 mln works

The distance between Bucharest and Craiova (209km) will be covered by rail in two hours and 19 minutes (33% down from three hours and 31 minutes currently), at a maximum speed of 120 km/h, after the completion of the “Quick Wins” repair works and the renewal of the railway superstructure scheduled for completion in February 2025, according to a press release of the National Railway Company CFR SA.

The contracts, signed by the Bucharest and Craiova regional branches between December 2022 and December 2023, have a total value of RON 1.2 billion (EUR 240 million), excluding VAT.

The financing is provided from non-refundable PNRR (Resilience Facility) funds, G4media.ro reported.

At present, on the railway network that transits the counties of Ilfov, Dâmboviţa, Argeş, Olt, and Dolj, 44 Quick Wins type repair and renewal contracts of the railway superstructure are in progress, for a total length of 348.3 km of railway, to increase the maximum traffic speed to 120 km/h, on the two sections that ensure the connection between Bucharest and Craiova, via Videle and Piteşti, respectively.

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