Overview

Website of the Romanian Railway

Căile Ferate Române as the CFR is the state railway carrier of Romania. As of 2014, the railway network of Romania consists of 10,777 km (6,697 mi), of which 4,029 km (2,504 mi) (37.4%) are electrified. The total track length is 22,247 km (13, 824 mi), of which 8,585 km (5,334 mi) (38.5%) are electrified. The CIA World Factbook lists Romania with the 23rd largest railway network in the world. The network is significantly interconnected with other European railway networks, providing pan-European passenger and freight services. CFR as an entity has been operating since 1880, even though the first railway on current Romanian territory was opened in 1854. CFR is divided into four autonomous companies:

• CFR Călători, responsible for passenger services;
• CFR Marfă, responsible for freight transport;
• CFR Infrastructură or CFR S.A., manages the infrastructure on the Romanian railway network; and
• Societatea Feroviară de Turism, or SFT, which manages scenic and tourist railways.

CFR is headquartered in Bucharest and has regional divisions centered in Bucharest, Brașov, Cluj-Napoca, Constanța, Craiova, Galați, Iași, and Timișoara. Its International Union of Railways code is 53-CFR.

Romania is linked by rail with all neighboring countries.

Same gauge:

• Bulgaria
• Hungary
• Serbia

Break-of-gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)/1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in):

• Ukraine
• Moldova

Railway Companies and Consortia

The network used to be operated by Căile Ferate Române, the state railway company, but since 1998, a number of private companies have begun operations in passenger and/or freight transport.

The full list of Passenger Operators and contact details can be found here.

Freight Services

Freight services in Romania are operated mostly by CFR Marfă, the freight division of CFR, as well as by 28 other private companies who operate on lines leased from CFR Infrastructure. The CFR Marfă fleet is made up of 987 locomotives, most of which were built in Romania or the former Yugoslavia. The full list of Cargo Operators and contact details can be found here.

Service Infrastructure Tarif System

Official tarif system applicable on Romanian railways can be found here.

Official tarif system for CFR can be found here.

Capacity Table

Electric Locomotives

Most of the electric locomotives employed by CFR were built by Electroputere Craiova (known as EA-type) and Rade Končar Zagreb (known as EC-type). All are built for standard gauge (1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)) and run using a catenary wire at 50 Hz 25 kV AC. All trains have electric heating. CFR owns 1,066 electric locomotives, 933 of which were built by Electroputere (Class 40, 41, 42) and 133 built by Končar (Class 43, 44, 46).

Diesel Locomotives

CFR's diesel locomotives have been built by Electroputere Craiova (classes 60 to 68) and FAUR Bucharest (classes 69 to 95).

Classes 60 and 62 have as prime mover a twin-bank cylinder Sulzer 12LDA28 diesel engine rated at 2100 hp@750rpm, being derated from its nominal power by a smaller turbocharger and a lower max rpm. The difference between classes 60 and 62 is that the class 62 features traction motors certified and capable of pulling passenger coaches at 120 km/h instead of the 100 km/h allowed for class 60.

Classes 63 and 65 are modified by replacing Sulzer engines with 2 stroke 8 cylinders EMD 8-710G which develop 2150 hp at crankshaft at 900 rpm, the generators were replaced with alternators and DC traction motors were replaced with new ones. Class 63 has a max speed of 120 km/h while class 65 is limited to 100 km/h. 63 and 65 are in service for CFR Călători only for passenger coaches' traction. 63 and 65 do not feature Dynamic Braking Systems available in North America.

Key Internal Route Information

Key Cargo Stations

Romanian railways have been used for goods importation heavily during the communist era, which have made the main stations accessible for Cargo and Passenger movement as well. The stations reported below are the main stations for Cargo handling. The table below also informs on the possibility to use them for Passenger transport should it be required. Full list of Cargo handling adapted stations can be found here.

All stations marked as I Grade can accommodate up to 20 wagon trains (combination of both 20ft and 40ft).

It is highly recommended to use freight forwarders / commercial rail operators to move cargo by train through Romania and into neighbouring countries. Typically, the operator will inform on best way to setup the loading and unloading, as well as calculate the most efficient routes for the desired destination.

Full list of storage capacity, service providers, loading and unloading capacity and contact information is available here.

Key Rail Border Crossing Information

Travel Time Matrix

The travel times are estimated on Passenger train travel times, as they usually have priority on Romanian railways. For cargo transportation, a considerable delay from the data reported in the below table (in hours) is to be expected.

Port Capacity and Intermodal Transportation Information

Technical details on all Romanian ports, their intermodal operability and link to Railway Infrastructure can be found here.

Additional Information and Normative Guidance

Additional information and normative guidance on access to the National Railway Infrastructure can be found here.