Căile Ferate Române (Romanian Railways, abbreviated as CFR) is the official designation of the state railway carrier of Romania. CFR manages the fourth-largest railway network in Europe, in terms of volume of passengers and freight. The network is significantly interconnected with other European railway networks, providing pan-European passenger and freight services. Logo of Caile Ferate Romane - CFR - Romanian Railways. ... A state is an organized political community occupying a definite territory, having an organized government, and possessing internal and external sovereignty. ... A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ...

Technically, CFR is divided into three autonomous companies:

• CFR Călători (passenger carrier)
• CFR Marfă (freight carrier)
• CFR Infrastructură (infrastructure managament and maintanence)
• Societatea Feroviară de Turism, or SFT (Railway Tourism Society)

CFR is headquartered in Bucharest, Romania, and has regional divisions in the following Romanian cities: Cluj-Napoca, Craiova, Iaşi and Braşov. Its international UIC code is 53-CFR. Bucharest (population 2. ... Map of Romania showing Cluj_Napoca Cluj_Napoca (Hungarian: Kolozsvár, German: Klausenburg, Latin: Claudiopolis), the seat of Cluj county, is one of the most important academic, cultural and industrial centers in Romania. ... Craiova (formerly known as Krajova) is a Romanian city, the capital of the county of Dolj, situated near the left bank of the river Jiu. ... Map of Romania showing Iasi IaÅŸi (also known as Jassy) is a city and a county (see Iasi (county)) in north-eastern Romania, in the historic region of Moldavia. ... BraÅŸov (Hungarian: Brassó, German: Kronstadt) is a city in Romania, residence of BraÅŸov county. ... UIC may refer to: University of Illinois at Chicago Union Internationale des Chemins de Fer (translation: International Union of Railways) UEFA_Intertoto_Cup This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Partial privatisation

Although passenger railway services are not a state monopoly in Romania, CFR remains the only passenger carrier operating at a national level. However, starting in the 1990s, around 10% of Romanian railway tracks have been leased to private companies. Known as non-interoperational tracks, these include the Zărneşti-Braşov and Ploieşti-Maneciu lines. While the tracks are not owned by CFR, the passenger trains running on these lines are operated by CFR Călători. Aside from CFR Călători, 12 other companies provide local passenger services, even though none of these services exceed 40 km in line length. 28 private companies, including Petromidia and Servtrans, operate freigh transport services with their own rolling stock, on lines leased from CFR. ZărneÅŸti (Hungarian: Zernest, German: Zernescht) is a town in BraÅŸov county, Transylvania, Romania, with a population of 26,520. ... BraÅŸov (Hungarian: Brassó, German: Kronstadt) is a city in Romania, residence of BraÅŸov county. ... PloieÅŸti on the map of Romania PloieÅŸti (older spelling: PloeÅŸti) is a city in Prahova county in the Wallachia region of Romania, 56 km (35 miles) north of Bucharest, with a population of about 250,000. ...

Passenger services

CFR Călători, the passenger service division of CFR, operates seven types of passenger train, both on Romania's territory, with rolling stock and locomotives, or internationally, with rolling stock. Also, CFR operates international trains on Romanian territory with its own locomotives. The train types vary in terms of speed and type of rolling stock. There are various types of trains designed for particular purposes, see rail transport operations. ... A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train, and has no payload capacity of its own; its sole purpose is to move the train along the tracks. ...

CFR train types are:

• Personal (P) - the trains have assigned numbers from 2000 to 9999
• Accelerat (A) - the trains have assigned numbers from 1000 to 1999
• Rapid (R) - numbered from 200 to 499, from 600 to 999 and from 10000 to 14999
• InterCity (IC) - numbered from 500 to 599
• EuroCity (EC) - numbered as IC trains from 500 to 599
• EuroNight (EN) - numbered as IC trains from 500 to 599
• Special (S) - tourist trains operated on scenic routes with vintage rolling stock, numbered from S1 to S9

Aside from the seven main train types, CFR also operates night trains, which can be of any status (usually Rapid, InterCity or EuroNight). Freigh trains, operated by CFR Marfă, have a different numbering system.

Personal

Personal trains, sometimes known as commuter trains, are the most abundant type of train on the CFR passenger network. They are used for two main purposes, as shuttle, or commuter, trains, linking towns with neighbouring villages, and linking neighbouring cities with each other. A Connex commuter train stands by the platform in Melbourne, Australia Regional rail systems, or commuter rail systems, usually provide a rail service through a central business district area into suburbs or other locations that draw large numbers of people on a daily basis. ...

Personal trains have the lowest average speed (34.3 km/h in 2004) and the least-comfortable (usually oldest) rolling stock, and have a reputation for being very slow, crowded and generally unkempt. Personal trains operate mostly on local routes and stop at every station. Train fares for this type are the cheapest, since no supplement is paid, only the base fee, based on distance. Seats are usually not reservable.

The rolling stock on Personal trains differs widely. On routes that neighbouring cities with each other (such as Bucharest and Piteşti), the quality of the rolling stock is much better than those services which provide a shuttle link between cities and rural areas (such as the Timişoara-Berzovia line). Bucharest (population 2. ... PiteÅŸti (population: 168,000) is a city in ArgeÅŸ county of the Wallachia region of Romania, on the ArgeÅŸ river. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

Most Personal rolling stock of uncomparimented single and double-deckered cars. Some train services of this type, especially on rural routes, only have 2nd class rolling stock (i.e. there are no 1st class carriages). The livery of most Personal cars is painted in blue, with the rolling stock built in the 1970s and 1980s. Some very short rural routes in Romania's Bukovina region use rolling stock from the 1940s and 1950s, refitted with bus seats and operating like railbuses. CFR is currently refurbishing a range of double-decker Personal cars. The refurbished cars, introduced in 2005, have much better levels of comfort. Bukovina (Bucovina in Romanian; Буковина, Bukovyna in Ukrainian; Buchenland or Bukowina in German; Bukowina in Polish, Bukovina in Hungarian), on the slopes of the Carpathian Mountains, comprises an historic province now split between Romania and Ukraine. ... Not to be confused with Railroad car A railcar is a self-propelled rail vehicle designed to transport passengers. ...

Accelerat

Accelerat trains (accelerated trains) are used for medium- and long-distance services that stop only in towns or cities. Accelerat trains use better rolling stock than Personal trains, and have higher speeds. They are also more expensive, requiring the payment of a supplement alongside the base fee. Some services of the Accelerat type require a reservation. Accelerat trains are also used for cross-regional long-distance routes (for example, Oradea to Galaţi, a distance of more than 830 km). Despite the long distances, Accelerat trains tend to stop in every town (even though they bypass villages) and hence are very popular, though they are seldom used for express travel between two large cities. Oradea (Hungarian: Nagyvárad, sometimes Várad; German: Großwardein) is a city located in the county of Bihor (BH), in Transylvania, Romania. ... GalaÅ£i is a city in eastern Romania, on the banks of the Danube, very close to Braila. ...

The Accelerat rolling stock is formed mostly of single-deckered cars, of the old Y type, painted in blue, either plain or with a white horizontal stripe. All cars are compartmented, with 8 seats per compartment in second class and 6 in first class. Rolling stock is of poorer quality than Rapid and InterCity trains, and Accelerat trains have a reputation for being overcrowded and dirty due to the long distances in which they travel and the relatively frequent stops they make.

CFR is currently undergoing a modernisation process for Accelerat services. It plans to introduce a new double-decker car for medium-distance, highly-used Accelerat routes. Desiro trainsets have also been introduced on medium-distance Accelerat routes in Transylvania. Longer-distance Accelerat trains often have couchettes, though rarely do they have sleepers. Desiro is a modular train series manufactured by Siemens of Germany. ... Transylvania (Romanian: Transilvania or Ardeal, Hungarian: Erdély, German: Siebenbürgen, Serbian: Transilvanija, Turkish: Erdel, Slovak: Sedmohradsko or Transylvánia, Polish: Siedmiogród) forms the western and central parts of Romania. ...

Rapid

Rapid trains are quite significantly faster and more comfortable than Accelerat and Personal trains, and are the ones most commonly used for long-distance express travel between major Romanian cities. Rapid trains operate only on main lines between key population centres, making stops only in major towns and cities. Unlike Accelerat trains, they don't provide cross-regional long distance services, instead focussing on highly-travelled routes and making little stops.

Rolling stock on Rapid trains has recently been the target of CFR's modernisation plan. Various classes of cars have been refurbished, and fitted with air-conditioning, ecological toilets, etc. Some Rapid rolling stock, however, remains fairly aged and outdated. As of 2004, Siemens Desiro DMUs have been introduced on medium-distance Rapid routes. Most Rapid rolling stock is painted in red, usually with a white horizontal stripe. All cars are compartmented and first class is usually air-conditioned, with 6 seats per compartment both in second class and first class. Sleepers, couchettes and dining-cars are available on most long routes. Siemens AG (NYSE: SI) is the worlds largest electronics company. ... Desiro is a modular train series manufactured by Siemens of Germany. ...

InterCity

A refurbished InterCity train in the grey and red livery at Arad station in May 2003

InterCity (IC) is CFR's premier train type and is used for express services between major cities, as well as shuttle services between Bucharest and the Black Sea coast and the Carpathian mountain resorts of Sinaia and Predeal. InterCity trains typically only stop in large cities (generally of over 100,000 inhabitants). InterCity trains are the fastest out of all the train types, having an average speed of 87 km/h in 2004, and also use the most modern and comfortable rolling stock, rivalling the premier services of other European carriers. Due to this, InterCity prices include a significant supplement alongside the base fee. However, due to the fact that IC services are only slightly more expensive than Rapid services, InterCity trains have become very popular for both travellers and businesspeople. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x768, 143 KB) InterCity train in Romania (Arad station). ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x768, 143 KB) InterCity train in Romania (Arad station). ... Arad (population: 172,824) is a city in Arad county, Transylvania, in the west part of Romania. ... Satellite view of the Black Sea, taken by NASA MODIS Cities of the Black Sea The Black Sea (known as the Euxine Sea in antiquity) is an inland sea between southeastern Europe and Asia Minor. ... Sinaia Monastery Sinaia (population: 14,636) is a Romanian mountain resort and town in Prahova county. ... Predeal (Hungarian: Predeál) (population:6,735) is a city in Romania, in Braşov county. ...

There are two main types of InterCity rolling stock: standard and Desiro. The standard InterCity rolling stock is either new or refurbished (all IC rolling stock was built after 1995), with air-conditioning and plush bucket armchairs, as well as complementary newspapers, free meals and airplane-like service in first class. These trains generally have a reputation for their high levels of comfort, cleanliness and service. The InterCity standard livery is usually grey and red, especially in the case of the C160-class rolling stock, which is the newest type. Most InterCity rolling stock is compartmented, even though recently there has been a trend to abolish compartments in the process of refurbishing cars. High-passenger and international IC services, such as the Bucharest-Constanţa route, use the Romanian-built Astra AVA-200 cars, which have a maximum speed of 200 km/h and are the most comfortable rolling stock in the CFR fleet. In fact, according to Friends of CFR, a Romanian railway journal, there was a considerable downgrading in quality when the Bucharest-Vienna IC service switched from being operated by CFR to being run by Australian Railways (ÖBB) in 2003, leading to numerous complaints that the route should revert back to CFR cars instead of Austrian ÖBB cars. ConstanÅ£a (old names: Kustendji, Kustendja, Köstence, Constantza) is a seaport on the Black Sea and the capital of ConstanÅ£a county, Romania. ... Bucharest (population 2. ... Vienna (German: Wien [viːn]) is the capital of Austria, and also one of Austrias nine federal states (Bundesland Wien). ... Logo of the Austrian Federal Railways, ÖBB ÖBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen - Austrian Federal Railways) is the national railway system of Austria. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Desiro rolling stock, coloured in blue and white, which uses DMUs, is used for shorter-distance IC services, usually with only one or two intermiary stops (for example, the Sibiu-Braşov route). They are also used on non-electrified routes. As of 2005, Desiro trainsets are used on the following IC routes: Desiro is a modular train series manufactured by Siemens of Germany. ... A diesel multiple unit can be: a multiple unit powered by a diesel engine; one or more of these form a passenger train; a combination of diesel powered locomotives operating under the control of one engine-driver, coupled together consecutively, usually at the head end of the train, which further... Sibiu (Hungarian: Nagyszeben, German: Hermannstadt) is a city in Transylvania, Romania with a population of 170,000. ... BraÅŸov (Hungarian: Brassó, German: Kronstadt) is a city in Romania, residence of BraÅŸov county. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

• Bucharest - Iaşi
• Bucharest - Bacău - Suceava
• Bucharest - Ploieşti - Braşov
• Bucharest - Brăila - Galaţi
• Bucharest - Piteşti - Craiova
• Bucharest - Constanţa - Mangalia
• Bucharest - Tulcea
• Timişoara - Arad - Oradea - Cluj-Napoca
• Cluj-Napoca - Alba Iulia - Sibiu
• Cluj-Napoca - Baia Mare - Satu Mare
• Sibiu - Râmnicu Vâlcea - Craiova
• Braşov - Sibiu
• Timişoara - Deva - Sibiu
• Reşiţa - Caransebeş - Timişoara

Some IC services run at night and therefore contain sleepers. Older sleeper rolling stock uses the red livery, while the new sleepers are painted in the blue-yellow-white "night" livery.

Before early 2003, there was also a train type known as InterCityExpress (ICE), which ran from Bucharest to Constanţa, but these have been discontinued and transformed into IC, while maintaining the same rolling stock.

EuroCity and EuroNight

A new CFR sleeper car in the EuroNight 371 train from Budapest to Bucharest

EuroCity (EC) and EuroNight (EN) are international trains which are usually run by CFR in partnership with another national carrier, depending on the origin and destination of the route. There trains are part of the pan-European express railway network. Not all international trains that come to or via Romania are of EC or EN type — most are usually run as Rapid trains on the territory of Romania. However, the night train from Belgrade to Bucharest is run as a EuroNight train, and there is both a EuroCity and a EuroNight train from Budapest to Bucharest via Arad. EuroCity trains are almost always comfortable and modern, even though not perhaps as comfortable as InterCity, since they generally use the same rolling stock as Rapid trains. EuroNight trains use modern sleepers and have a generally good safety record. Image File history File links CFR 50 53 71-31 061-4 WLABmee sleeping car in new livery at Budapest Keleti station, in train EN371 Ister Budapest-Bucuresti. ... Image File history File links CFR 50 53 71-31 061-4 WLABmee sleeping car in new livery at Budapest Keleti station, in train EN371 Ister Budapest-Bucuresti. ... EuroCity, abbreviated EC, denotes a train service within the European inter-city rail network. ... Belgrade (Serbian, Београд, Beograd   listen?), is the capital (2003–) of Serbia since 1404, Serbia and Montenegro and Yugoslavia (1918–2003). ... Bucharest (population 2. ... Budapest (pronounced or ), the capital city of Hungary and the countrys principal political, industrial, commercial and transportation centre, has more than 1. ... Bucharest (population 2. ... Arad (population: 172,824) is a city in Arad county, Transylvania, in the west part of Romania. ...

The CFR operates several different types of sleeping cars in EuroNight and other night trains. In international trains, the sleeping cars built by Deutsche Waggonbau AG around 1990 are preferred as these have a good level of comfort and showers. They are currently undergoing serious refurbishment to comply with international standards. In addition, several older types of sleeping cars (WLAB33, T2S) were recently bought second hand from Germany; these are being modernized and mostly used inside Romania and to the neighbour countries. They have replaced the archaic OSShD-B/Y sleeping cars previously used in these services. The interior of a Pullman car on the Chicago and Alton Railroad circa 1900. ... 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Speeds

Săgeata Albastra (Blue Arrow) InterCity train in Piteşti station

The speed limit for all trains in Romania is 160 km/h, although the only sectors trains run at that speeds are Bucharest-Câmpina and Bucharest-Constanţa and the only trains allowed to go that fast are those of InterCity and Rapid type. All other trains have a general speed limit of 120 km/h. Average operating speeds (including all stops in stations) according to CFR, were in 2004: Download high resolution version (1200x1600, 171 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (1200x1600, 171 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Bucharest (population 2. ... Câmpina is a city in Prahova county, Romania. ... Bucharest (population 2. ... ConstanÅ£a (old names: Kustendji, Kustendja, Köstence, Constantza) is a seaport on the Black Sea and the capital of ConstanÅ£a county, Romania. ...

• 34.3 km/h for Personal trains
• 67 km/h for Accelerat trains
• 85 km/h for Rapid trains
• 87 km/h for InterCity trains

Freight trains have no specific speed limitations, although hazardous materials, explosive, nuclear, flammable, chemical or otherwise dangerous trains have a special regime.

The longest train route, as of 2005, is the one between Suceava, in the north-east, and Timişoara, in the south-west, takes 15 hours with an Accelerat-type train. The longest route for an InterCity train (Oradea – Constanţa) takes 12 hours to complete. Suceava (German Suczawa, Yiddish שאָץ Shots; population 106,000) is a city in the Suceava county, Bucovina, Romania. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Oradea (Hungarian: Nagyvárad, sometimes Várad; German: Großwardein) is a city located in the county of Bihor (BH), in Transylvania, Romania. ... ConstanÅ£a (old names: Kustendji, Kustendja, Köstence, Constantza) is a seaport on the Black Sea and the capital of ConstanÅ£a county, Romania. ...

Modernisation

In the early 2000s, CFR embarked on a comprehensive modernisation programme in order to improve its image, which was, both internationally and domestically, plagued by reports of poor service and outdated rolling stock. The first phases of the modernisation included a refurbishment of a large number of Rapid and InterCity rolling stock, as well as a general expansion of IC services to form a Romania-wide express network. Saddam Hussein shortly after his capture Major controversy over U.S. presidential election, 2000 September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on New Yorks World Trade Center and Virginias Pentagon killing almost 3000 people. ...

To strengthen the growth of the Romanian IC network, CFR acquired in 2003 several new Siemens Desiro trainsets, some of which were assembled in Arad, Romania. Nicknamed "Sageata Albastră" (Blue Arrow), they are used on Accelerat, Rapid and InterCity services for short and medium distances. The Desiro trainsets were used as the icons of CFR's modernisation, despite criticism that CFR shouldn't have used the Desiro trainsets, which are diesel multiple units, on mainline express services, as they are designed mainly for short-distance commuter rail, as seen by their fairly hard seating. To this date, CFR continues to use Desiro trains on medium-distance routes, even though it has replaced them on several long-distance routes by other refurbished rolling stock. 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Siemens AG (NYSE: SI) is the worlds largest electronics company. ... Desiro is a modular train series manufactured by Siemens of Germany. ... Arad (population: 172,824) is a city in Arad county, Transylvania, in the west part of Romania. ... Diesel multiple units (DMUs) are regional rail cars which contain both passenger accommodations and propulsion. ...

Aside from the Desiro, CFR has also bought in the past few years 80 new sleeper cars (WLABmee type), couchettes, InterCity cars, as well as double-decker cars to use on Accelerat and Rapid trains of a high volume of passengers. The new CFR sleepers are currently some of the most modern in Europe, having air-conditioning, LCD screens and modern showers in each compartment.

Apart from improvements in rolling stock, CFR has also bought or modernised several locomotive classes, including the widespread Class 40 and Class 41 electric locomotives. It also bought 10 new Siemens Taurus locomotives to be used on Rapid and InterCity services.

CFR services continue to improve, with the company currently reaching a turning point in its business strategy. However, some people have raised concerns that CFR, which has not reached profitability yet, does not have the means to finance ongoing infrastructural modernisation, especially in the context of a government that is keener to develop road infrastructure at the expense of railways.

Technological development

Part of the CFR modernisation programme is the XSELL programme, which seeks to establish a Romania-wide electronic ticketing system. It is to be noted that while Romanian railway services have improved significantly in the past decade and now comply to European standards, the ticketing system remains very antiquated, still using cardboard tokens instead of electronic tickets. The XSELL programme was launched at Bucharest North station in late 2004, and is expected to be unveiled in major railway stations throughout the country, in late 2005. Gara de Nord in the 1920s Gara de Nord (North Station) is the main railway station in Bucharest and the largest railway station in Romania. ...

In 2003, Connex GSM Romania, the country's largest mobile phone operator, struck a deal with CFR to provide quick mobile services to the CFR timetable and booking system. Currently, a 24-hour hotline operates where customers of Connex can call a certain three-digit number (652) and get real-time information on train routes, timetables, station platform depatures, delays, prices and ticketing information and booking of trains from Bucharest North station. Orange Romania has signed a similar agreement in early 2004. 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Connex GSM is one of Romanias two largest mobile phone network operators. ... Orange Romania is Romanias largest GSM network operator. ...

External link

• Official site of the Căile Ferate Române