ROMANIA’s Railway Reform Authority (ARF) has awarded Siemens Mobility a contract to supply 12 two-car Mireo Plus H hydrogen multiple-units. Including maintenance over 15 years, the contract is worth Lei 1.13bn ($US 260.5m.)

ARF says that the first train will be delivered within 24 months of the signing of the contract on April 28 by ARF President, Claudiu-Marinel Mureşan, and Siemens Mobility Romania general manager, Emil Gabriel Voinea. Deliveries are due to be completed within 36 months, with the new hydrogen fleet due to enter service in spring 2029.

The trains will be allocated to two of the six operators awarded PSO contracts by ARF, running until December 11 2032. Incumbent CFR Călători will receive 10 trains, distributed by route as follows:

  • Bucharest North - Târgoviște (two)
  • Pitești - Curtea de Argeș (one)
  • Bucharest North - Pitești - Craiova (three)
  • Bucharest North - Henri Coandă Airport (one), and
  • Bucharest North - Pitești route (three).

Transferoviar will receive two trains, one to be deployed on the Bucharest North - Târgoviște line and one on Bucharest Nord - Henri Coandă Airport.

Siemens says this is the first contract to be awarded to supply hydrogen-powered trains in Romania. Three previous tenders were cancelled either due to lack of bids or non-compliance. The new fleet will be based on the Siemens Mireo Plus H platform, which features a hydrogen fuel cell-based electric propulsion system complemented by battery energy storage, recharged by the fuel cell system or through regenerative braking.

According to the manufacturer, all key onboard components have been validated as part of previous hydrogen train orders, ensuring a high level of technical maturity and operational reliability. Maximum speed will be 120km/h.

Each two-car train will have 131 seats and five folding seats, and will be equipped with onboard Wi-Fi, 220V sockets, and windows optimised for mobile phone signals. Two trains will be capable of operating in multiple, and the new fleet will be equipped with the national PZB 90 intermittent automatic train protection (ATP) system as well as ETCS Level 2.

Maintenance

The full-service maintenance component of the contract has a 15-year extension option. The fleet will be maintained by Siemens personnel at a dedicated facility in Bucharest. Siemens will assume full entity in charge of maintenance (ECM) responsibility, undertaking preventive and corrective maintenance, comprehensive overhauls, and the supply of spare parts.

“Through this contract, we are not just buying trains, we are changing the direction of rail transport in Romania,” says Mureşan.

“Hydrogen trains mean clean technology, efficiency and a concrete solution for non-electrified routes, where until now the options have been limited.”

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