PORR, Germany, has been awarded a Leu 2.14bn ($US 491.7m) design and build contract by Romania’s infrastructure manager, CFR, to upgrade the 226km Craiova - Drobeta Turnu Severin - Caransebeș section of the Bucharest - Timişoara main line.
Much of the single-track line is restricted to 70km/h, while some sections have a maximum speed of 50km/h, although trains can run at up 120km/h on the southern section.
The project involves track doubling, upgrading 32.6km of line, and the construction of two new double-track deviations. In addition, 18 bridges and 54 culverts will be built.
The contract also includes the renovation of Rachitoberg tunnel and the construction of a new, 1279m double-track tunnel called Poarta I.
Six stations will be renovated and modernised: Băile Herculane, Mehadia Nouă, Mehadia, Iablanița, Crușovăț, and Domașnea Cornea.
The additional tracks will be electrified at 25kV ac and the line will be equipped with ERTMS Level 2.
The entire project will take five years to complete.
“Overall, this major project will cut travel times, increase capacity, and bring the national infrastructure up to European standards for speed and safety,” says Porr’s CEO Karl-Heinz Strauss.
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