High-tech railway laboratory at Politehnica Bucharest

Students from the Faculty of Transport within the Politehnica University of Bucharest will prepare for the railway infrastructure in the new laboratory set up by Grup Feroviar Român (GFR), part of the Grampet Group, a laboratory that was inaugurated yesterday by Mihnea Costoiu - the rector of the institution of higher education and by Gruia Stoica - the president of Grampet Group.

The rector of the Polytechnic University, Mihnea Costoiu, emphasized the importance of the partnership with Grup Feroviar Român, considering it a successful model of collaboration between the university and the private sector. "It's a tripartite partnership - students, faculty, company. If we succeed, companies will have access to qualified labor," said Costoiu, who added: "We hope to continue this tradition. We have strategically opened the doors to companies investing here, because we are not a military unit, but an educational institution and a place where opportunities for successful careers are created."

According to Mihnea Costoiu, Politehnica Bucharest managed to attract this year, from partnerships with companies in our country, a funding of 10 million euros, an essential investment for the creation of a modernized educational framework and for students' access to the latest technology.

Gruia Stoica, President of GRAMPET Group, said: "Today I am here with a deep sense of joy and pride. It's a special day for us, the GRAMPET Group, because together with our flagship company, Grup Feroviar Român, we are inaugurating the second laboratory at the Bucharest Polytechnic University. The inauguration of this new laboratory is proof of our commitment to education. Today, the major labor shortage is one of the biggest challenges of the railway industry in Romania. Unfortunately, interest in a career in this field has decreased over time, and today it is becoming increasingly difficult to find specialists. (...) The new laboratory is a place dedicated to the future and, in particular, to the young people who will write the next chapters of rail transport. We wanted to offer students not only a place to study, but also a place to discover, to meet the future. In just six months, this dream came to life. And I want to believe that, in this laboratory, young people will find the inspiration to become those who, through innovation and courage, will shape the Romania of tomorrow".

The layout and equipment of this laboratory included special finishes, the installation of a floating floor and the equipment with high-performance workstations, interactive whiteboards and a complete set of components specific to the railway industry, such as binding devices, articulation and damping elements, braking components, cylinders and regulators. On the walls of the laboratory are detailed sketches of the GRAMPET wagons and the Dema 3000 locomotive, a creation of the company's team, reflecting the history and innovation in railway infrastructure.

Gruia Stoica also said that the partnership between the company and Politehnica Bucharest is a concrete example of effective collaboration between the private and academic environment, with a direct impact on the labor market. Given that the railway industry is in dire need of qualified specialists, investments in education will contribute to the formation of generations that can transform and revitalize the railway sector in Romania.

Grampet Group has in its portfolio 18 companies with over 7,500 employees and activity on the territory of 10 European countries. Through the 450 locomotives and 20,000 wagons it operates, Grampet Group transports 15 million tons of freight annually.

Grup Feroviar Român (GFR) is the flagship company of Grampet, through its more than 15,000 wagons and 350 locomotives that transport goods to thousands of destinations. An important component of GFR's portfolio is the transportation of petroleum products, for which it has allocated a fleet of over 4,000 tank wagons.