Pro Infrastructure: We are rapidly heading towards a major railway accident

Our country is fast approaching a major railway accident with dozens of victims, probably a collision between a heavy freight train weighing more than 1000 tons and a passenger train, warns the Pro Infrastructure Association on its official Facebook page, after the week passed near the town of Caracal, two trains stopped just a few tens of meters from each other on the same line.

The post on the Facebook page of the Pro Infrastructure Association states: "How did CFR SA end up sending two trains in opposite directions on the same line, like in Greece? In short, the lack of modernization. Archaic CFR systems require a motion clerk at each station, usually equipped with a generation zero "computer", relay-based technology invented in the 1940s-1950s. So people are spread all over the network, so increased risk of human error. Or we remember the failure of some electromagnets from the last century that cause the switch to "manual" mode, prone to mistakes and telephone (misunderstandings). Modern systems allow the operation of several stations with a single dispatcher, sending "reindeer against train" is automatically excluded, and the position, direction of travel and number of the train are visible on the screen, which does not happen on the current, morally outdated installations. Why isn't a line of prime importance, like Bucharest-Craiova, modernized? In short, there is no more European money because billions of euros were lost with delays of 4-10 years on the sectors of the Curtici-Constanţa corridor. The funding that should have reached Bucharest-Craiova was spent by the projects on the main corridor where 6 lots of over 300 kilometers are still delayed. As we always show in our communiques, regardless of the builder, reconstruction projects are seriously delayed mainly due to the lack of political interest. Do you see politicians on the railway? They are all on the highways. Why is a traffic thread closed? Finally, some European funds for maintenance were accessed through PNRR. Theoretically, all the superstructure (rail, sleepers, clamps) must be replaced periodically. Between Drăgăneşti-Olt and Fărcaşele stations, only 2-3 kilometer long runs are carried out, which would normally not last more than a few weeks (come on, months), but these "Quick" Wins drag on in Romania for a long time for two years! So we are waiting for the accident with dozens of victims so that the politicians will wake up, allocate (serious) maintenance money from the state budget and unlock the modernization sites. From the anti-railway minister Grindeanu, who did not think to repair the railway in the area first, even when he closed the DN7 on Valea Oltului, we have no more expectations".

Regarding the incident referred to by those from the Pro Infrastructure Association, CFR SA representatives did not provide any additional information, pointing out that the event at Caracal is being investigated by the inspectors of the Romanian Railway Investigation Agency, who will determine the cause of the two trains were directed along the same line and who is to blame for this.

Regarding the rehabilitation of the Curtici-Constanţa railway corridor and the works carried out on the six sections, according to official information on the majority of the corridor, after modernization, the maximum speed of movement will be 160 kilometers per hour for passenger trains and 120 kilometers per hour for trains of cargo.

Related to the railway accident in Greece that the representatives of the Pro Infrastructure Association remember, we mention that it took place on February 28, 2023, when two trains collided on the Athens-Thessaloniki highway where the maximum traffic speed of 200 kilometers can be reached at hour. The rail accident occurred in the Tempe Valley, north of Larissa, due to the fact that traffic control was done manually, although the highway is equipped with automatic signaling systems and ETCS, but those systems were not in operation, their inauguration being postponed until the end 2023, although it should have taken place in 2020. As a result of the tragic event, 57 of the 342 passengers on the passenger train that collided with a freight train died.