Alstom Coradia Stream EMUs Reach Romania’s IRC

As reported by Rail Journal, Alstom Coradia Stream EMUs are entering Romanian PSO services. Romania’s Railway Reform Authority (ARF) handed over the first of 13 units assigned to InterRegional Călători (IRC). IRC is using them under the first contract awarded by ARF to a private company.

Alstom Coradia Stream EMUs allocated under ARF contracts

In 2022, the Railway Reform Authority ordered 37 RE-IR inter-regional EMUs from Alstom for €490m. The fleet is being allocated to the first three Romanian PSO contracts awarded by ARF through competitive tendering. The first six-car train has 315 seats. It was handed over at Alstom’s depot within the Grivița workshops of Romanian Railways (CFR).

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Also, IRC says it will begin deploying the new Alstom fleet this month on services from Bucharest North to Brașov. In addition, the operator plans to extend use of the trains in May. Those services will run from the capital to Sighișoara and Cluj-Napoca. Its PSO contract runs from 2025 to 2028. As ARF notes in its update on the trains awarded to InterRegional Călători, it covers four routes in total:

• • Bucharest North – Brașov – Cluj-Napoca
• • Bucharest North – Brașov
• • Brașov – Deda – Cluj-Napoca
• • Cluj-Napoca – Deva – Timișoara North

IRC and CFR Călători deployment on Romanian PSO routes

Meanwhile, IRC received its PSO contract in December. At the same time, incumbent operator CFR Călători was awarded a contract covering four routes. It will operate them with 12 of the new Alstom trains:

• • Bucharest North – Suceava
• • Bucharest North – Iași
• • Bucharest North – Galați
• • Iași – Cluj-Napoca

Separately, CFR Călători has already received 13 trains from the new fleet. They will operate the first of the three PSO contracts awarded by ARF. This contract covers the following routes:

• • Bucharest – Constanța
• • Bucharest – Craiova
• • Bucharest – Ploiești – Brașov – Sighișoara – Alba Iulia – Deva – Arad – Timișoara
• • Bucharest – Craiova – Drobeta Turnu Severin – Timișoara – Arad
• • Bucharest – Craiova – Târgu Jiu – Deva

Still, ARF says the main objective of tendering the three inter-regional PSO contracts is to improve connections between the capital and Romania’s other major urban centres. For example, the authority says the programme is meant to cut journey times and provide better service for passengers. The project has a total cost of Lei 1.7bn ($US 386.3m). It includes a non-fund refundable contribution of Lei 1.2bn from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Railway Supply previously covered the wider Coradia Stream procurement in Romania.

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