CFR receives less than EUR20 million to repair and upgrade the country’s railway infrastructure, whereas, in fact, it needs more than EUR10 billion to cope with the situation.
CFR general manager George Micu said repair and upgrade works on 8,000 kilometers of rail entail more than EUR10 billion, which could never be covered from state budget funds. He added that even if the government finds the necessary financial resources, the respective works would take a very long time to complete.
According to Micu, trains in Romania used to run at much higher speeds in the past. Freight and passenger trains would travel at an average speed of nearly 40-45 km/h and 60 – 65 km/h, respectively, “many year ago.”
CFR has received 78 million lei (nearly EUR17 million) this year for repair works, which is enough to cover works on nearly 22 km of railroad.
CFR administers over 10,000 km of railroad in Romania.