In 1939, the fastest trains traveled from Bucharest to Giurgiu in less than an hour and 10 minutes, whereas today we have to add at least an hour. In 2005, the Hradishtia bridge collapsed, the line will probably be restored this year, i.e. after 18 years. Why is everything going so hard? Why does a trip to Bulgaria take “a lifetime”?

On May 17, two locomotives of private freight transport companies, one of the drivers of which was drunk, collided head-on near the town of Toporu in Giurgi County. Giurgiu is a region with many problems when it comes to the railway network, as one of the most important lines of the country is located here, but it has not been used for almost 20 years, although it used to run very long distances in the past. trains like Moscow – Varna or Burgas – Prague.

One of the funniest news in recent times appeared in a Bulgarian newspaper, which said that a “high-speed” line would be built from the north of Bulgaria to Bucharest, and that trains would travel at a speed of 160 km/h, so Bulgarians would come from Ruse to Otopeni airport for one hour by train. It could not be a better joke when the road to Ruse goes at a speed of 45 km/h.

Bucharest – Giurgiu, a line that cannot be reached by train

For the last 25 years, trains have NOT been a priority in Romania at all, and a strong argument is the neglect of a railway line with huge potential: Bucharest – Giurgiu, the first line on which trains ran in the Romanian principalities.

In a serious country, the new bridge and related works of art would be ready in 2-3 years after the fall of the old one, but not here. There were promises, but it was very difficult to move from the place. Construction began 16 years after the trains stopped running there. The Videle detour is annoying, and the train lost the “fight” with other modes of transport.

• By train to the Bulgarian coast – how long it takes, how much it costs and why it is so difficult

In 2005, due to a flood, the Hradishtia bridge collapsed, and the work on its reconstruction was delayed for more than ten years, because no funds were allocated and the project was not considered important. The bridge is located between Vidra and Grădiștea stations, about 20 km from Bucharest.

The absence of this bridge terribly lengthens the distance on the railway between Bucharest and Giurgiu, trains are forced to detour through Videle, on lines where the speed has decreased significantly compared to the 90s.

The length of the journey is 118 km, and there are only three direct trains per day, with a journey time of 128 to 165 minutes. Two Regio trains and a ticket costs 19 lei, while an IR ticket costs 42 lei, with an average speed of 50 km/h.

Disgraceful speeds for the 21st century

In 1939, there was a fast train that covered 1 hour and 6 minutes for 74 km between Central Station and Giurgiu, and the fastest was the section between Bucharest South and Comana, where 29 km traveled at an average speed of 75 km/h. We are talking about 1939 !

Hundreds of people would travel by train between Bucharest and Giurgiu if the average speed was at least 70 km/h. So, there are no problems with a speed of 43.50 km/h.

Between Videle and Giurgi, the non-stop train runs at an average speed of 50 km/h and a maximum speed of 70 km/h. In the Rădulești – Videle area it is terribly slow: 20-23 minutes for 8 km.

Trains that stop everywhere move at an average of 43 km/h. The Bucharest – Videle section, on Highway 100, is faster and can reach speeds of 100 km/h.

On both sections, the speed has dropped significantly compared to the days when the railway was in good condition.

The fastest trains cover the 51 km between Bucharest and Videl in 49 minutes, compared to 35 minutes 25 years ago.

The 64 km between Giurgiu and Videle is covered in 75-78 minutes non-stop, compared to 54 minutes in 2005 and 55 minutes in 1980.

We live in memories – How it was when there were many trains to Giurgi

In case of resumption of traffic on a direct route and at least ten trains per day in one direction, the train will become an alternative for passengers who have been using private cars or minibuses for more than 15 years.

The lack of a bridge also makes traveling by train to Bulgaria extremely difficult. There is only one Bucharest-Ruse train, which takes three hours and 132 km. Last summer there was also a direct train from Bucharest to Varna, which was very slow: 9 hours for 358 km, average speed 40 km/h, via a detour through Videle and through the customs station.

In the 1990s, there were ten trains a day between Bucharest and Giurgiu: half of the accelerated and fast trains from Bucharest Nord, and half of the private trains from Progressu station.

In the 80s, fast trains took less than 75 minutes between Bucharest and Giurgiu on line 102.

Nothing practical has been done for ten years

Back in 2007, the development of a technical and economic justification for the definition of the project and the variant of the railway bridge was proposed and agreed. In 2008 and 2011, there were government decisions on approving technical and economic indicators for the reconstruction of the bridge, but funds were not allocated.

In 2007-08, a feasibility study was drawn up, which envisaged as a technical solution the construction of a double line, on the embankment, in the area of ​​the new bridge (the construction of which was stopped during the revolution). In 2011, the technical and economic justification was finalized.

In 2011, it was expected that construction work could begin in 2012, and in 2014 it was about developing a new feasibility study and obtaining European funding.

In 2016, the then chairman of the CNCFR estimated that the bridge would be commissioned in 2018, and a year later the new estimate was 2019. This was far from reality…

The bridge is finally being built, even if it takes time

It was only in December 2020 that the contract for the reconstruction of the Hradištia railway bridge was signed, a contract worth 472 million lei without VAT, financed from non-refundable funds. The company Porr does this work.

The construction site at Gradistea began to take shape in the summer of 2021, and work on the viaduct over Arges began in November 2021. The total length of this bridge is 1.36 km. The dismantling of the old bridge was completed in the fall of 2021.

A total of four new bridges will be built: one over Argesh, two over the Sabar River and one over Neylov.

The big question is whether the bridge will be open to traffic by December 2023, when the new Mers al Trenurilor comes into effect. In March, the edition of Club Feroviar wrote that there were problems with the works and the opening would be postponed to 2024. Shortly after this article, CFR Infrastructura reported that 61.5% is the physical stage of the works between Vidra and Comana. The physical condition of the viaduct was over 80%. Several decks were completed.

Estimated date of completion by the contractor of the restoration of railway traffic on the bridge over the Argesh River between Vidra and Komana (LOT I) is September 2023.