CFR Infrastructura has announced a public tender for the design and execution of electrification of the CF Dărmănești – Vicșani Frontieră line on highway 500. The estimated total cost of public procurement (design and execution) is 167 million lei.

When there were still direct trains to Ukraine (Bucharest – Kyiv), the 30 km between Darmenest and Vicani border was covered in 38 minutes. In 2018, a seasonal long-distance train of the Belarusian Railway: Minsk – Varna ran there in the summer.

Vicany is the main border point with Ukraine, which is 488 km from Bucharest, 38 km from Suceava, 52 km from Chernivtsi and 670 km from Kyiv. The Ukrainian border point is called Vadu Siretului, it is located 11 km from Vicany, and passenger trains ran in 22-26 minutes.

What CFR SA says

The national railway company CFR SA has announced an open tender for the design and implementation of electrification works on the CF Dărmănești – Vicșani Frontieră line, stage I of the rehabilitation program of the railway line on the border with Ukraine, investment financed with CEF non-reimbursable funds.

The estimated total cost of the public procurement (design and execution of works) is 167,071,787.67 lei without VAT, and the source of financing will be provided from the Cohesion Fund through the European Interconnection Mechanism, the Transport Sector (CEF) and the state budget. The term of development of the technical project is 12 months, correspondingly 12 months of execution of works.

STAGE I of the CF DĂRMĀNEȘTI – VICĆANI – FRONTIERĂ line rehabilitation program includes the development of a technical project and execution of works for:

– electrification of the conventional gauge line between Dărmanesti and Vicșani, including related works

– modernization of the CF BRIDGE across the SUCEAVA river, at the DORNEȘTI CF station.

The Darmăneşti – Vicșani – Frontieră railway line is part of the TEN-T network and is an important line of the Romanian railway network, taking over the international European connection from the 2 central corridors that cross our country. A strategic direction from an economic point of view, through the introduction of international cargo and passenger transportation from Ukraine, the connection with the Rhine-Danube corridor and, in particular, with the countries of the south-east of Europe (Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey), as well as from the north-eastern continent ( Republic of Moldova, Ukraine).

The notice of participation in the open tender procedure and the award documentation for PHASE I – ELECTRIFICATION of the line DĂRMĂNEȘTI – VICțANI – FRONTIERĂ CF are available in the Electronic System of Public Procurement (SEAP) at www.e-licitatie.ro. The deadline for receiving proposals is December 4, 2023.