Contract awards mark Corridor IV upgrading progress

Infrastructure manager CFR SA signed contracts for a 78 km route modernisation project with a consortium of Astaldi, FCC, SALCEF and Thales on May 23.

The work covers a section of the Arad – Deva main line between Km614 (near Cicir), Bârzava and Ilteu, which is part of pan-European Corridor IV. The contract is worth 3·5bn lei, the majority of which will come from EU investment funds. Tenders for the project were issued in February 2014.

The upgrading includes the installation of ETCS, and will allow an increase in line speed to 160 km/h for passenger trains and 120 km/h for freight. No fewer than 64 minor bridges are to be modified or refurbished, while two new bridges are to be built over the river Mureș. A new 600 m long tunnel is to be excavated, and 11 stations refurbished.

A further 22 km from Ilteu to Gurasada is still at the contracting stage, according to CFR SA. Preferred bidder for the section is the Railworks consortium of Alstom, Aktor and Arcada; but the 1·5bn lei contract is expected to be signed once any objections from competing bidders have been resolved.