CFR and the European Commission sign 440 million euros contract for upgrading railway sector

Romania's national passenger railway carrier CFR SA and the European Commission - via its Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA) have signed a funding contract for the upgrading of the Apata-Cata railway portion worth a total 440 million euros.

In a press statement to Agerpress, CFR says the Apata-Cata railway portion is an important part of a programme for the upgrading of the railway linking Brasov to Sighisoara, part of the Rhine-Danube Corridor.

The upgrading of the 28.44-km Apata-Cata portion is designed to contribute to the achieving of the main objective of advancing sustainable mobility on the border portion Hungary - Curtici - Arad - Simeria - Sighisoara - Brasov as a result of an increase in the cruising speed to 160 km/hour; cutting transport times; increasing railway safety; providing easy access to people with reduced mobility and introducing modern traffic signalling and management systems.

"The funding contract has secured a funding source for CFR SA in order to start the procurement of works related to the Apata-Cata portion, and thus continuing the upgrading of the country's railway infrastructure in the northern branch of Railway Corridor IV running from Curtici to Constanta via Brasov,'says CFR SA Director General Marius Chiper.

Eligible costs under the entire programme stand at 538.301 million euros, 440.007 million of which is the size of a grant awarded by the European Commission under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). Co-funding of 98.294 million euros and 167.571 million will be provided from the national budget for 2016- 2020 and 2021-2023 respectively.