Romania - General Information
Country Name
Romania (România)
National Railway System
Compania Naţională de Căi Ferate (CFR).
National Railway Operator
CFR Călători is the national train operating company.
Language
Romanian, but there is a substantial Hungarian speaking minority in Transylvania.
Currency
RON (Romanian New Lei). The unit is Leu (plural Lei), 1 Leu = 100 Bani (singular Ban).
UIC code
numeric: 53; alpha: RO.
Timetable
Journey Planner
For CFR can be found at www.cfrcalatori.ro A separate planner exist for purely International Journeys
The My Train.ro website claims their Journey Planner finds all train services, even those of private operators on shared CFR sections. A drill down advises the Train Company so as errors have been found it is strongly recommended to double check any findings on the CFR or Private Operators own websites via the links in this or the section immediately below.
Actual Train Times
Trenul meu The user needs to input the train number
Downloadable Timetable
CFR Timetable 2024-25 File is Mers de tten 2024 2025]
The Scribd website allows searches for mersul trenilor "current year" and has a link to downloadable individual train timetables for 2020-21, but not subsequent years so far.
Downloadable timetables for Transferoviar Călători S.R.L can be found at [1]
Downloadable timetables for Regio Călători can be found at [2]
Printed Timetable
Mersul Trenurilor de Călători published annually. This includes introductory material in French and English, with an explanation of the abbreviations in French. It contains details of all CFR services and those provided by private operators. Allegedly it is still available for purchase on-line, but the contact did not mention who from as it was not CFR... But as it is often months out of date for the private operators, it is better to use the Downloadable Timetable above.
Engineering Information
If a train listed by the journey planner is affected by engineering work, a note will be shown in the "Restrictions" column at the right hand side of the screen.
Bus Information
Can be found at http://www.autogari.ro A drop down menu at the top right of the home page allows selection of several different languages, including English.
Maps
Printed Maps
- European Railway Atlas (All-Europe Edition) by M.G. Ball.
- European Railway Atlas (Regional Series - Romania, Bulgaria and Moldova) by M.G. Ball.
- Mapa Kolejowa Rumunii by W. Kolondra.
Web-based Maps
- Some useful maps are available on the Network Statement Annex 1 plus an official CFR map.
- Map of Romania dated January 2023 - on the Railroad Maps site.
- Maps and Plans - Romania.
Ticketing
Although online journey planners will quote a fare option for Pensioner - this is only for pensioners of some Romanian transport understandings and not how most other countries would define pensioners.
The journey planners will giver details of available reductions (eg advance purchase > 10 days, advance purchase > 6 days, or round trips)
Infrastructure
Infrastructure Authority
CFR SA is the national infrastructure manager.
Network Statement
The 2024-25 Network Statement can be downloaded here.
Gauge
Standard. Russian gauge (1520 mm) track crosses into Romania from Ukraine to Halmeu, Dorneşti, Sighetu Marmaţiei, Valea Viseului and Galaţi, and from Moldova to Nicolina (Iaşi) and Falciu. The broad and standard gauge tracks are separated at stations but four rail track is provided between stations.
Tramways in Arad and Iași are metre gauge.
Some former CFR and Forestry (760 mm) lines continue as Tourist Lines.
Electrification
25 kV 50 Hz.
Bucarest Metro is 750 V dc third Rail. Tramway systems are 750 V dc or 600 V dc.
Rule of the road
Right hand.
Distances
The CFR timetable, which includes km distances, for May 1994 is available here
Annex 9 of the Network statement [3] has accurate distances for all sections of track, but these are not sequential and intermediate stations are not listed.
Other Railways
| Company/Table | Route |
| S.C. Regional S.R.L. Interregional Calatori | |
| 300 | Cluj Napoca – Oradea |
| 400 | Jibou – Baia Mare |
| 402 | Satu Mare - Halmeu |
| 406 | Bistriţa Nord - Bistriţa Bârgăului |
| S.C. Transferoviar Călători S.R.L. Transferoviar Călători | |
| 300 | Oradea - Huedin - Cluj Napoca |
| 302 | Ploiesti Sud - Târgoviște |
| 304 | Ploiesti Sud - Maneciu |
| 306 | Ploiesti Sud - Buda - Slanic |
| 504 | Buzau - Berca - Nehoiaşu |
| 703 | Galaţi - Târgu Bujor - Bârlad |
| 801 | Titan Sud - Oltenita |
| 904 | București Nord - Pietroșița |
| Regio Călători Regio Călători | |
| 203 | Braşov - Zărneşti |
| 210 | Alba Iulia - Zlatna |
| 213 | Timişoara Nord - Remetea Mică |
| 215 | Arad - Nădlac |
| 216 | Arad - Aradu Nou - Periam - Sânnicolau Mare - Vălcani |
| 218 | Timişoara Nord - Ronaţ - Lovrin - Sânnicolau M - Cenad |
| 307 | Blaj - Târnaveni - Bălăușeri |
| 403 | Braşov - Intorsura Buzăului |
| 404 | Braşov - Sfântu Gheorghe - Breţcu |
| 406 | Bistriţa Nord - Sărăţel - Magherus Sieu - Luduş |
| 605 | Roman - Buhăieşti |
| 607 | Iaşi - Podu Iloaiei - Harlau |
| 608 | Iaşi - Leţcani - Dângeni - Dorohoi |
| 701 | Ploiești Sud - Urziceni |
| 919 | Timişoara Nord - Jimbolia |
| 922/922a | Timişoara Nord - Voiteni - Gătaia - Berzovia - Reşiţa Nord |
| 926 | Timişoara Nord - Cruceni |
Tourist lines
- Vişeu de Sus (steam trains) www.wassertalbahn.ch
- Moldoviţa forest railway (steam trains)
- Brad – Criscior forest railway (steam trains)
The CFR narrow gauge lines (Târgu Mureş network and Sibiu - Cornatel - Agnita) are closed but ideas for reopening exist. The Sibiu - Cornatel - Agnita line also offers rail cycling; see - Cornatel - Agnita line.
Once a year, a steam loco is taken to Abrud for two days to run a service on the 10 km section to Campeni. A similar sparse steam operation is offered in Comandau.
Tourist trains are expected to start running at Easter 2024 between Moldoviţa and the Moldoviţa Monastery on approx. 5 km of 760 mm gauge track laid on the track bed of the former standard gauge Vama to Moldoviţa branch.
The Sinfin.Net website has links to some of these operations.
Metro
Trams/LRT-Systems
Bucharest, Arad, Botoşani, Brăila, Cluj Napoca, Craiova, Galati, Iaşi, Oradea, Ploieşti, Sibiu, Timişoara. The Reşiţa system was noted in October 2018 as having closed, with all wires removed.
The UrbanRailNet site has basic line diagrams plus links to the local operators.
Recent and Future Changes
Changes in 2024
The Târgoviște to Pietroșița service has changed operator, only run to Fieni or been suspended in recent years, and from 16 November 2024 there are no services north of Doicești due to "methane gas accumulations in the vicinity of the BCA Factory to prevent the risk of fire or explosion"...
The direct line from Giurgiu Nord to Bucureşti Nord reopened after after almost 19 years on 1 June 2024. All trains run via Bucureşti Progresu. The line is expected to close again in 2026 for further upgrading works including electrification.
Valid from 11 February 2024 the timetable PDF for Sânnicolau Mare – Cenad shows the trains on this section as cancelled.
Changes in 2023
The two train pairs of the Rakhiv (Ukraine) to Valea Viseului service were cancelled on 28 May 2023
From 17 January 2023 a cross border passenger service started from Rakhiv (Ukraine) to Valea Viseului (Romania) with 2 daily pairs.
Changes in 2022
The 11 December 2022 timetable change saw CFR Călători withdraw the service between Lovrin and Nerau.
From 19 September 2022 the line from Brașov to Întorsura Buzăului reopened after four years closure due to a bridge being washed away.
In May 2022 a tender was announced for the rehabilitation of the 1520 mm gauge line within the port of Galați. Work started on 6 June and the line reopened on 7 July. This will enable UZ wagons carrying urgently needed grain to discharge directly at the port, rather than having to trans-ship to sg wagons en route.
Changes in 2021
From 12 December 2021 trains on line 700 (București Nord - Urziceni) have run via Chitila and P.Mac. R1 Buciumeni to Mogoșoaia. The direct line from Mogoșoaia to București Nord is used only by trains to/from Aeroportul Internațional Henri Coandă. It is intended to double track the long single line section between Mogoșoaia and hm Pajura. Also from this date the service from Ineu to Cermei was withdrawn.
With effect from 12 December 2021 passenger trains Timișoara Nord - Sânandrei - Periam - Lovrin have been taken over by CFR after CFR Călători withdrew. Also on this date CFR started a service between Oravița and Anina with a single train pair.
Information from just before the December 2021 timetable change is that the following lines would close; CFR Calatori closures Caracal - Corabia, Santana - Brad and Regio Calatori closures Ineu - Cermei. However Santana to Brad survived into the 2021-22 timetable and a three train pair service resumed on 25 January 2022 between Corabia and Caracal.
On 8 August 2021 the final 42 km of the Blaj to Praid branch was withdrawn, and trains now run only to Bălăușeri.
On 01 January 2021 Regio Călători ceased to run passenger trains between Ineu and Brad, but CFR took over from 11 January 2021.
Older Changes
For details of older changes see Romania - Older General Information.
Special notes
None.
