The European Investment Bank has signed a €630 million financing agreement with Romania to upgrade the Brașov–Sighișoara railway in central Romania, with the overall project estimated to cost €2.25 billion.
The scheme covers 113 kilometres of double-track, electrified railway between Brașov and Sighișoara.
Capacity is expected to rise for both passenger and freight services once the works are completed, alongside improvements to travel times, reliability and safety, the European Investment Bank (EIB) informed on Monday.
Up to 29 passenger trains and 22 freight trains per day are expected to use the upgraded line.
Around four million passengers and six million tonnes of freight are forecast annually.
Passenger trains will be able to run at speeds of up to 160 km/h, while freight trains will be able to travel at up to 120 km/h.
Longer and heavier freight trains will also be able to use the route.
Part of cross-Europe transport routes
The line forms part of the Rhine-Danube and Baltic Sea – Black Sea – Aegean Sea corridors within the Trans-European Transport Network, known as TEN-T, the EU’s plan to link major routes across the bloc, the bank said.
The upgrade is intended to remove a bottleneck on these corridors and strengthen rail links between Romania and the wider European rail network.
The route will be fitted with the European Rail Traffic Management System, a Europe-wide signalling and train control standard designed to support cross-border interoperability and safety.
Stations and stops are also due to be improved to make travel more accessible for people with disabilities and reduced mobility.
“This is an investment in people, connectivity and Romania’s future,” stated EIB vice-president Ioannis Tsakiris.
Romania’s finance minister Alexandru Nazare said: “Investments of this scale are essential to strengthening Romania’s long-term economic potential.”
