The Inter Regio Train (IRN) departing from Vienna was displayed on board at Gara de Nord with a delay of 110 minutes. The one from Deva had a 70-minute delay. Shorter route journeys were announced to arrive on time or with bearable delays. On Wednesday, at 3:30 PM, Bucharest recorded 41 degrees Celsius, according to the AccuWeather app.
The station was unexpectedly crowded for such weather. Dozens of people were waiting in line for tickets, even though there is a long row of ticket machines in the cashier area where travel tickets could be purchased.
Many avoided them due to the complicated process of selecting the route, reserving a seat, and the payment method.
Travelers with various facilities, including students who receive a 90% discount on second-class tickets, pensioners with a 50% discount, and other categories of people with various forms of freebies. The first group must pay the difference if they want to travel first class, while the second group pays the price difference of the ticket and seat.
Due to this, the queues at the ticket counters posed a serious challenge for those wishing to travel in the infernal heat.
There is air conditioning only in the first-class waiting room at Gara de Nord, accessible with a ticket, but there were even few available seats.
People moved through thick, humid, sticky air like bitter cherry jam.
Their movements were slowed by the heat around them, steps rolled slowly, bodies bent under the burden of the Celsius degrees, and a mundane movement became an exhausting effort drowned in sweat.
Travelers fled from the heat, flocking to the air-conditioned restaurants and cafes at Gara de Nord. At lunchtime, McDonald’s, Subway, and Starbucks had become overcrowded.
A Day Not to Travel
Although, due to the heat, survival was difficult for many, there was no intervention from the authorities.
There were no announcements about temperature or indications on necessary measures for passengers to avoid dehydration.
During the lunch period, no warnings about how hot it would be on the trains during the journey were broadcast at the amplification station.
Yesterday was not a day to embark on a journey, especially for the elderly or those with health conditions weakened by certain illnesses or mobility issues.
The air conditioning did not cope in any train set. This was the main issue faced by passengers.
To experience a journey in harsh temperature conditions, I took a trip from Gara de Nord to Otopeni Airport and back.
The trains departed on time. The first journey lasted 40 minutes, and the return one a bit longer, 50 minutes, due to a longer stop at Gara Mogoșoaia.
During the 10-minute stop, the air in the carriage became hot and difficult to breathe, even though the cooling system was running, making noise.
The price of a one-way ticket was 7.5 lei, with a seat, purchased via the CFR Călători app, and on the return trip, 5.5 lei, a ticket bought from the train's private-operated machine - Transferoviar.
The trains, consisting of two carriages, were crowded. To my surprise, many passengers use this method to reach the airport.
In the scorching sun, on suffocating heat, the 250 meters traveled from the station stop to the entrance at the "Departures" terminal at the airport were very long.
Corruption Toppled a Giant
During the journeys, inside the train, people tried to cool themselves using improvised fans, drinking water, and even opening the windows, although no cool air came from outside.
There were feeble protests regarding the lack of air conditioning, but most understood the situation, preferring not to engage in discussions.
5.1% of passenger mobility in the European Union is provided by rail transport
Although one of the cheapest, most comfortable, and eco-friendly transportation methods, Romania missed developing this type of passenger and freight transport.
Over three decades ago, the country had one of the most extensive railway networks in Europe.
Corruption and the interests of road transport companies have toppled a giant, impossible to manage by weak and visionless governments.
Today, the European Commission allocates billions of euros from taxpayers' money for reviving rail transport, but government representatives show no signs of truly reforming this sector.
Romania Locked at Home
"As promised, I traveled by train to the seaside.
There is still much to be done for rail transport, and I am very aware of the need to continue investments," Sorin Grindeanu announced in mid-June through a message on social media.
"It is just a step towards a normality that each of us desires, looking at public transport services. The carriage I traveled in from the InterCity to Constanța is part of the 6 recently modernized carriages by CFR Călători from their own funds," he added, indicating how difficult and costly it is to rebuild something after it has been destroyed.
Sorin Grindeanu tried at the beginning of the summer to create an image of a good manager and responsible politician, but everything collapsed following successive crises that isolated Romania from the rest of the world.
At this moment, Otopeni Airport is overcrowded, and major dysfunctions occur frequently, causing flight delays and difficult conditions for passengers.
The Olt Valley is blocked following an untimely decision for necessary deforestation works related to highway construction.
On the Giurgiu Bridge, traffic is slow due to repair works carried out by the Bulgarian side, with a waiting time at the main southern border crossing point of over three hours.
Train traffic has also been disrupted due to the heatwave, resulting in delays, reduced travel speeds caused by railway line expansion, and locomotive malfunctions.
"CFR Călători informs that some trains connecting the Black Sea coast with the main cities of the country are experiencing delays of around 60-150 minutes, both due to speed limitations imposed by CFR S.A. and train crossings, as well as problems caused by the large number of passengers traveling with these trains," stated a communication from CFR Călători company.
VIDEO. Arriving in Bucharest by train is one of the ugliest in Europe - Source: Spotmedia.ro
Anger and Discontent
The woman looked at the clock and then asked me, "Is it delayed, isn't it?"
We were in the small station at Otopeni Airport, and the only railway line was slowly approaching the train from Bucharest. The train was not delayed. It arrived on time, but it was going to stop for 20 minutes and then depart again for Gara de Nord.
"So, I won't catch the train to Sinaia. The plane was delayed a few minutes, and everything got messed up," said the woman with frustration as she boarded the carriage, pulling the small suitcase accompanying her.
"When I arrive at the train station, I cancel the online ticket. That's it, I lost 50 lei," she said, more affected by the heat in the train than by the loss of money.
In an increasingly connected world, people plan their trips in advance, buy plane tickets a year ahead, train tickets, and make hotel reservations. Any small delay sets off a chain of events that ruin trips, cause nerves and arguments in families, and waste people's money.
I traveled from Bucharest to Filiași on the Teiuș train about a week ago. Besides the hour and a half delay, I experienced a scorching oven. Coming from 13 degrees Celsius, the first heat shock, of 35 degrees Celsius, was on the train from Otopeni to Gara de Nord, then in the second train from Bucharest to Filiași. I understand the delays due to the works between Bucharest and Caracal, I understand the restrictions imposed by the expansion of the still old rails..., but I do not understand the lack of freon in the air conditioning systems, and this is an issue that can be remedied in depots before departure on the route
Passenger, post on the Facebook page of the Minister of Transport, Sorin Grindeanu
This is where the anger and dissatisfaction towards the authorities in Romania come from, who are always caught off guard by the fact that summer or winter is coming, never being prepared to face the challenges of reality.
At this moment, the entire transportation infrastructure in the country has collapsed, whether it's road, rail, or air, with no emergency plan, no substantial government reaction, no parliamentary committee, and no serious debate on what needs to be done to quickly get out of a crisis that is worsening and not resolving on its own. And we are only halfway through July.