The new electric train, inaugurated with great fanfare on Wednesday by Romanian PM Marcel Ciolacu and Minister Sorin Grindeanu, did not depart from Bucharest on Thursday morning due to an error on the onboard computer.
Passengers at Gara de Nord who were supposed to travel to Brașov on this service were redirected to another train, which departed approximately half an hour later.
The President of the Railway Reform Authority (ARF), Ștefan Roșeanu, stated that the new train did not depart because the onboard computer registered an error, as communicated by representatives of Alstom, the train manufacturer.
"Their teams are working to remedy this situation, as well as to ensure that this situation does not recur. It's not just about fixing the issue and resorting to improvisation," added Roșeanu.
When asked if Alstom's team estimated how long it would take to address and verify the situation, the ARF President responded, "It will certainly be resolved today."
"The team is mobilized, I understand that there are several dozen people working to minimize the time as much as possible. It will definitely be resolved today. We hope, you know how it is with any repair. You know that no engineer or repairman tells you, until the very second they finish, that they have finished," explained Roșeanu to News.ro.
Alstom claims that the Coradia Stream train is fully functional, but due to error messages appearing on the onboard computer regarding certain functions when decoupling the train from the shunting locomotive, the decision was made to keep the train in the depot.
"After the successful completion of the inaugural run, error messages regarding certain functions appeared on the onboard computer when decoupling the train from the shunting locomotive. The train is fully functional, but given Alstom's priority for passenger safety above all else, we have decided to keep the train in the depot to carry out additional activities to confirm functionalities and safety," the company informed Agerpres.
The company's representatives assure that Alstom teams are fully mobilized to assess the causes and define appropriate measures.
"The company's objective is to return the train to commercial service as soon as possible and to fulfill commercial commitments," they stated.
The ARF President also mentioned that passengers who were supposed to board the new train on Thursday morning at 5:40 a.m. were directed to the next train, which was approximately half an hour away. "And upon returning from Brașov, it will be the same, passengers departed to Bucharest, instead of at 8:45, with the next train at 9:15."
It is possible that the issue will be resolved today, and tomorrow (Friday), the new electric train "will surely enter passenger service."
The Coradia Stream model is the first train supplied by the manufacturer Alstom Ferroviaria S.p.A. for passenger rail transport in Romania, under the procurement contract concluded and managed by ARF.
CFR Călători operates the Alstom electric unit on the route Bucharest Nord – Ploiești Vest – resorts along the Prahova Valley – Brașov as an Interregio train with the corresponding fare for this train category.
Therefore, a ticket for the route Bucharest Nord – Brașov costs 63.00 lei in second class and 91.00 lei in first class.
According to CFR Călători, from November 21 to December 14, 2024, the train will operate according to the following schedule:
- IR 16001 Bucharest Nord departure 05:40 – Brașov arrival 08:08
- IR 16002 Brașov departure 08:43 – Bucharest Nord arrival 11:12.