CFR Călători launches first PESA train on Bucharest‑Brașov line amid insurance gap

The first PESA electric regional train entered commercial service on the Bucharest Nord–Brașov route on Thursday afternoon. Operated by CFR Călători under a public‑service contract, the Regio 3025 departed Bucharest at 14:38 and arrived in Brașov at 18:47. The Autoritatea pentru Reformă Feroviară (ARF) noted that the train, and the forthcoming four units, will run without insurance coverage for accidents until a tender for such coverage is completed.

The inaugural run suffered a near‑hour delay and a malfunctioning air‑conditioning system, leaving passengers in an overheated carriage. The same ARF report indicated that the remaining PESA units will be deployed on other major corridors, including Bucharest‑Constanța, Bucharest Obor‑Constanța and Constanța‑Fetești, as part of a broader effort to modernise Romania’s rolling stock after a period of idle trains.

The rollout follows earlier statements by the interim transport minister, Radu Miruță, about stalled PESA units and the need for administrative resolution to bring the new trains into service.