Romania's CFR suspends key line for five-year upgrade, reopens historic Bucharest‑Giurgiu rail

State rail operator CFR announced a five‑year closure of the 111‑km Drobeta Turnu‑Severin – Caransebeș section of the main Bucharest‑Timișoara corridor from February 2027 to February 2032. The suspension is required for a modernization programme worth more than 6 billion lei, encompassing the renewal of 62 bridges, 259 culverts, several tunnels, electrification, signalling, telecoms and the implementation of ERTMS Level 2. Alternative bus services will replace passenger trains on the stretch.

In parallel, CFR is modernising the historic Bucharest‑Giurgiu line, the first railway built in Romania in 1869. After a 19‑year suspension caused by a collapsed bridge, traffic resumed in June 2024 following the construction of a new bridge. The project, valued at 2.1 billion lei and funded by EU CEF resources, includes full electrification, upgraded signalling, a new viaduct near Daia and wildlife protection measures, with completion slated for November 2028.