RAILWAY CORRIDOR IV (BORDER - KM 614)

The project consists of the rehabilitation and upgrading of the existing railway line between the Romanian-Hungarian border and km 614 (Pan European Corridor IV) over approximately 41km, increasing line speed from 120 to 160km/h. Co-financing of structural and cohesion funds supported projects in Romania under the Sectoral Operational Programme - Transport (SOPT).

Together with significant rehabilitation and upgrading of TEN-T Priority Project 22 (PP22) Railway Axis Nürnberg/Dresden-Constanta, implemented concurrently in several Member States, the project will enable the railways to improve interoperability, efficiency and competitiveness against other modes – helping the railways to continue providing a comparatively more sustainable transport alternative in future, in line with EU policy.

The project was classified in Annex II of the Directive 85/337/EEC on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) as subsequently amended by Directive 2011/92/EU. The project was therefore the subject of a case-by-case determination of the need for EIA, as part of an EIA screening procedure carried out by the relevant competent authority, the Local Environmental Protection Agency (LEPA) Arad, which concluded that an EIA is not required. Concerning the main impacts, the environmental authority imposed mitigation measures related to protection of water, air, and soil and waste management, particularly during construction. Noise protection measures have also been defined, particularly for the area around Arad station.

The promoter, CFR, is subject to the EU Directives on procurement. The procurement process for the works was based on a two-stage approach, with a first pre-qualification stage followed by a submission of offers by the pre-qualified tenderers. The losing bidder contested the outcome of the tender, but at the end of this process its claim was rejected by the Romanian courts.