BUCHAREST (Romania), December 14 (SeeNews) – French multinational company Alstom said on Thursday it will perform signalling and electrification works amounting to approximately 40 million euro ($47 million) on the Ilteu-Gurasada rail subsection in Romania, due to be completed by December 2020.
The rail subsection (2c) Cap Y Ilteu – Gurasada is located on the northern branch of the Rhine-Danube Corridor, linking Nuremberg-Prague-Vienna-Budapest-Curtici-Simeria-Brasov-Bucharest-Constanta.
"This contract strengthens Alstom's leading position on the Romanian market, both for railway signaling and electrification. I am very happy to see that the modernisation of Romanian railway lines progresses and Alstom continues to be actively involved in it," Alstom general manager for Romania, Bulgaria and the Republic of Moldova, Gabriel Stanciu, said as quoted in a company statement.
For the signalling works, Alstom will supply its ATLAS 200 ERTMS Level 2 train control solution and the interlockings and will implement the GSM-R telecommunications system.
"The project comes at the right time, when another similar project, carried out for the Micasasa-Coslariu rail section, is coming to an end. This new contract will ensure continuity of activities in the area and the highly effective implementation of the new project, which can start immediately," Gabriel Stanciu added.
The works will be carried out under a bigger a 1.5 billion lei ($380 million/324 million euro) contract for railway modernisation, recently signed by Romania's national operator of railway infrastructure CFR and Asocierea RailWorks consortium, of which Alstom is a part.
The contract covers the modernisation of 22.34 km of railway infrastructure for passenger trains operation at a maximum speed of 160 km/h, the civil works, the electrification and power supply works, as well as the signalling implementation works. Alstom being responsible for the last two tasks within the consortium.
Alstom has been present in Romania for over 20 years. It is currently working on five national railway rehabilitation and modernisation projects and a 15-year maintenance contract for the metro of Bucharest.
(1 euro = 4.6332 Romanian lei)