CFR Călători, the passenger service division of CFR, operates seven types of passenger train, both on Romania's territory, with rolling stock and locomotives, or internationally, with rolling stock. Also, CFR operates international trains on Romanian territory with its own locomotives. The train types vary in terms of speed and type of rolling stock.
In 2015, approximately 55 million passenger journeys were made with the company. In the same time 12 million further journeys were made using the private operators.
Regio (R) – the trains have assigned numbers from 2000 to 9999.
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InterRegio (IR) – the trains have assigned numbers from 200 to 499, 600 to 999, 1000 to 1999 and 10000 to 16999.
InterCity (IC) – numbered from 500 to 599, discontinued in December 2014 but reintroduced on 10 December 2023.
Regio trains
Regio trains (regional), formerly Local (Romanian: "Personal") trains (until December 2011), also termed commuter trains (navete or trenuri de navetiști), are the most abundant type of trains on the CFR passenger network. They are used for two main purposes, as shuttle, or commuter, trains, linking towns with neighbouring villages, and linking neighbouring cities with each other.
Local trains (now Regio), have the lowest average speed (34.3 km/h in 2004) and the least comfortable (usually oldest) rolling stock, and have a reputation for being very slow, crowded and generally unkempt which is only gradually changing. Regio trains operate mostly on local routes and stop at every station. Train fares for this type are the cheapest, since no supplement is paid, only the base fare, based on distance. Seats are not reservable. The rolling stock on Regio trains differs widely. On routes that link neighbouring cities with each other (such as Bucharest and Pitești), the quality of the rolling stock is much better than those services which provide a shuttle link between cities and rural areas (such as the Timișoara-Berzovia line).
Most Regio rolling stock consist of compartment single level and open-plan double-decker cars. As of 2007, most Regio trains, especially on rural routes, have only 2nd class cars. The livery of most Regio cars is painted in the color scheme of CFR Calatori (blue and grey), with the rolling stock built in the 1970s and 1980s. Some very short rural routes in Romania's Bukovina region use rolling stock from the 1940s and 1950s, refitted with bus seats and operating like railbuses. CFR is refurbishing a range of double-decker Local (Regio) cars, that will be used on Local and Accelerat trains. The refurbished cars, painted in the same livery as the old ones, have been introduced since 2003, and are cleaner, although they still use most of the old fittings. Exceptions to this widespread use of older rolling stock for Local trains is found on some routes (such as Sibiu–Craiova) that are operated using Desiro trainsets, and some others are operated using modernized electric trainsets.
The new private operators also use the term Regio using mainly (refurbished) railbuses.
InterRegio trains
InterRegional trains (IR), formerly Accelerat and Rapid trains (until December 2011), are used for medium and long-distance services that stop only in towns or cities. InterRegional trains have higher speeds. They are also more expensive, requiring the payment of a supplement alongside the base fee. Some services of the InterRegional type require a reservation. InterRegional trains are also used for cross-regional long-distance routes (for example, Timișoara to Bucharest). Despite the long distances, InterRegional trains tend to stop in every town (even though they bypass villages) and hence are very popular, though they are seldom used for express travel between two large cities.
Since 2009, the InterRegio 1821/1822 from Arad to Constanța via Deva, Tîrgu Jiu, Craiova and Bucharest also travels to Constanța with an extra sleeperette car and sleeper car. The InterRegio rolling stock is formed of both single-decker cars painted in the painting scheme of CFR Calatori (blue and gray). Single-decker cars are all corridor-type, with the old cars having 8 seats per compartment in second class and 6 in first class whereas the new cars have 6 seats per compartment regardless of class (this type of coaches are used now for Regio Trains and rarely on InterRegio Trains). Double-decker cars have 4 seats per row in an open plan.
In early 2005, CFR introduced a new double-decker car for medium-distance, highly used Interregional routes such as Bucharest–Predeal. Siemens Desiro trainsets have also been introduced on medium-distance InterRegional routes in Transylvania and Moldavia (Iași–Vatra Dornei). Longer-distance InterRegional trains often have couchettes, and sleepers started to be added again to consists after a lengthy absence. Dining cars are never used on these trains. In the 2010 schedule, many short and medium distance routes (such as Bucharest–Craiova, Bucharest–Râmnicu Vâlcea–Sibiu, Bucharest–Tulcea, Craiova–Sibiu, Timișoara–Sibiu, Cluj-Napoca–Timișoara) were served by modernized double-decker cars or Desiro trainsets. Some long-distance trains (Bucharest–Timișoara, Bucharest–Târgu Jiu–Arad, Bucharest–Cluj-Napoca–Satu Mare, Bucharest–Iași, Bucharest–Vatra Dornei, Iași–Timișoara, Sighetu Marmației–Bucharest) also use modernized Rapid-style cars.
Rolling stock on InterRegional trains has recently been the object of CFR's modernisation plan. Various series of cars have been refurbished, and fitted with air-conditioning, ecological toilets, etc. However, a small and rapidly declining number of Rapid rolling stock, mainly on lesser-used routes, remains fairly aged and outdated. As of 2004, Siemens Desiro DMUs have been introduced on medium-distance Rapid routes. Most Rapid rolling stocks are painted in the painting scheme of CFR Călători (blue and gray). All cars are uncompartmented and are usually air-conditioned. Sleepers, couchettes and dining-cars are available on most long routes.
From Sighetu Marmației the Rapid train needs over 21 hours to complete the 850 km (530 mi) trip.
From Satu Mare nearly 22 hours to complete the 928 km (577 mi) trip.
From Oradea over 19 hours to complete the 913 km (567 mi) trip
From Timișoara Nord over 15 hours to complete the 795 km (494 mi) trip.
InterCity
InterCity (IC) is CFR's premier train type and is used for daytime express services between major cities, as well as shuttle services between Bucharest and the Black Sea coast and the Carpathian mountain resorts. InterCity trains typically only stop in large cities (generally of over 100,000 inhabitants). InterCity trains are the fastest out of all the train types, having an average speed of 87 km/h (54 mph) in 2004, and also use the most modern and comfortable rolling stock, rivaling the premier services of other European carriers. Due to this, InterCity prices include a significant supplement alongside the base fee.
The InterCity rolling stock is either new or refurbished (all IC rolling stock was built after 1995), with air-conditioning, power-plugs (in both 1st and 2nd class carriages) and plush bucket armchairs, as well as complimentary newspapers, free meals and airplane-like service in first class. These trains generally have a reputation for their high levels of comfort, cleanliness and service. The InterCity standard livery was usually grey and blue, especially in the case of the C160-class rolling stock, which is the newest type. Most InterCity rolling stock is open plan (no compartments). When CFR bought the Desiro DMUs, they were mostly used for InterCity trains, but due to complaints related to their comfort levels, they were replaced with standard cars for most routes and now the Desiro DMUs are used for the Regio trains.
Express passenger and international IC services, such as the Bucharest-Constanța route, use the Romanian-built Astra AVA-200 cars, which have a maximum speed of 200 km/h (120 mph) and are the most comfortable rolling stock in the CFR fleet. In fact, according to Friends of CFR, a Romanian railway journal, there was a considerable downgrading in quality when the Bucharest–Vienna IC service switched from being operated by CFR to being run by Austrian Railways (ÖBB) in 2003, leading to numerous complaints that the route should revert to CFR cars instead of Austrian ÖBB cars.
Beginning with December 2006, the company introduced the business service on certain IC routes (București Nord–Timișoara Nord, București Nord–Oradea). These wagons were refurbished by CFR Grivița and they provided two classes: standard and standard exclusive. According to class, these rail cars provide leather or fabric-covered armchairs, monitors, individual displays for every seat, 4 channel audio system with earphones, wireless internet access, bar, air conditioning, and they were equipped with an elevator for disabled travellers. As of 1 June 2014, InterCity trains used to operate on the following routes:
Before early 2003, there was also a train type known as InterCityExpress (ICE), which ran from Bucharest to Constanța, but these have been discontinued and transformed into IC and later into IR, while maintaining the same rolling stock.
Because of the bad infrastructure as of 2015 InterCity trains are not in use anymore because the fare was too high. There are some trains which are running like InterCity but with InterRegio cost. Now the rolling stock used before 2015 for Intercity trains is used now for the InterRegio trains.
Speeds
The speed limit for express passenger trains in Romania is 160 km/h (99 mph). All other trains have a general speed limit of 120 km/h (75 mph). Average operating speeds (including all stops in stations) according to CFR, are in 2018:
39 km/h for Regio trains
55 km/h for InterRegio trains
The longest train route, as of 2005, is the one between Iași, in the north-east, and Timișoara, in the west, which takes 18 hours with an Interregio train to complete. For example, the journey between Suceava Burdujeni and Bucharest is 447 km, and takes approximately 5–6 hours to complete at an average speed of 80 km/h.
Freight services
Freight services in Romania are operated mostly by CFR Marfă, the freight division of CFR, as well as by 28 other private companies who operate on lines leased from CFR Infrastructură. The CFR Marfă fleet is made up of 987 locomotives, most of which were built in Romania or the former Yugoslavia. The fact that rail freight remains maintains a strong market share in Romania, as well as a number of efficiency reforms, has led CFR Marfă to perform quite well financially in recent years, even though it remains loss-making. In 2003, the CFR Marfă's net loss was 8.8 million new lei (approximately US$3 million), reduced from 141.5 million new lei in 2002.
Freight trains follow the same speed limits to those issued for passenger trains, although hazardous materials, explosive, nuclear, flammable, chemical or otherwise dangerous trains have a special regime. Most locomotives have a physical speed limit of 160 or 120 km/h, but freight trains are not usually running at speeds exceeding 100 km/h.
