We’d not been on a Romanian train for well over a year before last Friday, when we headed off to Brasov for a research trip ahead of the imminent publication of a Brasov In Your Pocket Mini-Guide. In that time Romanian railways (CFR) appears to have gone backwards.
First the good.
Romanian trains look nice but are slower than a bicycle
The trains themselves are unquestionably far better than ever they were. The rolling stock is new (if you take a Rapid at least) and most follow the European pattern of open carriages: no more compartments. Air conditioning is standard (and switched-on), so no more arguments with superstitious old bats who thought the curent could kill. Our rapid even had power points, though we fail to believe anyone is that important that they have to work on a laptop while sitting on a train. Look out the window, enjoy the scenery, read a book. Take a few hours off, enjoy your time…
For there will be much time to enjoy.
Oh yes, now the bad news.
If there is one thing you can guarantee you will have plenty of on Romanian trains, it is time. For they are slow. Slow as in v e r y s l o w. Bucharest to Brasov (a journey of 167 kilometres – at least that’s what it says on the ticket) takes over three hours. It should take half that (at the very most). Alas, even Rapids (and you really have to love the irony of calling a train that averages less than 60 kph a Rapid) are painfully slow. Add in our old complaint about the infrequency of services (capital city to tourist capital: there should be trains on the hour, every hour) and you have a useless service.
It is no wonder everybody drives.
Brasov should be a nice day trip from Bucharest, but given that a return journey takes six hours by train it is simply not feasible. With no motorway in sight (and of the long-promised Brasov airport we will say nothing, except it will not happen in the near future) the train is the city’s only real option for improving access (poor access is the one thing that now prevents it being one of the great tourist cities of Europe) any time soon.
Nobody is holding their breath though.
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Other view of Romanian trains: http://goo.gl/MXYWv
even the CFR trains are still avoidable, this one operated by CFF Viseu, you can not missed it:)
Yep, this one is on the to do list. Came close this year (in-laws live not a million miles away). However, because it only departs once a day – v. early – you ideally need to get there the night before, which we did not have time for. Next year!
Travellers should not, that while people here are complaining the journey is a slow 3hrs, they are very wrong. 3hrs will only get you half way to Brasov now, unless there are any delays.
Being Romania, it would be too difficult to update the CFR timetables, since they are only changing for a few years!!! but the fastest train you can currently get from Bucharest to Brasov (08/2010) is 5.5hours, or sometimes 6hrs, although the ticket still says less than 3. Reason being the tracks are being repaired around Cormarnic/ SInaia as the line is renewed.
But if the Ploiesti bypass road improvement are anything to go by, which took the romanian workforce 30 months to resurface 2km of highway, before kicking them off & importing proper roadbuilders, who did 7km in the following 6 months!
Best suggestion is get the Rapide to Cormarnic, taking around 92hours & then walk the other 55km to Brasov, or hitch or get a microbus, but I definately would not recommend a train the whole way.
On the plus side, it keeps our gorgeous Brasov just for us as people are put off with the hassle of trying to make a weekend trip. Shame, but I cant see this improving until 2013 or so when the track to Brasov is renewed, assuming of course they get a proper team to do it!
I love the power plugs. On a 12-hrs ride (ok says 10 on the ticket but it’s always 12!!!) i use my laptop rather than taking the couchette option (i find it a bit too expensive).
The irony is that InterCity trains look great but are just as slow as Accelerat ones (and I’m starting to believe that the Personal ones are just as “fast” as the InterCity!)
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