Serbia, Romania: Photos of a train for Serbia were noticed by 1520today in social networks, and a report on the delivery of the first train to Romania was published by national media.
Cars in the livery of the passenger operator Srbijavoz were unloaded at the port of Koper, Slovenia. They were manufactured and supplied as part of the firm order signed in October 2023 for five EMUs, each consisting of four cars, with an operating speed of 200 km/h. At the same time, a framework agreement was signed with the Serbian Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure for the delivery of up to 20 trains to be operated on a line from Belgrade to Budapest, which is scheduled to go into service in 2025. Previously, Stadler had delivered three KISS trains of four cars for one of the existing sections.
The CRRC train for Romania. Source: Trainspotting Mania
Romanian media report that the first three-car SFEMU electric train has arrived at the Romanian port of Constanta. The country’s railway reform authority, ARF, has been expecting them for several years. CRRC had won an order for 20 six-car trains but lost out to Alstom in court. The train, with a maximum operating speed of 160 km/h, has finally been purchased by the operator Astra Trans Carpatic. It will enter service on the Bucharest–Brasov–Constanta route in a year’s time, once it has been certified as complying with European TSI requirements.
CRRC’s entry into the European market has met with strong resistance. This year, amid an investigation by the European Commission under new regulations, the Chinese manufacturer was forced to withdraw its bid for 20 trains in Bulgaria. At the same time the company managed to sell another train, the Sirius EMU, to Czech operator RegioJet. It was originally ordered over seven years ago by Leo Express, which cancelled the contract in 2022 due to delays in certification.
