From 30 September to 2 October 2025, a delegation from the Romanian Railway Reform Authority (ARF), led by Mihai Barbu, the President of ARF, undertook a technical visit to the Alstom’s Bautzen rolling stock factory in Germany to see the status of the construction of the interregional Coradia Stream EMUs.
The visit was arranged at the invitation of the supplier Alstom, in accordance with the provisions of a contract signed in March 2022 covering the delivery of 20 interregional EMUs with an option for 17 additional Coradia Stream EMUs, exercised in September 2022.
The main objectives of the visit included:
- Completing the Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT) for the Coradia Stream interregional electric trainset, unit TS07, including the preliminary acceptance of TS07.
Inspecting the production capabilities for the interregional Coradia Stream EMUs (RE-IR-1) at the factory.
- Reviewing the current production status of the RE-IR-1 project.
- Holding technical discussions and clarifications regarding the implementation of Contract No. RUIC 257/25.03.2022.
- Signing the official documentation related to the FAT for trainset TS07.
During the visit, the ARF delegation was accompanied by a representative from Egis, the contract supervisor. This visit marks a significant step forward in the delivery and quality assurance process for the new fleet of interregional trains, supporting the ongoing modernisation of the national rail system.
The Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT) represent an important stage that must be completed prior to the delivery of the Coradia Stream electric units to ARF and their entry into passenger service. FAT are distinct from certification and authorisation procedures (NoBo, DeBo, AsBo, type approval and/or market introduction authorisation, etc.), which apply to any newly constructed railway vehicle.
A few days after the completion of the FAT and the signing of the related documentation, Alstom will dispatch the TS07 electric trainset to Romania, where it will be received by ARF and handed over for operation to the national passenger rail operator CFR Călători.
As the remaining units of the Coradia Stream interregional electric trainsets in this batch become the property of ARF and are delivered to CFR Călători they will begin operating on the following routes:
- București – Constanța;
- București – Craiova;
- București – Ploiești – Brașov – Sighișoara – Alba Iulia – Deva – Arad – Timișoara;
- București – Craiova – Drobeta Turnu Severin – Timișoara – Arad;
- București – Craiova – Târgu Jiu – Deva.
It is worth noting that currently, at Alstom’s Bautzen rolling stock factory, 15 Coradia Stream trains are in production. Between October and December 2025, three trains will be delivered each month, with the delivery rate increasing to four trains per month starting from January 2026.
This initiative is part of a phased project, with the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure acting as the Managing Authority, implemented in two successive stages. The first stage was funded through the Large Infrastructure Operational Programme (POIM) 2014–2020 and the second is co-financed through the Transport Programme (PT) 2021–2027.
The total value of the project amounts to RON 1.7 billion (EUR 324.5 million) of which RON 213.5 million (EUR 40.5 million) comes from the EU through the ERDF funds.
The primary objective of the acquisition of interregional Coradia Stream EMUs is to connect Bucharest with the country’s main urban centres, contributing to enhanced mobility, reduced travel times, and improved overall quality of public rail transport services.
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