The Railway Reform Authority cancels procedures for inter-regional electric trains

The Railway Reform Authority (ARF) has decided to cancel the procedures for the purchase of inter-regional electric trains, called RE-IR, intended for inter-regional railway passenger transport, the institution announces.

The decision was taken because the submitted financial offers did not fit within the maximum ceiling of the unitary compensation established by the mandate of the ARF president.

More precisely, it is about the procurement procedures of “Public rail passenger transport services by making available the rolling stock newly purchased by ARF, respectively the inter-regional electric trains, called RE-IR, intended for inter-regional rail passenger transport” , lots 2 and 3 (CSP-L2 and CSP-L3), organized through a competitive procedure, through the Romanian Commodity Exchange (BRM).

The two purchase contracts CSP-L2 and CSP-L3 could not be assigned to the sole bidder – CFR Călători – because the financial offers submitted did not fit within the maximum ceiling of the unitary compensation established by the mandate of the ARF president, the institution explains.

“In accordance with the provisions of the procedures for the competitive award of public service contracts, ARF submitted 6 times for the CSP-L2 lot, respectively 5 times for the CSP-L3 lot, requests to improve the financial offer”, the authority states.

ARF will implement the new mechanism in order to resume competitive procedures.

These contracts are valid for a maximum of 48 months and 50 months, respectively, and cover the following traffic routes:

• four public service routes (provided with 13 RE-IR1 frames), respectively: Bucharest North – Brasov – Cluj Napoca, Bucharest North – Brasov, Brasov – Deda – Cluj Napoca, Cluj Napoca – Deva – Timişoara North;

• four public service routes (provided with 12 RE-IR1 frames), respectively: Bucharest North – Suceava, Bucharest North – Iaşi, Bucharest North – Galaţi, Iaşi – Cluj Napoca.

New regulations for purchases in the field

“The awarding of the two public service contracts through competitive procedures represents the legal steps undertaken by the ARF to ensure the transition from a mandatory public services market with contracts awarded directly to railway transport operators to one characterized by awarding exclusively through competitive procedures. In accordance with the provisions of Regulation (EC) no. 1,370/2007, starting from December 24, 2023, public service contracts for rail passenger transport are awarded, at the level of all the member states of the European Union, through competitive procedures. In December 2023, the Government of Romania updated the legal framework for the preparation and awarding of public rail passenger transport service contracts, by adopting GEO no. 131/2023, through which to establish the mechanism for preparing the competitive procedures for awarding the mentioned contracts”, says the institution.

At the same time, through the provisions of GD 1.453/2022 for the direct award of public service contracts for the period December 2022 – December 2032, the Government of Romania created the legal mechanism for the use of RE-IR1 trains during the period necessary to complete the new competitive award procedures.

Thus, the RE-IR1 electric trains will be used in the Romanian public service after the delivery of the trains to ARF by the supplier Alstom Ferroviaria SpA and their reception.

According to the updated train delivery schedule, handed over by Alstom Ferroviaria SpA, the 37 RE-IR1 will enter traffic gradually between November 2024 and December 2025.

The first 12 RE-IR1 frames will be used in the framework of the first contract for public rail transport services in Romania awarded through a competitive procedure, a procedure completed by the adoption of GD no. 1.328/2023.

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