An efficient tram network is the backbone of a sustainable public transport system – and in Bucharest, the number 40 tram plays a central role. After more than four decades, the tracks are showing their age. To this end, PORR has been awarded the contract for the comprehensive modernisation of a total of 18 kilometres of track infrastructure.
"Sustainable mobility starts with high-performance infrastructure”, said PORR CEO Karl-Heinz Strauss. “By renovating and modernising this tram line, we’re playing our part in securing a public transport network capable of keeping a growing city moving. With this, we’re ensuring environmentally friendly and sustainable transport development". With this project, PORR is once again underlining its expertise in infrastructure development and cementing its excellent reputation on the Romanian market.
The project is part of a larger modernisation programme. A total of around 50 km of track infrastructure will be completely replaced in Bucharest. The aim is to optimise traffic flow in the Romanian capital and ready the infrastructure for state-of-the-art trams.
64 platforms and five substations
PORR will modernise the double tracks in its section, including infrastructure, superstructure and points, over a length of 18 km. The construction lot includes the routes along Theodor Pallady, 1 Decembrie 1918, Basarabia and Calea Călărașilor, as well as the Corneliu Coposu section, including the connecting road around the Titan complex. In addition, 64 platforms will be built, the overhead line network and the DC cables will be replaced and five substations will be modernised to supply power to the tram network. The project will take a total of 33 months.
This is not the first contract of its kind for PORR in Romania: The company is applying its experience in several cities. This includes the renovation of tram lines in the west of the country in places like Timisoara and Resita.
However, the renovation of the number 40 tram line in Bucharest comes with particular challenges. The work will be carried out on the capital’s largest boulevards; it must be accompanied by a comprehensive traffic management plan to minimise disruptions to people’s daily commutes. Added to this is the dense supply infrastructure, some of which will need to be relocated, replaced or given additional protection. And finally, the condition of the surrounding buildings also poses a significant challenge. Before work begins, a detailed assessment and thorough documentation of the surrounding structures is being initiated to ensure their stability and safety.
Facts and figures at a glance:
| Project type: | Road construction |
| Scope of services: | Modernisation of the double tracks including infrastructure, superstructure and points, as well as building 64 new platforms on an 18km stretch; complete replacement of the overhead line network and DC cable; modernisation of five substations to power the tram network |
| Client: | Municipality of Bucharest |
| Contractor: | PORR Construct S.R.L. |
| Project duration: | 33 months |
| Contract volume: | approx. EUR 150m (RON 716m) |
