Bucharest - Giurgiu railway line

The Bucharest North - Jilava - Giurgiu North - Giurgiu North Border railway line is part of the TEN-T comprehensive network and is of strategic importance. The railway line crosses the Danube via the Friendship Bridge between Romania and Bulgaria and connects the Rhine-Danube corridor with Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey. Following the collapse of the railway bridge over the Argeș River in Grădiștea due to severe flooding in 2005, the line was out of service until its current completion.

Pioneering for the Romanian railway infrastructure

As part of this project, 70 km of the existing line was rehabilitated and 14 km newly constructed. The work also included the construction of four supporting bridges with lengths between 45 and 136 metres, a 1,226-metre viaduct and ten C2-type culverts. In addition, two new buildings and 650 metres of platforms were constructed and an existing building was renovated.

Premiere for the slab track system

The most complex task was the construction of the bridge over the River Argeș.

At 1,362.1 metres, it is also one of the longest bridges in Romania. The PORR slab track system was used for the first time in Romania for its construction. This ballastless railway system is an efficient alternative to conventional railway tracks with concrete sleepers and rails. The main components are prefabricated reinforced concrete slabs, which are specially designed to absorb the loads of railway traffic and transfer them to the load-bearing layers. The low maintenance requirements, short installation time and reduced labour costs are just some of the advantages of this system.

Another special feature of this bridge is its fully welded bridge deck, which consists of truss girders with a lower track level and is also the first of its kind in Romania. A modern solution with metal deck structures was used for the shorter bridges along the route. All in all, an outstanding achievement by the Romanian colleagues, which takes the country's infrastructure to a new level.