Train tickets are up to 10% more expensive. Higher fares and a new train schedule come into effect from today
Train tickets in Romania will go up by up to 10% starting Sunday, December 14, 2025, with the entry into force of the new 2025-2026 Train Schedule. The fares were updated due to the inflation rate, the increases being similar to those applied annually in December, when the CFR revises both the prices and the traffic schedule.
PHOTO: Shutterstock
The general director of CFR Călători, Traian Preoteasa, explained that “with the new travel plan, ticket prices are indexed to the inflation rate. This is the law“.
The price increase comes just four months after the last increase, applied following the increase in the VAT rate for rail transport from 19% to 21%. As of December 2024, tickets have increased by 4.6%, and annual price increases have continued for several years due to inflation.
Thus, for the InterRegio train journey between Bucharest and Brașov, a second-class ticket now costs approximately 75 lei, up from 68 lei before the increase was applied. In first class, the price has reached 108 lei, from 73 lei. The price of a trip to Constanța is estimated at 92 lei, and a longer journey, to Iasi, reaches 140 lei.
CFR Călători announces more modern trains and improved services
With the entry into force of the new train schedule, approximately 1,150 trains will run daily, of which 52 are international trains. At the same time, direct connections between Bucharest and Budapest, respectively Bucharest and Vienna, were reintroduced.
The new carriages, made in factories in Romania, are equipped with Wi-Fi, audio-video information systems, surveillance cameras, electrical outlets, air conditioning, ecological toilets, spaces for people with reduced mobility and bar-bistro carriages.
In this context, some Interregio trains connecting Bucharest with Mărășești – Suceava/Iași and Brașov will be reclassified as Intercity, benefiting from modernized rolling stock and a higher level of comfort, safety and speed.
Another major innovation is the introduction of Alstom Coradia Stream electric frames, made available by the Railway Reform Authority (ARF). These modern trains, capable of reaching speeds of up to 160 km/h, will be used in the circulation of 26 daily trains on the most requested routes: Bucharest North – Constanța, Bucharest North – Craiova, Bucharest North – Arad, Bucharest North – Brașov, Bucharest North – Timișoara North and Bucharest North – Craiova – Deva. CFR Călători estimates that by February 1, 2026, 11 frames from the first batch of 12 will be operated.
Also, during 2026, the company intends to introduce 7 trains made up of PESA frames on the Bucharest – Buzău – Adjud route, after completing the tests and acceptance procedures. These frames are also purchased by ARF and will go into operation after the official handover to CFR Călători.
The process of modernizing the railway fleet will continue gradually, as the new Alstom, PESA frames and wagons modernized through the PNRR will replace the older rolling stock with advanced wear.
In parallel, CFR Călători maintains a series of tariff discounts for domestic traffic, such as subscriptions for various categories of passengers, the TrenPlus card (25% discount for one year), the return offer with a 10% discount and discounts of up to 10% for tickets purchased in advance. Discounts are also available for international traffic, including to Hungary, Austria, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and the Republic of Moldova, as well as through the Interrail offer.
Tickets can be purchased online, from the CFR Călători mobile application, from machines in stations or from ticket offices. The company reminds that passengers must have a valid ticket before boarding the train.
