Simeria railway junction completely modernized after years of works. The bizarre discovery that delayed the investment in the CFR station
The Simeria railway junction was radically transformed after almost a decade of railway infrastructure works, much delayed compared to the originally set deadline, which also included the restoration of the station built in the early years of the 20th century.
Simeria train station. Photo: Daniel Guță. TRUTH
The modernization of CFR Simeria station was included in an investment contracted by the Romanian state in 2017, for the Gurasada-Simeria section, 41 kilometers long, of the Simeria-Arad railway line, which stretches for 141 kilometers.
Work on this segment began in the first months of 2018 and was supposed to be completed in 2021. Currently, the execution stage on the Hunedoara railway section has reached 89 percent.
“The work at Simeria station is nearing the end, the construction site giving way to a modern infrastructure, prepared for the demands of the future. It is a visible transition: from a historical railway hub to a strategic European point. Today, Simeria Station continues to evolve, adapting to modern requirements, but without losing its identity. It is a place where railway tradition intertwines with the present, and the spirit of travel remains always alive”recently informed CFR Infrastructura.
The Simeria – Arad highway, modernized in a decade
According to the latest report published in April by the state company CFR, regarding the progress of works on the Simeria-Arad highway, the completion of the Gurasada-Simeria segment is expected in November 2026.
The same report shows that, on sub-section 2a, Km 614 (Arad)–Bârzava, in Arad county, with a length of 42 kilometers, the progress of the construction site has reached 98%, and the completion of the works is estimated for August 2026.
On sub-section 2b, Bârzava–Ilteu, in Arad county, with a length of 36 kilometers, the physical stage of the project has reached 97 percent, and the works could be completed in December 2026.
On sub-section 2c, Ilteu-Gurasada, with a length of 22 kilometers, the implementation stage of the project has reached 82 percent, but the completion of the works is estimated for December 2027. The main reason is the difficulties and delays reported on the section of the tunnels on the Mureș Valley, with a total length of approximately two kilometers, in the area of Zam.
The stage of work on the tunnels is as follows: “Sălciva Tunnel (Polata): excavate 222 meters out of the total of 250 Metraplus 25 Metra cut-and-cover type completed; Sălciva Tunnel 1: excavate 360 Metra out of a total of 590 Metra . In the interval km 300–360, re-excavation was necessary, as a result of subsidence, with the application of a support solution of the type of “umbrella” piles; Sălciva Tunnel 2: excavate 12 Metra out of a total of 210 Metraplus 5 Metra excavate in the first phase and 15 columns at km 521+69″CFR shows.
The new railway Simeria-Arad (Kilometer 614), in western Romania, has been on the construction site since 2018, after the works contracts were signed in 2017. The project aims to modernize one of the oldest railway sections in Romania, inaugurated almost 160 years ago.
The project concerned the modernization of the railway infrastructure and the reconfiguration of the route, so that the speed of the trains could increase up to 160 km/h. It imposed the construction of about 60 kilometers of completely new route between Simeria and Arad, some tunnels and nine bridges over Mureș. With the completion of the works on the highway, the duration of a trip between Simeria and Arad will be reduced to less than an hour and a half.
Simeria railway station, restored
In Simeria, the investment targeted the modernization of the infrastructure of the railway junction and the restoration of the Simeria train station, an emblematic building erected in the early years of the 20th century. The CFR Simeria station was inaugurated around 1868, with the opening of the Arad – Alba Iulia railway.
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CFR Simeria Station Photo Daniel Guță THE TRUTH (11) JPG
Its passenger building was established at the same time, but around 1900 it was rebuilt, due to the increasing railway traffic from the CFR Simeria station. Simeria had become the connecting point of the Arad – Alba Iulia railway line, from the Mureș valley, with the Simeria – Petroșani – Craiova main line, which crossed the mountains through the Jiului Gorge, connecting the historical regions of Ardeal and Oltenia, but also with the Simeria – Hunedoara line, inaugurated in 1884.
“The Simeria passenger building, a historical monument, will have modern spaces intended for the traveling public: car park, waiting room, ticket offices, restrooms, luggage space and information office; spaces intended exclusively for the disabled: special access areas, ticket office and restrooms; commercial and railway operating areas”informs CFR Infrastructura.
Above the CFR station, which has been under construction for four years, the new pedestrian walkway has been partially opened, only between platforms 1 and 3. The works on the transport infrastructure (platforms, installations and railway lines) are also in the final stage of execution.
The Story of the Simeria Station Bombs
In addition to the usual delays, the site at the CFR station also faced an unusual problem: the discovery in 2021 of a World War II arsenal, which included 120 mm launcher bombs, cannon shells, grenades and bomb warheads, some in working order, others just remnants from explosions.
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CFR Simeria Station Photo Daniel Guță THE TRUTH (12) JPG
The railway tunnels entering the construction site in 2021 postpone the completion of the highway for high-speed trains in western Romania
“The items of ammunition that were discovered in the area of the CFR station were not dangerous. They were retrieved and destroyed under safe conditions”informs the Hunedoara Emergency Situations Inspectorate at the time.
A former CFR mechanic, now in his 90s, recalled the circumstances of the World War II bombing.
“Around the Easter holiday of 1944, a German garrison with war ammunition was stationed at the Simeria train station. Those in the station woke up one morning with some manifestos, probably thrown from the plane, which said that “at Easter red eggs will be brought”. Because, at that time, the American aviation was involved in an important campaign of bombing German military targets on the territory of Romania, they concluded that the Americans wanted to bomb the military train and thus wanted to warn the population of the city. The officers took the decision to move the train out of the station and to a secondary line, to try to save the station and the nearby buildings. Just as they had anticipated, the Americans surgically bombed the train, which obviously blew up with ammunition. There were no casualties, unlike the German bombings after August 23, 1944. which destroyed, in addition to the targeted military and industrial targets, part of the houses in Simeria and produced many victims among the civilian population. Part of the ammunition scattered then, immediately after the explosion, was thrown into the Mureș river”he said according to the gorunescu.ro blog.
After a long period of works, the Simeria station has become one of the most modern CFR stations in Romania, although the builders still have work to do on the 160-year-old railway station.
