Austrian construction company PORR has secured a design-and-build contract worth approximately €428m ($489.2m) for the modernisation of a major railway line in Romania.

The contract awarded to PORR involves the renovation and modernisation of the Craiova-Drobeta Turnu Severin-Caransebeș railway line, Lot 5.

PORR CEO Karl-Heinz Strauss said: “This project will contribute to improving the flow of traffic and increasing safety along the Orient/East-Med corridor. We at PORR are proud to be making such a sizable contribution to expanding Europe’s transport network”.

The renovation work will extend over a 32.6km stretch of track, including the conversion of a single-track line into a double-track line and the construction of two new double-track line variants.

Additionally, the project entails the building of 18 bridges and 54 culverts to support the upgraded railway line.

The existing Rachitoberg Tunnel, measuring 496m, will also undergo renovation, and a new twin-track tunnel, Poarta I, spanning 1,279m, will be constructed.

Six railway stations along the route: Băile Herculane, Mehadia Nouă, Mehadia, Iablanița, Crușovăț, and Domașnea Cornea, are set for modernisation within the project's scope.

The project is expected to take 60 months to complete.

Upon completion, the railway section will be equipped with a state-of-the-art power supply and signalling system. The line will be fully electrified and incorporate the advanced European Railway Traffic Management System Level 2.

Strauss added: “Overall, this major project will deliver a significant improvement. It cuts travel time, increases transport capacity, and brings the national infrastructure up to European standards for speed and safety.”

In another infrastructure project reported earlier this year, PORR, in collaboration with STRABAG, will undertake the reconstruction of the Luegbrücke, an essential bridge on the Brenner motorway in Tyrol, Western Austria.