The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure issued the final construction permit for the Cluj – Oradea – Episcopia Bihor railway line on Friday, March 27, 2026, a strategic project worth 2 billion euros financed through the PNRR, writes TransilvaniaBusiness.
The decision unblocks work on the most difficult section of the route, section 3 – Poieni – Aleșd, where the Spanish and Turkish contractors must make up for major delays to reach the target of 50% completion by the end of summer.
„We managed to unblock this critical sector through active involvement in recent weeks, after a design period that lasted far too long. Our objective is clear: to recover every lost day. The constructors have adopted a furious pace, with a hive of machinery in the field, and we will monitor them strictly to ensure that in 2027 we will cover the distance between Cluj and Oradea in just an hour and a half.” declared Horațiu Cosma, Secretary of State in the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure.
Following the alarm signals raised, including by Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, regarding the project's stagnation, the Ministry of Transport has managed to issue the final documentation required for the 35 km segment between Poieni and Aleșd. The works are being carried out by the consortium FCC Construcción (Spain) – Gülermak (Turkey) – CCN Altyapi (Turkey).
The challenge is immense: to meet the PNRR milestones and secure European funding, construction must surpass% physical progress by the end of August. Authorities promise daily monitoring and rapid payments to sustain the pace of work on this spectacular, but technically complex, section.
The Cluj-Oradea railway line involves not just a repair of the current track, but a radical transformation of the railway infrastructure in the west of the country.
In 2027, the journey between Cluj and Oradea will take approximately 1.5 hours, with new trains on a modernized line for speeds up to 160 km/h.