Transport in Bucharest
Encyclopedia
Bucharest
has the largest transport network in Romania, and one of the largest in Europe
. The Bucharest transport network is made up of a metro
network and a surface transport network. Although there are multiple connection points, the two systems operate independently of each other, are run by different organisations (the metro is run by Metrorex
and the surface transport network by RATB
) and use separate ticketing systems.
, M3
and M4
) run by Metrorex
. In total, the network is 69.2 km (43 mi) long and has 48 stations, with 1.4 km (0.869921831309729 mi) average distance between stops. It is one of the fastest ways to get around the city.
(RATB) and consists of an extensive network of bus
es, trolleybus
es, tram
s and light rail
(called metrou uşor which translates as light metro, but it is, in fact, a light rail system). The RATB network is one of the most dense in Europe
, and the fourth largest on the continent,
carrying about 1.7 million passengers daily on 121 bus lines, 21 tram lines, 3 light rail lines and 19 trolleybus lines. At times, however, it does suffer from severe crowding.
RATB is a reasonably efficient and a very frequently-used way of getting around Bucharest. As with the Metro, the system is going under a period of renewal. Highlights of the renewal include the introduction of a new light rail service, aside from trams, as well as wheelchair-accessible buses and trolleybuses.
, and whose populations usually commute to Bucharest for work. In mid-2005, the lines that linked the city to the peripheral area were licensed out to independent transportation providers, but in early 2006, they were placed once again under the control of RATB due to a wide range customer complaints about the private operators.
low-floor, wheelchair-accessible buses. The buses were delivered between June 2006 and April 2007. In January 2008, the first of a further series of 500 Citaro low-floor buses were put into service. These buses are the first air-conditioned vehicles in RATB's fleet.
The fleet makeup, as of June 2009, is as following:
Low floor Mercedes Citaros are the main bus type used in Bucharest, running on a majority of routes. Prototype models, such as HESS, DAF Berkhof and Rocar Autodromo, run intermixed with Citaro buses on the routes that they serve. Older models, such as Rocar De Simon U412
and DAF SB220
, are used for low-patronage peripheral routes, routes that run through higher-risk areas, temporary shuttles and regional/rural routes in Ilfov County (preorășenești).
, in light blue and yellow livery, which have acoustic station announcements and digital display screens. These trolleybuses now make up the majority of the fleet. In early 2007, 150 wheelchair-accessible Irisbus Citelis
trolleybuses were introduced on routes 61
, 62
, 69
, 70
, 71, 86
, 90
, 91
and 92
.
Two distinct, non-interconnected networks exist in Bucharest, the main network (comprising the two main East-West lines as well as a spur in the Northern part of town) and a relatively small Southern network in Berceni
. Each of the two networks have their own, separate trolleybus depots (including separate fleets) and are not connected in any way. The trolleybus network is currently being overhauled or expanded - a goal is to eventually unite the two networks. With this goal in mind, in 2008, a new segment of overhead wire was opened between Piața Unirii - Calea Vitan - Piața Sudului, which is to be expanded in the future to Piața Rosetti, thus bridging the existing gap.
s measuring 332.2 km (206.4 mi) of routes on 145 km (90.1 mi) tram network throughout Bucharest. Beside 21 tram lines, there are currently three converted light rail
lines (so called metrou uşor which translates as light metro), numbered 32, 35 and 41, all of which run in the western part of Bucharest. Light rail use upgraded trams and also run on separate designated corridors for faster travel times. Most of the tramway infrastructure in Bucharest has either been overhauled or completely upgraded in the last 5 years, or is currently being overhauled. The light rail service is expected to be expanded by upgrading existing tram lines to light rail status.
Most tramways operated by RATB (all V3A, Bucur 1 and Bucur LF models) are manufactured internally by RATB at their subsidiary U.R.A.C. Bucharest (the same subsidiary also handles tramway repairs and is in charge with scrapping vehicles reaching the end of their useful service life). Currently, URAC produces three models for RATB - two three-segment, partially low-floor, wheelchair accessible models (V3A-CH-PPC derived from the earlier V3A-93 model and the all-new Bucur-LF model) as well as a two-segments, non-wheelchair accessible model (Bucur 1), derived from the older Tatra tramways.
Route 41 is currently the only route that is wheelchair accessible, using new V3A-CH-PPC tramways. Other routes will become wheelchair accessible as soon as more V3A-CH-PPC or Bucur-LF vehicles are constructed (URAC's building capacity is quite limited in that respect).
With so many cars and a very high population density (50% bigger than Tokyo
and 4 times bigger than Rome
for example), parking is a real problem in Bucharest.
, the Romanian national railways. Although commuter trains no longer serve national routes, commuter train services are not so good. As an alternative, at each city exit there are private bus stations to get travelers to the towns in villages nearby. As a rule, this buses are found at the exit closest to their serviced area. The commuter trains run either from the main station, Gara de Nord
or from 6 minor stations (Gara Basarab, Gara Obor, Gara Chitila, Gara Progresu, Gara Titan and Gara Pantelimon). Their main purpose is not regular travelling, instead they were meant to service major factories and industrial platforms with workers, and generally run early in the morning and in the afternoon. Commuter trains currently run to Olteniţa
, Giurgiu
, Urziceni
, Lehliu Gară
and Titu
. There are also weekend tourist trains from Bucharest to Snagov
, starting either at Gara de Nord or Gara Băneasa.
There are no urban trains (similar to RER
lines in Paris) in Bucharest, even though a commuter ring railway in currently in construction around Bucharest, to supplement the Bucharest Metro
.
The city's municipal road network is centred around a series of high-capacity boulevards (6 to 10 lanes), which generally radiate out from the city centre to the outskirts and are arranged in geographical axes (principally north-south, east-west and northwest-southeast). The principal and thus most congested boulevards are Calea Victoriei
, Bulevardul Unirii and Mihai Bravu Boulevard, which is the longest in Bucharest and forms a sort of semicircle around the northeastern part of the old district. The city also has two ring roads, one internal (Mihai Bravu is part of it) and one external, which are mainly used for cars that bypass the city as well as trucks, which aren't allowed in the city centre. Aside from the main roads, the city also has a number of secondary roads, which connect the main boulevards. In the historical city centre, particularly the Lipscani
area, many streets are cobbled and are classified as pedestrian zones.
The city's roads are usually very crowded during rush hours, due to an increase in car ownership in recent years. Every day, there are more than one million vehicles travelling within the city limits. This has resulted in wearing of the upper layer of tarmac on many of roads in Bucharest, particularly secondary roads which are now used in an equal amount, this being identified as one of Bucharest's main infrastructural problems. The pothole
problem is notorious enough to have inspired a song by the band Taxi
with a chorus "Cratere ca-n Bucureşti, nici pe luna nu gaseşti!" ("Craters like in Bucharest you won't even find on the moon"). However, in recent years, there has been a comprehensive effort on behalf of the City Hall to boost improvement of road infrastructure, mainly by resurfacing and widening roads, and repairing footpaths. According to the City Hall's development plan, nearly 2,000 roads were expected to be repaired by 2008.
Bucharest is one of the principal junctions of Romania's national road network, which links the city to all of Romania's major cities as well as to neighbouring countries such as Hungary
, Bulgaria
and Ukraine
. Romania's two motorways currently in operation, the A1
and the A2 which links the capital with the country's ports and seaside resorts on the Black Sea
.
and Brăila
acting as the country's main ports. However, the Danube-Bucharest Canal
, which is 73 km long, is currently under construction and is around 60% completed. When finished, the canal will link Bucharest to the Danube River and, via the Danube-Black Sea Canal
, to the Black Sea
. This transport corridor is expected to be a significant component of the city's transport infrastructure and increase sea traffic by a large margin.
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
has the largest transport network in Romania, and one of the largest in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The Bucharest transport network is made up of a metro
Bucharest Metro
The Bucharest Metro is an underground urban railway network that serves the capital of Romania, Bucharest. The network is run by Metrorex. It is one of the most accessed systems of the Bucharest public transport network with a ridership of 177.23 million passengers in 2010...
network and a surface transport network. Although there are multiple connection points, the two systems operate independently of each other, are run by different organisations (the metro is run by Metrorex
Metrorex
Metrorex is the Romanian company which runs the Bucharest Metro. Metrorex is due to be merged with Bucharest's surface transport operator, RATB, to form the Bucharest Metropolitan Transport Corporation from mid-2007....
and the surface transport network by RATB
Regia Autonoma de Transport Bucuresti
Regia Autonomă de Transport Bucureşti is a public transport operator in Bucharest, Romania. It operates a complex network of buses, trams and trolleybuses – in fact, all public transport except the Bucharest Metro, which is managed by Metrorex...
) and use separate ticketing systems.
Bucharest Metro
Bucharest has a fairly extensive subway system consisting of four lines (M1, M2M2 Line
M2 is one of the four lines of metro of the Bucharest Metro. M2 Line runs from Pipera to Berceni, thus linking the north from the south of the city.It was gave in use in 2 stages:*Berceni-Piata Unirii 2 in January 1986...
, M3
M3 Line
M3 is one of the 4 lines of metro of the Bucharest Metro. M3 Line runs from Anghel Saligny to Preciziei. It was originally constructed in 1983, with the 15 stations currently in use. It shares 6 stations with the M1, between Eroilor and Dristor 1. Today it links the East and the West...
and M4
M4 Line
M4 is one of the 4 lines of metro of the Bucharest Metro. M4 Line runs from Gara de Nord to Parc Bazilescu. This line is the shortest of those of the Bucharest Metro and the most recent .Another two stations are going to be built in the near future....
) run by Metrorex
Metrorex
Metrorex is the Romanian company which runs the Bucharest Metro. Metrorex is due to be merged with Bucharest's surface transport operator, RATB, to form the Bucharest Metropolitan Transport Corporation from mid-2007....
. In total, the network is 69.2 km (43 mi) long and has 48 stations, with 1.4 km (0.869921831309729 mi) average distance between stops. It is one of the fastest ways to get around the city.
Surface transport
Surface transport in Bucharest is run by Regia Autonomă de Transport BucureştiRegia Autonoma de Transport Bucuresti
Regia Autonomă de Transport Bucureşti is a public transport operator in Bucharest, Romania. It operates a complex network of buses, trams and trolleybuses – in fact, all public transport except the Bucharest Metro, which is managed by Metrorex...
(RATB) and consists of an extensive network of bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es, trolleybus
Trolleybus
A trolleybus is an electric bus that draws its electricity from overhead wires using spring-loaded trolley poles. Two wires and poles are required to complete the electrical circuit...
es, tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
s and light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
(called metrou uşor which translates as light metro, but it is, in fact, a light rail system). The RATB network is one of the most dense in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and the fourth largest on the continent,
carrying about 1.7 million passengers daily on 121 bus lines, 21 tram lines, 3 light rail lines and 19 trolleybus lines. At times, however, it does suffer from severe crowding.
RATB is a reasonably efficient and a very frequently-used way of getting around Bucharest. As with the Metro, the system is going under a period of renewal. Highlights of the renewal include the introduction of a new light rail service, aside from trams, as well as wheelchair-accessible buses and trolleybuses.
Buses
With a total route length of 1374 km (853.8 mi), the RATB bus network is the most dense out of all the transport types in Bucharest. In fact, RATB's advertisements state that one can never be more than five minutes walking distance from a bus stop. There are 121 bus lines, most of which operate in the Municipality of Bucharest. However, there are also a few bus lines which provide services to the towns and villages which border Bucharest, in Ilfov countyIlfov County
Ilfov is the county that surrounds Bucharest, the capital of Romania. It used to be largely rural, but after the fall of communism, many of the county's villages and communes developed into high-income commuter towns, which act like suburbs or satellites of Bucharest...
, and whose populations usually commute to Bucharest for work. In mid-2005, the lines that linked the city to the peripheral area were licensed out to independent transportation providers, but in early 2006, they were placed once again under the control of RATB due to a wide range customer complaints about the private operators.
Fleet
RATB's bus fleet is made up of more than 1450 vehicles, of which around 68% are wheelchair-accessible (low floor) and around 34% are air-conditioned. Between 2005 and 2009, the fleet underwent its most substantial process of renewal since 1989, and is now among the most modern in Europe. In December 2005, RATB signed a contract for 500 Mercedes CitaroMercedes-Benz O530 Citaro
The Mercedes-Benz Citaro is the current Mercedes-Benz/EvoBus mainstream single-decker bus intended for public transport, introduced in 1997 and replaced the Mercedes-Benz O405/O405N series...
low-floor, wheelchair-accessible buses. The buses were delivered between June 2006 and April 2007. In January 2008, the first of a further series of 500 Citaro low-floor buses were put into service. These buses are the first air-conditioned vehicles in RATB's fleet.
The fleet makeup, as of June 2009, is as following:
Low floor Mercedes Citaros are the main bus type used in Bucharest, running on a majority of routes. Prototype models, such as HESS, DAF Berkhof and Rocar Autodromo, run intermixed with Citaro buses on the routes that they serve. Older models, such as Rocar De Simon U412
Rocar De Simon U412
The Rocar De Simon U412 is a city bus model manufactured jointly by Rocar and De Simon in Romania. The model, introduced in the mid-1990s, is mostly used in Bucharest's bus network operated by RATB even though some U 412-260s are also used in other Romanian cities such as Braşov, Cluj-Napoca and...
and DAF SB220
DAF SB220
The DAF SB220 is a city bus chassis produced by DAF Bus International in the 1980s and 1990s.It has been superseded by the DAF/VDL SB200 and SB250.-United Kingdom :*Optare Delta*Ikarus Citibus...
, are used for low-patronage peripheral routes, routes that run through higher-risk areas, temporary shuttles and regional/rural routes in Ilfov County (preorășenești).
Trolleybuses
Trolleybuses supplement buses on the RATB system network, which operates 19 trolleybus lines (mainly on high-usage routes), measuring 164.1 km (102 mi) of routes on 73.2 km (45.5 mi) network. During the 1990s, the fleet was updated with modern trolleybuses manufactured by IkarusIkarus Bus
Ikarus is a bus manufacturer based in Budapest, Hungary. It was established in 1895 as Uhri Imre Kovács- és Kocsigyártó Üzeme .-History:...
, in light blue and yellow livery, which have acoustic station announcements and digital display screens. These trolleybuses now make up the majority of the fleet. In early 2007, 150 wheelchair-accessible Irisbus Citelis
Irisbus Citelis
Irisbus Citelis is a wheelchair-accessible city bus produced by Irisbus. It was introduced in 2005 to replace the Agora. It comes in two varieties: Citelis 12, which is of standard length, and Citelis 18, which is articulated and has a length of . Citelis models use Euro 4, Euro 5 & EEV engines...
trolleybuses were introduced on routes 61
RATB route 61
-External links:**...
, 62
RATB route 62
Route 62 is a trolleybus route in Bucharest, run by RATB. It runs from Gara de Nord, Bucharest's main train station, to Liceul Industrial Auto in the city's west. Since April 2007, some services on the route are wheelchair-accessible, making use of new Irisbus Citelis vehicles.-Route departing Gara...
, 69
RATB route 69
-Route departing Valea Argeşului:*Valea Argeşului*Str. Valea Argeşului*Drumul Taberei *Bd. 1 Mai*Str. Sibiu*Drumul Taberei *Drumul Sării*Str. Răzoare*Şos. Pandurilor*Str. Rainer*Piaţa Eroilor*Bd. Eroilor...
, 70
RATB route 70
-External links:**...
, 71, 86
RATB route 86
Route 86 is a trolleybus route in Bucharest, run by RATB.-External links:**...
, 90
RATB route 90
-External links:**...
, 91
RATB route 91
-External links:**...
and 92
RATB route 92
-External links:**...
.
Two distinct, non-interconnected networks exist in Bucharest, the main network (comprising the two main East-West lines as well as a spur in the Northern part of town) and a relatively small Southern network in Berceni
Berceni
Berceni can refer to:*Berceni, a quarter in Bucharest, Romania*Berceni, a commune in Ilfov County*Berceni, a commune in Prahova County...
. Each of the two networks have their own, separate trolleybus depots (including separate fleets) and are not connected in any way. The trolleybus network is currently being overhauled or expanded - a goal is to eventually unite the two networks. With this goal in mind, in 2008, a new segment of overhead wire was opened between Piața Unirii - Calea Vitan - Piața Sudului, which is to be expanded in the future to Piața Rosetti, thus bridging the existing gap.
Trams and light rail
RATB operates a complex system of tramTram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
s measuring 332.2 km (206.4 mi) of routes on 145 km (90.1 mi) tram network throughout Bucharest. Beside 21 tram lines, there are currently three converted light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
lines (so called metrou uşor which translates as light metro), numbered 32, 35 and 41, all of which run in the western part of Bucharest. Light rail use upgraded trams and also run on separate designated corridors for faster travel times. Most of the tramway infrastructure in Bucharest has either been overhauled or completely upgraded in the last 5 years, or is currently being overhauled. The light rail service is expected to be expanded by upgrading existing tram lines to light rail status.
Most tramways operated by RATB (all V3A, Bucur 1 and Bucur LF models) are manufactured internally by RATB at their subsidiary U.R.A.C. Bucharest (the same subsidiary also handles tramway repairs and is in charge with scrapping vehicles reaching the end of their useful service life). Currently, URAC produces three models for RATB - two three-segment, partially low-floor, wheelchair accessible models (V3A-CH-PPC derived from the earlier V3A-93 model and the all-new Bucur-LF model) as well as a two-segments, non-wheelchair accessible model (Bucur 1), derived from the older Tatra tramways.
Route 41 is currently the only route that is wheelchair accessible, using new V3A-CH-PPC tramways. Other routes will become wheelchair accessible as soon as more V3A-CH-PPC or Bucur-LF vehicles are constructed (URAC's building capacity is quite limited in that respect).
Private cars
At the end of 2008, in Bucharest there were 1.24 million vehicles, among which 985.000 cars. In 2007 there were 150.000 less vehicles, which means the number of vehicles increased with 13.76% in one year.With so many cars and a very high population density (50% bigger than Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
and 4 times bigger than Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
for example), parking is a real problem in Bucharest.
CFR Trains
Bucharest is served by a commuter railway network operated by CFRCaile Ferate Române
Căile Ferate Române is the official designation of the state railway carrier of Romania. Romania has a railway network of of which are electrified and the total track length is . The network is significantly interconnected with other European railway networks, providing pan-European passenger...
, the Romanian national railways. Although commuter trains no longer serve national routes, commuter train services are not so good. As an alternative, at each city exit there are private bus stations to get travelers to the towns in villages nearby. As a rule, this buses are found at the exit closest to their serviced area. The commuter trains run either from the main station, Gara de Nord
Gara de Nord
București Gara de Nord is the main railway station in Bucharest and the largest railway station in Romania...
or from 6 minor stations (Gara Basarab, Gara Obor, Gara Chitila, Gara Progresu, Gara Titan and Gara Pantelimon). Their main purpose is not regular travelling, instead they were meant to service major factories and industrial platforms with workers, and generally run early in the morning and in the afternoon. Commuter trains currently run to Olteniţa
Oltenita
Olteniţa is a city in Romania in the Călăraşi County on the left bank of the Argeş River where its waters reach the Danube through a network of streams and marshes.Oltenita stands just across the Danube from the Bulgarian city of Tutrakan.-History:...
, Giurgiu
Giurgiu
Giurgiu is the capital city of Giurgiu County, Romania, in the Greater Wallachia. It is situated amid mud-flats and marshes on the left bank of the Danube facing the Bulgarian city of Rousse on the opposite bank. Three small islands face the city, and a larger one shelters its port, Smarda...
, Urziceni
Urziceni
Urziceni is a town in Ialomiţa County, Romania, located around 60 km north-east of Bucharest. It has a population of 17,090.Founded by Romanian shepherds, its name is derived from the word "urzică" . It was mentioned for the first time in a written document on 23 April 1596, during the reign...
, Lehliu Gară
Lehliu Gara
Lehliu Gară is a small town in the middle of the Bărăgan region in Romania, with a railway station and a national road linking the seaside Constanţa and the county capital, Călăraşi. Also, the new A2 free-way passes nearby, by going to the sea....
and Titu
Titu
Titu is a town in Dâmboviţa County, southern Romania with a population of 10,226 , best known for its yearly September 14 bâlci .Titu is divided into three main zones...
. There are also weekend tourist trains from Bucharest to Snagov
Snagov
Snagov is a commune, located 40 km north of Bucharest in Ilfov County, Romania. According to the 2002 census, 99.2% of the population is ethnic Romanian and 0.4% are Roma...
, starting either at Gara de Nord or Gara Băneasa.
There are no urban trains (similar to RER
RER
The RER is a rapid transit system in France serving Paris and its suburbs. The RER is an integration of a modern city-centre underground rail and a pre-existing set of commuter rail lines. It has several connections with the Paris Métro within the city of Paris. Within the city, the RER...
lines in Paris) in Bucharest, even though a commuter ring railway in currently in construction around Bucharest, to supplement the Bucharest Metro
Bucharest Metro
The Bucharest Metro is an underground urban railway network that serves the capital of Romania, Bucharest. The network is run by Metrorex. It is one of the most accessed systems of the Bucharest public transport network with a ridership of 177.23 million passengers in 2010...
.
Road network
Calea Victoriei
Calea Victoriei is a major avenue in central Bucharest. It leads from Splaiul Independenţei to the north and then northwest up to Piaţa Victoriei, where Şoseaua Kiseleff continues north....
, Bulevardul Unirii and Mihai Bravu Boulevard, which is the longest in Bucharest and forms a sort of semicircle around the northeastern part of the old district. The city also has two ring roads, one internal (Mihai Bravu is part of it) and one external, which are mainly used for cars that bypass the city as well as trucks, which aren't allowed in the city centre. Aside from the main roads, the city also has a number of secondary roads, which connect the main boulevards. In the historical city centre, particularly the Lipscani
Lipscani
Lipscani is a street and a district of Bucharest, Romania, which in the Middle Ages was the most important commercial center of Bucharest and the whole Wallachia...
area, many streets are cobbled and are classified as pedestrian zones.
The city's roads are usually very crowded during rush hours, due to an increase in car ownership in recent years. Every day, there are more than one million vehicles travelling within the city limits. This has resulted in wearing of the upper layer of tarmac on many of roads in Bucharest, particularly secondary roads which are now used in an equal amount, this being identified as one of Bucharest's main infrastructural problems. The pothole
Pothole
A pothole is a type of disruption in the surface of a roadway where a portion of the road material has broken away, leaving a hole.- Formation :...
problem is notorious enough to have inspired a song by the band Taxi
Taxi (band)
----Taxi are a Romanian pop-rock band. Their sound is an eclectic mix of rock and contemporary pop, occasionally introducing other influences such as hot Nashville-style guitar licks.The band was founded March 13, 1999 in Bucharest...
with a chorus "Cratere ca-n Bucureşti, nici pe luna nu gaseşti!" ("Craters like in Bucharest you won't even find on the moon"). However, in recent years, there has been a comprehensive effort on behalf of the City Hall to boost improvement of road infrastructure, mainly by resurfacing and widening roads, and repairing footpaths. According to the City Hall's development plan, nearly 2,000 roads were expected to be repaired by 2008.
Bucharest is one of the principal junctions of Romania's national road network, which links the city to all of Romania's major cities as well as to neighbouring countries such as Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
and Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. Romania's two motorways currently in operation, the A1
A1 freeway (Romania)
The A1 is currently a 111 kilometre motorway linking Bucharest, the capital of Romania, with Piteşti, a city in Argeş County. The Sibiu motorway bypass is also designated as part of the A1...
and the A2 which links the capital with the country's ports and seaside resorts on the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
.
Airports
Bucharest has two international airports:- Henri Coandă International AirportHenri Coanda International AirportHenri Coandă International Airport is Romania's busiest international airport, located northwest of the city of Bucharest, within Otopeni city limits. One of two airports serving the Romanian capital, the other being Băneasa, it is named after Romanian flight pioneer Henri Coandă, builder of...
, located north of the Bucharest metropolitan area, in the town of Otopeni, Ilfov. Currently the airport has one terminal divided into three inter-connected buildings (International Departures Hall, International Arrivals Hall and the Domestic Flights Hall - at the ground level of the Arrivals Hall - ). The International Departures Hall consists of 36 check-in desks, one finger with 10 gates (5 equipped with jetways), while the Domestic Hall has an extra four gates. Today's International Arrivals Hall is actually the old Otopeni terminal, while the new Departures Hall, including the finger and the airbridges was built and inaugurated in 1997. A second finger with 7 jetways is under construction and a new building terminal on the east side is in project phase. The airport received 5,064,230 passengers in 2008, however traffic growth has dampened due to economic slowdownLate 2000s recessionThe late-2000s recession, sometimes referred to as the Great Recession or Lesser Depression or Long Recession, is a severe ongoing global economic problem that began in December 2007 and took a particularly sharp downward turn in September 2008. The Great Recession has affected the entire world...
.
- Aurel Vlaicu International AirportAurel Vlaicu International Airport-Terminated destinations:-See also:*Aviation in Romania*Transport in Romania*Blue Air-External links:**...
is situated only 8 km north of the Bucharest city center and is accessible by RATB buses 131, 335 and Airport Express 780 and 783, RATB tramway 5 and taxi. An extension of Line M2 of the Bucharest Metro to Aurel Vlaicu International, which will link it to the Main Train Station and the larger Henri Coandă International Airport, was approved in June 2006 and is currently in its planning stage.
Sea transport
Although it is situated on the banks of a river, Bucharest has never functioned as a port city, with other Romanian cities such as ConstanţaConstanta
Constanța is the oldest extant city in Romania, founded around 600 BC. The city is located in the Dobruja region of Romania, on the Black Sea coast. It is the capital of Constanța County and the largest city in the region....
and Brăila
Braila
Brăila is a city in Muntenia, eastern Romania, a port on the Danube and the capital of Brăila County, in the close vicinity of Galaţi.According to the 2002 Romanian census there were 216,292 people living within the city of Brăila, making it the 10th most populous city in Romania.-History:A...
acting as the country's main ports. However, the Danube-Bucharest Canal
Danube-Bucharest Canal
The Danube–Bucharest Canal is a long canal project that is planned to link Bucharest, Romania, to the Danube via Argeş River.The earliest plans, made by engineer Nicolae Cucu in 1880, sought to link Bucharest to the Danube at Olteniţa. In 1927, a study by Alexandru Davidescu was published at the...
, which is 73 km long, is currently under construction and is around 60% completed. When finished, the canal will link Bucharest to the Danube River and, via the Danube-Black Sea Canal
Danube-Black Sea Canal
The Danube – Black Sea Canal is a canal in Romania which runs from Cernavodă on the Danube to Agigea and Năvodari on the Black Sea...
, to the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
. This transport corridor is expected to be a significant component of the city's transport infrastructure and increase sea traffic by a large margin.