Also from Rome in ’99, a few views of the River Tiber, taken from its banks.
Riding on the CFR
While in Romania to take care of family matters, I’ve had the displeasure of riding on the CFR (Caile Ferate Romane), which can be translated as the Romanian Ferovial Transport, or Romanian Railroads. Its equivalent in the States is Amtrak. They’re both state-run, and that’s where the similarity ends.
There are four classes of trains that run in Romania. I’ll give you the four Romanian terms, then explain what each means. The following trains are available: InterCity, Rapid, Accelerat and Personal.
- InterCity: clean, relatively fast train; more expensive than others, routes are limited to certain cities, and during certain times of the year.
- Rapid: the term means “fast” in Romanian, and it’s a misnomer. It’s not fast, and it’s not clean. As a matter of fact, it’s downright disgusting on most Rapid trains. Some are indeed acceptable, but that’s about the nicest thing one can say about them. The Rapid is cheaper than the InterCity and more expensive than the Accelerat.
- Accelerat: the term means “acceleration” in Romanian, and it’s somewhat true. The train stops (a lot) then it accelerates back to its usual speed, which is a snail-like 40-70 km/h. It’s not clean, but it’s somewhat cheaper than the Rapid.
- Personal: the term means the same thing in Romanian as in English. It’s a train meant for moving people back and forth, as compared to goods/merchandise. If you’ve ever seen a cattle train, the similarities are striking: the wagons are rusty, hot, dirty, and smelly. It’s also slow as molasses, and stops at every possible station, sometimes even in the middle of nowhere. It’s the cheapest train one can get a ticket on, and it’s also a train one should avoid at all cost.
There are also two price-levels on Romanian trains: first class, and second class. Unless one is talking about InterCity trains, the two are misnomers. On most trains, there is no difference between first class and second class but the price. Indeed, first class is filthier than second class. At any rate, if it’s possible, one should avoid second class, unless one enjoys the smells of stale beer and spoiled food, and the possible unwelcome odors of perspiration (there is no air conditioning on any train, in any class, except on the InterCity.) I should mention these are identifiable odors. There are plenty of mystery odors that I dare not guess at.
Why am I writing this? Because as I mentioned at the start of my post, I’ve had the distinct displeasure of having to use rail transport while in Romania, and I can tell you that the experience stinks, both literally and figuratively speaking. To illustrate my point, I took photos, which I’ll display below.
The one highlight of our trip was the InterCity, which was indeed clean and looked and smelled adequately in first class. The experience was on par with American Amtrak standards. The only negative thing I can say is that the paper in the bathroom ran out during the trip. Thankfully, it was the paper towels that ran out, not the toilet paper. Here are some photos.
For most of our rail travels, there was no InterCity service on the routes we needed to take – these were major cities, by the way, Iasi being one example. What’s more, we travelled overnight, but there were no first class sleeping accommodations. We had to use the regular first class. One would think that since this was an overnight train with no sleeping wagons, the chairs in first class would recline, so one could get some sleep. Well, you’d be wrong if you assumed that. They reclined about two inches, just enough to put one in an uncomfortable position, halfway between upright and reclined. The conditions were miserable. There was visible filth and muck on the floors, chairs, headrests, walls, bathroom – just about everywhere.
On the seat assigned to me, wet engine grease was smeared on the backrest. There were more stains of unknown nature on the seats. The bathroom floor and walls wore caked patches of filth and who knows what… Keep in mind this is supposed to be 1st class! To add insult to injury, our window was stuck open, all night long. And… it also rained. It was the train ride from hell.
Again, to recap, these photos were taken in 1st class, on a Rapid. I also had the displeasure and discomfort of riding on a Personal, in 1st class. I dared not take photos. I recoil at the memory of that horrid experience. It was all you could imagine about a filthy train, and more. It stank horribly, it was hot, even with all the windows open, there were odors galore, the seats were stained, and you could scrape the muck off the armrests, the floors and the windows… did I mention it stank?
As a native Romanian, I am ashamed to write this post. I thought long about whether or not to publish it, but I decided for it. The CFR needs to be shamed into fixing what’s wrong. No company or organization should be allowed to run trains like this. It’s absolutely unacceptable that trains and wagons meant for transporting people should be this filthy, this disgusting. And when one pays a premium for 1st class, no matter which train that 1st class is on, they should get premium service and accommodations, not muck, filth and engine grease.
The InterCity service is obviously done right. Sure, if one is picky, they can still find hygiene lacking here and there, but overall, it’s a good thing. So the CFR knows how to do something right if needed. Why not take that same level of service, and expand it to the other trains in their fleet? In a country where most people travel by train, it’s unacceptable that one should put up with the inferior accommodations and service that’s so predominant on today’s CFR. Do you know what the conductor said when I pointed out the window was stuck open? He shrugged his shoulders and moved on! Is that acceptable? I think not!
The CFR also has a welfare program for certain retired people and their spouses. I believe it’s limited to those who served in the military. They get 12 travel passes a year, which allow them to ride for free on any train, in any class they desire. While it’s a laudable program, because it makes travel possible for those who may not be able to afford it since they’re on fixed and very limited incomes, it has its shortcomings. People from all walks of life can use the passes, and they usually end up in 1st class. Who wouldn’t take a seat in 1st class if they could get it for free?
What this means, and I’ve seen it myself, is that someone from the country, used to working in the field, ends up in 1st class. Mind you, their hygiene is not the same as that of a city fellow. They’ll spread on three seats and sleep, with their shoes on. They usually smell, and their shoes are dusty or muddy. Imagine what this will do to a 1st class compartment, and to those who paid a premium in order to get better accommodations. It destroys the whole rationale for purchasing a 1st class ticket in the first place. Why should I pay extra to get a nice, quiet seat, when I’m going to have to smell some country folk with no manners?
This ends up being a losing situation for the CFR. People who usually travel in 1st class choose other means of transport, like the car or the airplane, and 1st class becomes a commoditized product, where any smelly Joe Blow from the country can get a seat. The CFR then ends up losing funds. It’s no wonder things go down the hill. I think the travel pass service should restrict the seating to 2nd class. Or, there should be special wagons set aside in each train, with seating reserved for those with free passes. Those who wish to pay a sum to upgrade to 1st class seating can do so. This will end up filtering out most of the abusers of the system, who, unwittingly or not, ruin the experience for the regular paying travellers.
Furthermore, the CFR should take its job of ensuring quality accommodations seriously, and invest in proper sanitization of all compartments, including all the nooks and crannies. It also better make sure there’s plenty of paper in the bathrooms, and they’re clean and usable! This is basic stuff, but they seem to forget about it when it comes to any other train but the InterCity. That’s not right! Finally, they should retrofit all trains, especially 1st class compartments, with air conditioning! It’s absolutely unbearable to travel by train in the heat of summer without A/C. We’re not in the 19th century anymore. A/C shouldn’t be an afterthought, it should be a necessity where mass travel is concerned.
China's growing energy problem, and the US policy quandary
Just read an article written by someone at AP and published on MSNBC, entitled “World feels China’s growing thirst for oil“. I wish they’d publish author names as well! This was a very well-written article, and full of insights into the issue.
If you thought China’s energy demands are small still compared to the US, you’d be right, but what you may not know is that they’re growing at a much larger rate than US demands. What this means is that oil companies in China, a country short of energy reserves of any kind other than coal, have been busy bees for the last decade, striking deals all over the world to meet demands.
China is now competing directly with Japan for energy, and indirectly with the US. All of this leads to tension, especially when China tries to strike up deals that lock the oil reserves only for its use, and when they support abusive regimes in countries like Iran and Sudan, undermining US foreign policy.
If you think this isn’t serious, think again. Here’s a quote from president Bush: “Oil — the dependence upon oil is a national security problem, and an economic security problem.” To back up his words, the US has built a strong naval presence in the Malacca straits, the narrow passage through which most of the traffic from the Middle East and Africa moves on its way to East Asia. This concern isn’t partisan. Democrats – Joe Lieberman being one of them – agree with Bush’s characterization.
I recently read through a World Bank report that I can’t share here, which said that China’s energy demands will only grow. They’re exploring many routes, one of which is hydroenergy, most of their energy still comes from coal, and oil needs will continue to increase.
My take on it is this: the problem is that they’re the biggest manufacturing center in the world. Companies everywhere have shifted their production facilities to China because of its cheap labor costs and lax environmental standards. So it’s a bit hypocritical to expect China to regulate its energy use while they’re making most of the products for the Western world.
The point is, the industrial portion of the global economy has to reside somewhere, and China’s the place right now. I don’t foresee a decrease in that sort of energy consumption as a whole – the world population’s increasing, not decreasing. If China decreases its production, factories will have to be built somewhere else to meet demand.
To see how truly complex this problem is, you have to look at the relationship between China and the US. They’re propping up the US economy by investing heavily in our bonds and economy. We also depend on them for various of our manufacturing needs, whether we like it or not. China could easily hurt our economy by withholding investment. We’ve got a Communist country propping up a capitalist country. Do you see the irony in this? We have to plead with them to regulate their currency price in order to add more value to our dollar, and we threaten them with military force (very subtly, but effectively) in the Malacca Straits and other places, like Taiwan, which is another hot button issue. Isn’t it a messed up world?
While all of this is happening, we aren’t getting our act together when it comes to reducing our energy needs and investing in renewable energy. We complain when the price at the pump goes to $3, when we should think about conserving energy, especially when it comes to automobile use. We are still privileged in the US. We enjoy low prices for energy while the rest of the world pays $5 to $7 per gallon. We, the general public, keep blaming the oil companies and calling them our enemies, when they’re trying to help meet growing demand with dwindling supplies. We expect oil to be there when we fuel up at the pump, yet we don’t realize how volatile oil markets can be, for many reasons, political and environmental ones ranking at the top of the list.
We should wake up and thank God we’re so privileged in the US. Most of us don’t realize it. I’m writing this from Romania, where oil prices are around $6 per gallon, and most people make about $200 per month. Do the math and see if you could live with that! It’s time we woke up and started conserving, and it’s also time automobile manufacturers and other equipment manufacturers started making products that are more energy efficient. It’s also time city planners started building cities that are more pedestrian-friendly, with broad sidewalks and short walks to shops and other public attractions. We should do all this before we get into real trouble because of our thirst for oil. I don’t think any of us want global conflict on this issue.
Sporadic posts for the next couple of weeks
I’ve had a family emergency and my time will be taken up with it for the next two weeks. I’ll set the site to publish photos during this time, and I may or may not get a chance to write. I’ll see.
Raoul Pop 