Vurpăr branch line

Vurpăr branch line
The Agnita line joining the mainline.
Overview
Type	Narrow-gauge
System	Căile Ferate Române
Status	Closed
Locale	Sibiu County, Romania
Termini	Cornăţel Vurpăr
Stations	2
Operation
Opened	1910
Closed	1993
Owner	CFR Infrastructură
Operator(s)	CFR Călători[1]
Character	Rural Branch line
Technical
Line length	12.45 km (7.74 mi)
Number of tracks	1
Route map Agnita railway line & Vurpăr branch map Mainline 300 to Sighișoara Angofa Șaeș (river) Şaeş Șaeș (river) Apold Brădeni Mureș County Sibiu County Netuş Iacobeni Stejărişu Ruja Agnita Coveș Coveș River Vărd Benești Alțâna Nocrich Vurpăr Țichindeal Roșia Hosman Cornățel Cașolț Bolovani Mainline 200 to Sibiu

The Vurpăr branch line was a Narrow-gauge rail line Sibiu County, Romania. Originally it stretched from Cornăţel on the Agnita railway line to the terminus in Vurpăr.^[2] CFR classed the line, along with the Agnita railway line, as line 204 in the last years of operation. The Sibiu Steam Locomotives Museum holds locomotives used on the lines.

History

The line was originally opened by the Sighisoara - Sibiu Local Railways Company in 1910.^[3] As the line originally lay within Hungary, the Hungarian State Railways operated services until 1919 (when Transylvania became part of Romania). CFR then continued to operate services until closure in 1993.^[4]

Reopening

Societatea Feroviară de Turism (SFT) originally planned to reopen the line as a tourist route but plans where shelved in 2006. After threats from CFR Infrastructură that track would be lifted all the rail infrastructure became protected as a historic monument in 2008. Currently there is an active project called Asociația Prietenii Mocăniței ("Friends of the Narrow-gauge railway") and aimed at restoring the line for tourist operation along with the Agnita railway line.^[5]

Bibliography

• Lacriţeanu, Șerban (1995). "The Narrow Gauge Lines of the Romanian State Railway (CFR)". In Keith Chester. East European narrow gauge. Clevedon (UK): Channel View Publications. pp. 82–94. ISBN 1-873150-04-0.
• Engelbert, Paul (2011). Schmalspurig durch Ungarn II: die ehemals ungarischen Gebiete (in German). Malmö: Stenvalls. ISBN 978-91-7266-177-6.

References

1. "CFR Interactive Map". Retrieved 9 August 2015.
2. "Beyond The Forest (Narrow-gauge)". Retrieved 9 August 2015.
3. Lacriţeanu 1995, 86
4. Engelbert 2011, 136
5. "Sibiu Agnita railway Society". Retrieved 9 August 2015.