Romania - Bucuresti Airport (OTP) trains [plus some OT]

[Ross]

I'm making a short visit to Bucharest at the end of the month, and I
see from various websites that there is now some sort of a train
service between Otopeni Airport and Gara du Nord.

Has anyone used it? Any info, comments, experiences?

And, going off topic, has anyone used the buses from the airport to
the city centre? Any comments or advice on those?


I don't do taxis, by the way, so recommending those isn't helpful! ;-)
--
Ross

Speaking for me, myself and I. Nobody else
- unless I make it clear that I am...

[iMark]

Ross <ros...@gmail.com> wrote:

> I'm making a short visit to Bucharest at the end of the month, and I
> see from various websites that there is now some sort of a train
> service between Otopeni Airport and Gara du Nord.
>
> Has anyone used it? Any info, comments, experiences?

According to the CFR journey planner the trains (2nd class only) roughly
run hourly and take about 33 mins.

http://www.mersultrenurilorcfr.ro/
Search for Otopeni and Bucuristi.

> And, going off topic, has anyone used the buses from the airport to
> the city centre? Any comments or advice on those?

I will ask a Romanian friend when I see him. :-)

[Ross]

On Tue, 4 Oct 2011 19:30:06 +0200 [UTC], iMark wrote:
>Ross <ros...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> I'm making a short visit to Bucharest at the end of the month, and I
>> see from various websites that there is now some sort of a train
>> service between Otopeni Airport and Gara du Nord.
>>
>> Has anyone used it? Any info, comments, experiences?
>
>According to the CFR journey planner the trains (2nd class only) roughly
>run hourly and take about 33 mins.

Yes, thanks, that I'd already found out. I'm hoping some who's used it
will post experiences (pitfalls of getting to the "airport" station on
the connecting bus from the airport terminal, that sort of thing). :-)


[...]

>> And, going off topic, has anyone used the buses from the airport to
>> the city centre? Any comments or advice on those?
>
>I will ask a Romanian friend when I see him. :-)

Thanks. :-)

[TimB]

I haven't used it - I couldn't see the point last year but I suspect
they've tightened up the timings a lot. The bus has always been fine,
once you find where to buy a ticket (you used to have to fight through
a mob of taxi drivers all insisting that the bus didn't run any more -
I think that's all cleared up now).

[Ross]

On Tue, 4 Oct 2011 11:18:49 -0700 (PDT) [UTC], TimB wrote:
>On Oct 4, 7:05 pm, Ross <ros...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Tue, 4 Oct 2011 19:30:06 +0200 [UTC], iMark wrote:
>> >Ross <ros...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> >> I'm making a short visit to Bucharest at the end of the month, and I
>> >> see from various websites that there is now some sort of a train
>> >> service between Otopeni Airport and Gara du Nord.
>>
>> >> Has anyone used it? Any info, comments, experiences?
>>
>> >According to the CFR journey planner the trains (2nd class only) roughly
>> >run hourly and take about 33 mins.
>>
>> Yes, thanks, that I'd already found out. I'm hoping some who's used it
>> will post experiences (pitfalls of getting to the "airport" station on
>> the connecting bus from the airport terminal, that sort of thing). :-)
>>
>> [...]
>> >> And, going off topic, has anyone used the buses from the airport to
>> >> the city centre? Any comments or advice on those?
>>
>> >I will ask a Romanian friend when I see him. :-)
>>
>> Thanks. :-)
>

>I haven't used it - I couldn't see the point last year but I suspect
>they've tightened up the timings a lot. The bus has always been fine,
>once you find where to buy a ticket (you used to have to fight through
>a mob of taxi drivers all insisting that the bus didn't run any more -
>I think that's all cleared up now).

I suspect I shall get the bus in, as my hotel is north of the centre
and nowhere near Gara du Nord (I'm fed up of Ibiseseses/Ibii/whatever
they are so I've splashed out on the Pullman which is out by the Expo
site), but if there's a connecting shuttle + train around I may go
that way just for the heck of it.
Mind you, that's assuming my FIP is valid on the bus connection!


Did you get the mag card bus ticket or were they still on paper then?
If the card, is the two-trip ticket usable as a return for one person?
The websites I've looked at are ambiguous on the topic, some inferring
it's a single journey for two people and others that it's a
straightforward two-trip ticket to be used however the passenger
wishes.

And, if I'm not asking too many questions, is the domestic arrivals
(which I believe is where the bus leaves from) on the same level as
the international or a lower level?
I'm hoping it will be blatantly obvious when I get there but, as I
will have been travelling since 05:25, I shan't be feeling the
brightest when I dredge myself out from arrivals.

[TimB]

Can't remember about the airport arrangements (I usually take the
train to Romania), but a double ticket is definitely ok to use as your
return. It's common all over Romania - just a minimum purchase thing.
drum bun! Tim

[John Armitstead]

Ross

I don't know whether I'm too late to help you, as I've only just come across
this thread, but I used the minibus & train connection earlier this month.

There is a CFR kiosk in the arrivals hall at the airport selling tickets for
the bus + train. A timetable is also posted there, but the time our minibus
departed did not correspond to the time we had noted. The train time was
correct, though.

I was also travelling on a FIP coupon, so tried my luck without buying a
ticket. In the event, the minibus driver didn't check tickets (and in fact
the conductor on the train didn't have a clue what it was anyway).

The name of the station is "P.O. Aeroport" if you want to check times on the
CFR website. It is about 1-2 km north of the airport, so could be walked in
30 mins if you know where it is (but it doesn't seem to be marked on Google
Maps). It's a very basic shack, with no shelter, on a single track
non-electrified line (the line to Urzicene). Most trains operate as shuttles
between Balotesti and Gara de Nord, operated by Desiro units. 2 or 3 longer
distance trains each way call there daily.

It's an interesting way into the city, but probably takes 4 times as long as
the taxi.

--
John Armitstead
York, England
http://www.johndarm.clara.net/

"TimB" <twbu...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
news:38ab6b7c-452e-48f6...@p11g2000yqe.googlegroups.com...

[Ross]

On Sun, 23 Oct 2011 22:51:01 +0100 [UTC], John Armitstead wrote:

[...]

>There is a CFR kiosk in the arrivals hall at the airport selling tickets for
>the bus + train. A timetable is also posted there, but the time our minibus
>departed did not correspond to the time we had noted. The train time was
>correct, though.
>
>I was also travelling on a FIP coupon, so tried my luck without buying a
>ticket. In the event, the minibus driver didn't check tickets (and in fact
>the conductor on the train didn't have a clue what it was anyway).

[...]

Thanks for the info. In the end I used the bus as I ended up in a
hotel which was a couple of minutes away from a stop on both the 780
and 783 routes.

Quite intrigued to discover that RATB charge for the throwaway smart
cards (Multiplu) but give the permanent cards (Activ) away free of
charge.

I can now confirm that RATB Activ cards do not operate barriers at EMT
stations. ;-)

[Ross]

On Tue, 4 Oct 2011 23:43:08 -0700 (PDT) [UTC], TimB wrote:
>On Oct 5, 3:45 am, Ross <ros...@gmail.com> wrote:

[...]

>> >> [...]
>> >> >> And, going off topic, has anyone used the buses from the airport to
>> >> >> the city centre? Any comments or advice on those?

[...]

>> Did you get the mag card bus ticket or were they still on paper then?
>> If the card, is the two-trip ticket usable as a return for one person?
>> The websites I've looked at are ambiguous on the topic, some inferring
>> it's a single journey for two people and others that it's a
>> straightforward two-trip ticket to be used however the passenger
>> wishes.
>>
>> And, if I'm not asking too many questions, is the domestic arrivals
>> (which I believe is where the bus leaves from) on the same level as
>> the international or a lower level?

[...]

>Can't remember about the airport arrangements (I usually take the
>train to Romania), but a double ticket is definitely ok to use as your
>return. It's common all over Romania - just a minimum purchase thing.

For anyone else who's heading that way:-

When you arrive at Otopeni airport and come out of customs into the
international arrivals hall, ignore the half-hearted taxi touts and
head diagonally ahead and to your right where you'll find a lift down
to domestic arrivals. Once out of the lift, go straight out of the
doors in front of you (ignoring a few more half-hearted taxi touts)
and you're out on the road. To your left is the (unmarked) bus stop;
to your right is a "hutch" where you can buy your tickets. In theory
you can buy both the two-trip ticket for the Express bus and a local
weekly season ticket for the urban services, but as Ada-in-the-hutch
doesn't speak English you might find it difficult to do more than buy
the two-trip ticket.

The two-trip ticket for the Express routes 780 (Gara de Nord,
infrequent) and 783 (City Centre, about every 20 minutes) costs 7 Lei,
but it is issued on a "Multiplu" non-rechargeable smartcard for which
there is a charge of 1.6 Lei, so a total of RON 8.60, which is all of
about GBP1.75.

When you get on the bus, validate your ticket. The validators are
_very_ finicky, so expect to take three or more goes to validate it,
but persevere. The locals seem to be able to offer shrugs instead of
tickets to the plainclothes grippers when they get on to check
everyone, but they were quite clearly really looking for tourists -
the one who checked me on the return trip was visibly disappointed
when my card showed as correctly validated [1].


If you want to use public transport (buses, trolleybi and trams)
during your stay in Bucuresti, the seven-day season becomes cheapest
option for two days or more as it issued on an "Activ" rechargeable,
personalised smartcard which is issued free of charge - you'll have to
hand over your passport as (part of) the passport number is printed on
the smartcard, along with your name, as the authorising ID. It comes
in at a massive 17 Lei for a week's unlimited travel (that's, ooh,
GBP3.50 at most).
You can also put an electronic purse on the Activ card which can be
used to pay for Metro journeys (there's no fully integrated ticketing
in Bucharest). Ada-in-the-hutch at Piata Presei Libere tram terminus
spoke some English, and there's generally a younger person around
who'll be willing to translate if asked politely.

Oh, and before you go, print off suitable bits of the latest network
map at <http://transbuc.info/> - there are virtually no decent maps at
any of the stops, so even if you have to print this one across 16
pages, it's worth its weight in gold.

The trams are worth travelling on simply to experience the appalling
state of the infrastructure.


Heading onto (heavy-ish) rails, the Bucharest Metro has its own
ticketing, and its own validating machines which will be familiar to
anyone who has ever travelled in Brussels. The day ticket for the
Metro runs to a whole 6 Lei, call it GBP1.25, so won't break the bank.


I can't comment on CFR (Romanian Railways) as in the end I didn't go
near them.



[1] But not as disappointed as the two Sofia grippers who thought
they'd caught almost a full tramload until it became obvious that no
matter how much they tried to encourage it, the ticket machine just
could not be made to work. They got off in disgust at the next stop.
;-)

[Ulf.K...@web.de]

Am Sonntag, 23. Oktober 2011 23:51:01 UTC+2 schrieb John Armitstead:

> I don't know whether I'm too late to help you, as I've only just come across
> this thread, but I used the minibus & train connection earlier this month.
>
> There is a CFR kiosk in the arrivals hall at the airport selling tickets for
> the bus + train. A timetable is also posted there, but the time our minibus
> departed did not correspond to the time we had noted. The train time was
> correct, though.
>
> I was also travelling on a FIP coupon, so tried my luck without buying a
> ticket. In the event, the minibus driver didn't check tickets (and in fact
> the conductor on the train didn't have a clue what it was anyway).
>
> The name of the station is "P.O. Aeroport" if you want to check times on the
> CFR website. It is about 1-2 km north of the airport, so could be walked in
> 30 mins if you know where it is (but it doesn't seem to be marked on Google
> Maps). It's a very basic shack, with no shelter, on a single track
> non-electrified line (the line to Urzicene). Most trains operate as shuttles
> between Balotesti and Gara de Nord, operated by Desiro units. 2 or 3 longer
> distance trains each way call there daily.
>
> It's an interesting way into the city, but probably takes 4 times as long as
> the taxi.

An upgraded hourly service from
Aeroport Henri Coanda T1 has been
announced for coming December.

Trains shall take 21 to 23 minutes
depending on an intermediate stop.

Regards, ULF