A trip on Moldova's STRANGE upgraded trains from the 1960s Iași to Chișinău
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- Follow me on Twitter / intercitysimon
Today, I'm taking you on a journey aboard Moldova's recently renovated D1M trains as we travel from Iași to Chișinău. Join me as we explore what it's like to embark on a train adventure to the enigmatic country of Moldova.
Train type: CFM D1M
Route: Iași to Chișinău
Train: 822
Distance: 126 km
Journey time: 4h25m
Average speed: 28 km/h
Price: 7 euro
Wow. An International train service in Europe with a lower average speed than the tram line being built in Copenhagen. It's good that tickets are as cheap as they are, but Moldova really deserves some investment in its rail infrastructure at some point. I mean Romanian trains are slow by European standards, but they look like the Shinkansen compared to this.
Yeah, but the avg. speed is also due to the border stops.
Speeds in Moldova look like this from the outside, not that bad:
ua-cam.com/video/ApzYd_Lzrcg/v-deo.html
1.5 hours are spent at the customs
that's bassicaly due to the soviet union and the fact that moldova only gets limited economical support only from romania
Moldova has very old unmaintained railway
You think this is bad? Try the much neglected Albanian train lines...all the money there is going to highways
Although it may be slow im glad to see some positive changes coming to this country. I've been coming over evey summer to visit my grandparents for about 16 years.I still remember a few years ago they were still using an old USSR bus to go from their town to Chisinau. Now all the buses in their area are actually quite nice and well kept. Lovely country, people and culture
This train is not only rebuilt in terms of inner and outer design and amenities, it was also retrofitted with modern powertrain :)
Tips for Romanian and Moldavian languages (same language).
Whenever you see a "s" with that thing under it like in "Iasi" is spelled "sh", and the name becomes "Iashi" with the accent on a.
The "Chisinau" also comes with a "Chi" in it, that is spelled "Ki", the pronunciation is "Kishinau"
Other that that the video is super!
''Jasy and Kišiněv'' in Czech :D
Don't forget that one i is not pronounced as one would in English. I.e. Iash
It's a pity that the speed is so painstakingly slow, I guess it's a result of many years of poor maintenance of the tracks, unfortunately renovating them would cost a fortune for a modest country like Moldova.
Other than that, I see a modern, clean and comfortable train up to 21th century standards, and beautiful and well kept stations. It also seems that trains are popular among locals, which brings me a smile. I'm happy they appreciate this type of transport and hope they will keep improving it in the future!
I imagine if they set their priorities right, they could pull enough resources together, if not to modernize their railways to something worthy of today, at least to reconstruct them to the full working order...
@@PtrkHrnkthey are in somewhat working order... at least, suitable for the small size of the country and at a low cost gives the ability to carry people and freight to the areas various centers.
I mean, the impressive comfort level mean it is not an issue to travel at the slow speed, most do not need to travel far or fast anyhow.
@@stanislavkostarnov2157 I think most of the slow running is caused by temporary and permanent speed restrictions - deferred maintenance to a point where the negative effects are compiling. Then running slow train actually costs more than running fast one.
Unfortunately the tracks through Moldova is really old, hence the slow speeds they do have that track scheduled for complete overhaul. So hopefully the journey will become significantly shorter
Socola is most famous for it's mental asylum since 1889. In romanian instead of sayng "You're insane", ""You're mad", "You should get yourself a psychiatric exam", we simply say "You must go to Socola".
It's much faster to take the frequent mini bus, which also calls at Iasi airport, which is handy, and terminates at Iasi central rail station. On the other hand, in Chisinau it starts and ends at the south-west bus station, which is a good half an hour from Chisinau city centre by local bus/trolley bus. The service to Kiev has only recently been re-instated after being closed for many years. Again, it's faster to take a bus or drive. Regular mini buses also run to Odessa. Direct flights between Bucharest and Chisinau take less than an hour. R (Australia)
I knew absolutely nothing about railway services in Moldova.
I know a whole bunch more thanks to Simon!
Darned good job!
Thanks Michael :-)
Very nice trains and the carriages do look very well maintained.
Train number 1052/822. On CFR 1052, on CFM 822😊
I did not notice that but what a co-incidence
@@Simon-Andersen In ex. USRR, Poland, Romania, Turkey numbering system is diferent, so in meny times trains chang it in the border post.
If you watch any UA-cam movies about the older trains in Moldova and the tracks then you get the point when you see swaying from left to right and up and down.....still very reasonable train tickets .....
“the station features a cute cat! Which I am allergic to so I will walk away”
Really nice video. Loved seeing sights and train journey through a seldom seen country. Your English is great also.
Thank you so much 😀
Great video mate keep them coming 👍
thank you :D
Is Romania the European version of Argentina? It is just like my country. The way the trains are delayed, the station with no help, slow trains, and the walk over the tracks to get to the station 😂
Yeah, we are hopelessly behind the rest of the EU in terms of rail transport. You don't even know about the 4-hour or more delays and trains with no air conditioning in summer!
Yes but without femboys
@@Creepexwhat
Not really, it's just that the station he departed from is not the central one in Iasi and this is one of the only two passenger trains that pass through it, as it is mostly used for cargo. This is how the central station in Iasi looks: ua-cam.com/video/QUmyywGs79A/v-deo.html. Also domestic lines in Romania are reasonably fast, there are many sections of around 110 kmph, but it depends on the region.
The main reasons is that CFR Pasageri is so in deficit is running at a loss, and only recently main Corridors are being upgraded.
Nice! 🙂 One important detail about Romanian/Moldovan words: hardly ever pronounce the "i" at the end, except if it is a plural after the letter "r" for example. There are several special characters, e.g. "ș" = "sh".
(Approximately) "Iași" is pronounced "Yash", "București" - "Bukuresht" etc., "Chișinău" = "Kishinau", "Ungheni" = "Unghen", "Călărași" = "Kalarash", "Străşeni" = "Strashen", etc.
The single "i" at the end is essentially a Russian "ь" in Romanian/Moldovan. That's why they write "ii" at the end when they want what is written like a last open syllable to contain an actual /i/.
Don't trust random advice about how Romanian words are pronounced. If you do not happen to masticate something while talking, "i" letter meaning the "e" sound in English, is pronounced both in Iași, București and the other mentioned, just not stress it, the stress goes usually on the first syllable.
@@lucretiupopescu7922 It's much less than not stressed, it is hardly pronounced at all. Just an afterthought, at maximum, and rather there to "soften" the last consonant than a sound on its own. I would say for a foreigner it is easier to pronounce it without any "i". Also, for example in German, one name for Iași is simply "Jasch", pronounced "Yash", there is no way around it. And no other language attaches an "i" to Bucharest. So, my advice is the route to go for people not intending to learn Romanian, I think.
@@ronik24I mean most of the time I pronounce the i in Straseni and Chisinau
@@lucretiupopescu7922 isn't that one of the difference between standard Moldovan and standard Romanian as dialects?
don't know much of either, but that was just a pure impression from hearing how each is spoken...
I like slow trains, maybe a bit faster than 30km/h would be great but I like slow trains. They are just more fun to ride :)
It's not Tschischinau. It's Kischnău.
IIRC the maximum amount of wood still allowed on revenue trains under current european rail fire safety guidelines are just trim pieces not exceeding 100 gram per piece.
That bistro bar does not look like a mere trim piece under a mass of 100g.
Interesting.
Maybe there are exceptions since, being russian gauge, it doesn't connect directly to any further EU-mainlines and could count as a standalone service within the EU, just like standalone lines are excempt from FRA-Regulation in the US.
Nice video!
Thank you for the review.
Thank you.
Wonderfull review :) thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great and informative movie! Thanks :)
Train Barcelona-Madrid 500km 3h
Train Iasi-Chisinau 126km 4h 25m
Probably at least a half of hour lost at borders controls
recomendation: change "huge upgrade" to "60 years old". I as a viewer dont care at all that a train I dont use and probably will never use had an upgrade. I might be interested in this modern looking train being so old though. thats my two cents.
Your videos are always very interesting!
It would be great if you can add the date (Month/year) in your descriptions!😎
I will for the future! This trip was taken in January 2023
0:05 Tchiss-a-now?! : D
Okay, thanks, bye
Cool slow train, it was nice though
Is this the same route the sleeper train travels to Chisinau...?
Yes.
By Post Soviet union country standards it's a great upgrade but by international, western, European or even Asian standards Grim It's like fitting a Larda with sat nav and go faster strips
I MUST try!!!!!
The Kiev train is still running?
I think so!
Story similar to polish "kibel" (en57).
How much would that journey cost in 3rd class?
90 MDL
how is that train Could be from 1960s ?
Originally it was Hungarian D1 diesel train
Do moldovans have electric trains?
No
Ok thx
i🔒n 🎗#Moldova in🔒
1:00
You can get a cat allergic vaccination
i am living in moldova and i have never heard of that
Now you have :-)
no step free access to American trains either
And in many other places unfortunatly
Moldova dosent use euro
FIARE VECHI ADUNAM DAR SI CUPRU CUMPARAM
It’s *Kee-shee-NOW,* not cheesy something. Ch in Romanian, Italian and some others = k, s with a comma underneath = sh
Upd btw we in eastern/central europe call the peninsula Jutland yoot-land-(ia), not dshut-land like the Anglos do 😉 because some respect to the native pronouncing
Yeah and it's not Moscow but Moskva and so on. Stop being cringe
@@sorin_channel that’s you who’s cringe 😄 it is the official reading, I’m quoting: _Chișinău (/ˌkɪʃɪˈnaʊ/ KISH-in-OW, US also /ˌkiːʃiːˈnaʊ/ KEE-shee-NOW;…_ Saying “cheesy now” is like reading choir like chewer
@@nonameuserua Chișinău is in Romanian language, not in English, and he's not speaking in Romanian in the video. Ppl don't ask Russians to say Chişinău instead of Кишинёв, but ask English to say it the Romanian way, cringe.
@@sorin_channel *it is in English language* 😃 in English, one reads Chișinău like Kee-shee-NOW, stop being cringe, I beg of you
@@nonameuserua în English Chi isn not the same as in Romanian and there is no "ă" letter in English. What's wrong with you?
And it's not Iassy either. It's Iash.
its pronounced IASH .. KISHINAUW
it'll become quicklier when Moldova will join EU
Never😂
Even if they don't, we can hope they can speed up the border process anyway
And I thought Greek trains were bad.
Untill 2025 80 % of national rail is going to get repaired so train speeds will at least double.
That is great news!
I'm afraid no much will change till 2025. We are now in august 2024, they should have repaired half of it already ))
train is quite dirty lol
Stop pronouncing "tchishinau", it's actually "kishinau".
28km/h on average, what a pathetic performance, can cycle faster
Tiszteletem..hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/D1_sorozat
Please, "Kishinow", not "Chisinow" (in pronunciation). Please!
How insecure do you have to be, to feel upset when a foreigner mispronounces something? Get over it, get a life.
the plastic seats in second class are the same time of seats as in romanian doble deker wagons ..beacuse these trains were refurbished in Pașcani where a lot of pasager and freight trains are refurbished of even made ..there is a factory there .
There was a article a year ago saing they will build the continuation of the larger guage line from socola straight to iași main station but no progress has been made its only like 4 kilometers of track or less they need to build but they cant even do that .Romania is like a third world country for westeners but we manage somhow .
once i rode the romanian train wich goes from iași to ungheni and i meet a dude from germany who wanted to have as many stamps in his pasaport as posible .it was weird beacuse the train was empty and he chose to stay in my compartment but once we got to know each other we become frends .
It's a bit silly to include the border crossing wait time into the average speed.
Being an actual border crossing, not like from within EU-EU countries (not even schengen) where is no border control, this should be mentioned as a separate time and deducted from the average speed calculation.
Meaning the real average speed is 42 kph. (from your video it was a 1.5 hours of wait time at the border check)
And i'd go even further to separate the romanian travel and speed from the moldavian side, to really see where the problem lies.
I disagree, the scheduled journey time an thus speed is all I care about as a traveler, regardless of there being a wait at a border or if the driver needs a 30 min smoke break. Keeping it consistent across all my videos makes it a better comparison instead of making up my own deductions and penalties to certain trains look worse/better 😄
The reason the train goes slow is mainly because there is only 1 train track going from north to south, so allot of cargo trains run along it, and because the main income is from cargo trains makes the passenger train run slower so that it won't slow down the cargo trains that pass trough. In the past passenger trains were used more often by the citizens, and the passenger trains would have to make a stop to let the cargo or other passenger trains pass, some stations have more than 1 track specifically for that reason.. nowadays the people use buses because its faster... Also another reason for this, is because lack of funding and corruption... i hope in the future the train system will get better, also would be good to have another train line running parallel.. but all this requires huge funding.
The thumbnail made me think for a second that this is my local operator KMŁ
They are strikingly looking alike😊
Oh man Moldova's got the snail express
Thank you so much for uploading this very informative video.
I will be taking this journey in September, but in the opposite direction.
Does anyone know if it is possible to walk from Socola train station to the centre of Iași city? My accommodation is approximately 5km from Socola train station.
It is, there are sidewalks on the main road not far from the station
So there are domestic trains in Moldova again? I thought Moldova's state railway went bankrupt a few years ago and there were only the two international routes left.
Yes there are local trains to Ungheni and Bender
/IÁSH/ /KISHINÁU/ That's how you read them
I'm a big fan of the Russian railways and I can instantly tell this thing is a D1 just by its weird bogies. The D1 power car has asymmetric bogies where the one on the cabin side is significantly longer than the other.
Wow a good cyclist could beat that trains speed 😂
Very clean
Ikke for at være nidkær, men på rumænsk udtales digrafen _ch_ som /k/, ikke som /tj/. Så den moldaviske hovedstad hedder dermed /KI-sji-næv/ og ikke /TJI-si-næv/. Mægtige hilsner fra Bukarest! :)
Great 👍
🇲🇩👍
Is that car still operating till today or did they changed it?
I think they cut the service to Iasi because they have broken down, so i think the only chance is on the local trains within moldova atm.
@@Simon-Andersen but theres still services to Iasi at CFM website
Yes, it's still operating (august 2024). Unfortunately instead of 2 trains on this route, currently only one is operating. Prices have slightly increased, 1st class is now 170 mdl (~ 9 euro).
@@vladri then how people go and return to work in the same day? I heard people used those trains to go to work
moldova has some interesting railways
they sure do
How do people in wheelchairs board these inaccessible trains.
A wheelchair ramp/lift. I'm not sure if these trains or the stations have any, however, maybe these need to be pre-booked.
There is ramp the can be placed over the Stairs. But its rather steep and the wheelchair user will require assistance
It looks like Stone age when seeing from Russia. Good luck in EU! 🤣
Likely they will get infrastructure investments from the EU as with so many other developing nations :))
А где современный поезд-то? У нас Иволга и Сапсан 190 км/час едут на некоторых участках, а так медленно 165 км/час в среднем.
Strange you did not choose third class. So much more to criticize. Life is full of missed opportunities... just like all those train stations you mispronounced ...
Oh, man, they were notorious for frequent breakdowns, but we also seen some of D1Ms in Ukraine, namely in Odessa :)
I think they have gotten slighly better, the Iasi route seems fairly reliable
I do not appreciate your "humour" or "sarcasm". You perhaps should explain better that the train stops for quite some time at the border crossing. to check passports, luggage and to prepare the train for different rail tracks. This all takes some time...if my memory serves me right, it's more or less 2h. It's funny that some dude makes these comments and leaves details out. :))
This train travels ALL THE WAY on the russian gauge..only the train from Iasi Central station through Nicolina changes the boogies in Ungheni so the train from Iasi Socola stops for a long time in Ungheni ONLY for pass control