Timișoara North Train Station (Gara Timișoara Nord) is the main passenger railway station in Timișoara, in Timiș County. It is also the largest train station in western Romania and one of the busiest in the entire country. The station serves regional and interregional routes and despite its name, it’s located in the western part of the city.
History Of Timișoara North Train Station
The first passenger railway station in Timișoara was built in 1857 on the site of a former warehouse. When the number of passengers increased in the following decades, the building no longer met the demands and was demolished to create space for a new, larger building. The new train station was designed in a neoclassical style by the Hungarian architect Ferenc Pfaff, who was also involved in the design of other train stations, including that of Cluj-Napoca and Arad. It was inaugurated in 1897 with the name Iosefin Train Station (German: Josefstädter Bahnhof). After the Unification of Banat with the Kingdom of Romania in 1919, the name was changed to Domnița Elena Train Station, after the wife of Prince Alexander Ion Cuza. In general, people also referred to the train station simply as the Big Train Station (Gara Mare).
During the Second World War, the train station was bombed twice, first by the Allied forces, and later by the Germans, which almost fully destroyed the building. The reconstruction and a later modernization in 1976 changed the architecture of the historic building drastically.
Train Companies And Routes At Timișoara North Train Station
There are multiple railway companies operating trains running to and from Timișoara North Train Station:
- CFR Călători is Romania’s national railway company and the largest operator of train routes at Timișoara North Train Station, including regional lines and long-distance services to Oradea, Caransebeș, Bucharest North, and Iași.
- Regio Călători operates regional trains to a number of nearby towns, including Reșița Nord, Remetea Mică, and Jimbolia.
- InterRegional Călători operates regional trains on the route Timișoara North–Arad–Oradea.
- Astra Trans Carpathic operates an overnight sleeper train on the route Arad–Craiova–Timișoara North–Bucharest North.
You can find live departure and arrival information on the website of Căile Ferate Române.
Buying Train Tickets At Timișoara North Train Station
Where you can buy your tickets depends on the rail company you’re traveling with, but in most cases, you can buy them either at the train station or online.
- CFR Călători: Tickets can be bought at one of the ticket counters or vending machines inside the train station, via certified travel agencies, or online via the website of CFR Călători or their mobile app.
- Regio Călători: Tickets can be purchased at their ticket office at the train station or online via their website.
- InterRegional Călători: Tickets can be purchased at their ticket office at the train station or online via their website.
- Astra Trans Carpathic: Tickets can be purchased at their ticket office at the train station or online via their website.
Getting To And From Timișoara North Train Station
The railway station is located southwest of the center of Timișoara, a 20 to 25-minute walk from Victory Square in the historic center.
You can also get to and from Timișoara North Train Station by public transport and several of the trams, buses, and trolleybuses stop on Bulevardul Republicii in front of the train station. Public transport tickets can be purchased from the ticket kiosk in front of the train station, but you can also pay contactless with your bank card inside the tram or bus, via the mobile app 24Pay, or via SMS. A single-journey ticket is valid for 60 minutes on all tram, bus, and trolley lines within the city. More information about the public transport routes and schedules can be found on the website of STP Timișoara.
There is also a taxi stand in front of the train station and ridesharing apps Bolt and Uber are also available for rides in Timișoara.
Facilities At Timișoara North Train Station
The following facilities are available at Timișoara North Train Station: public toilets, an indoor waiting area, an ATM, vending machines, a bakery, and a supermarket.
