Romania transposed entirely the provisions of Directive through the regulations concerning the certification of engine drivers, recently published in the Official Gazette. According to the new regulations, engine drivers must have the physical capacity and the necessary qualifications to drive trains and locomotives; they must also have an authorization which shows that the respective engine driver meets the general professional abilities required.
The authorization identifies the engine driver, the issuing authority and the validity period. Engine drivers must also have one or several certifications which indicate the infrastructure which they are authorized to operate on and the rolling stock which the owner of the certification is authorized to operate. While the authorization is valid in all EU member states, the certificate is valid only on the infrastructures and the rolling stock specified. The Romanian Railway Safety Authority (ASFR), which operates within the Romanian Railway Authority (AFER), is the authority that issues authorizations and certificates to Romanian engine drivers.
The European certification of engine drivers is valid for a period of ten years, if the owner of the certification is subjected to periodical examinations or tests in order to maintain its validity. According to Dionisie Daniel Ardelean, general manager of the National Center for Railway Qualification and Training (CENAFER), the licence’s holder may lose the certificate’s validity, especially since engine drivers are always subject to stress, tiredness, technical faulting of the rolling stock etc, which could make them unable to carry out their work.
