Uploaded January 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
Hello all!
Been busy recently of course with a lot of things both family, school and volunteering related.
On my recent trip across Europe me and my dad decided to explore the M4 line of Bucharest’s Metro. What we found was an oasis of grit in an otherwise sparkly-clean network, the Astra IVA cars. These trains are the oldest in the network having been there from Day 1 (albeit the trains you see in this video are a mix of earlier and later orders, you can tell the difference by the shape of the front windows). They are set to be retired permanently in the very near future, being replaced by newer more modern cars.
These trains feature seats, a roof, windows and doors. There is no AC, no CCTV, no inter-carriage gangways, no information displays, not even any straphangers. You’re lucky to even get an intact system map. While these cars have of course been very integral to the history of Bucharest, they have certainly had their fair share of battles over the years as seen by the rather horrific (to some) state that they are in now. From what I can gather, the maintenance crews are under explicit orders to ONLY clean the doors and front windows of each train to maintain constant operation, due to them being set aside for retirement regardless.
The graffiti that they carry has inspired many to come and check out this line for themselves, including many tourists who seem to like leaving their own mark onboard with more “traditional” interior works of characters and personal notes, as featured in this video.
The line is also home to a rampant level of beggars and scammers (which I must stress there is a difference between the two). One of these was the boy holding the clipboard featured at the end, who was deaf and trying to collect funds.
I’ve tried my hardest to not make this line seem like it’s a craphole; the stations along it for example are very well maintained and clean, equipped with staff and security too. Frequency on this line is pretty good too with a very short headway between trains. This system is of course developing still and I’m sure will be much more pleasant in the near future. Hence why this video features very little commentary, just the system in its rawest form.
O zi bună!
Hello all!
Been busy recently of course with a lot of things both family, school and volunteering related.
On my recent trip across Europe me and my dad decided to explore the M4 line of Bucharest’s Metro. What we found was an oasis of grit in an otherwise sparkly-clean network, the Astra IVA cars. These trains are the oldest in the network having been there from Day 1 (albeit the trains you see in this video are a mix of earlier and later orders, you can tell the difference by the shape of the front windows). They are set to be retired permanently in the very near future, being replaced by newer more modern cars.
These trains feature seats, a roof, windows and doors. There is no AC, no CCTV, no inter-carriage gangways, no information displays, not even any straphangers. You’re lucky to even get an intact system map. While these cars have of course been very integral to the history of Bucharest, they have certainly had their fair share of battles over the years as seen by the rather horrific (to some) state that they are in now. From what I can gather, the maintenance crews are under explicit orders to ONLY clean the doors and front windows of each train to maintain constant operation, due to them being set aside for retirement regardless.
The graffiti that they carry has inspired many to come and check out this line for themselves, including many tourists who seem to like leaving their own mark onboard with more “traditional” interior works of characters and personal notes, as featured in this video.
The line is also home to a rampant level of beggars and scammers (which I must stress there is a difference between the two). One of these was the boy holding the clipboard featured at the end, who was deaf and trying to collect funds.
I’ve tried my hardest to not make this line seem like it’s a craphole; the stations along it for example are very well maintained and clean, equipped with staff and security too. Frequency on this line is pretty good too with a very short headway between trains. This system is of course developing still and I’m sure will be much more pleasant in the near future. Hence why this video features very little commentary, just the system in its rawest form.
O zi bună!
