Rail transport in the Czech Republic


Rail transport in the Czech Republic carried 162.906 million passengers and 68.37 million tonnes of cargo in the year 2009. The majority of passenger services run nowadays are operated by the state company České dráhy, which until 2007 also managed cargo services now run by ČD Cargo. In 2009 the country had 9,420 km of standard gauge track, 3,153 km of which is electrified. There are two main electrification systems in the Czech Republic, 3 kV DC in the northern part, and 25 kV 50 Hz AC in the south. Locomotives had to be changed on boundaries in the past, two-system locomotives have been introduced in 1974. The network has same gauge links to all four countries bordering the Czech Republic with passenger services to all four countries in operation. Major hubs for international passenger services on the network are in Prague, Ostrava, Brno and Břeclav, and the busiest station is Praha hlavní nádraží.

History

History of rail transport in the territory of the present day Czech Republic dates back to the Austro-Hungarian empire. The first horse-drawn railway in Europe, between České Budějovice and Linz commenced operations in 1832, and the first locomotive-hauled railway from Vienna to Břeclav opened seven years later. Throughout the rest of the 19th century the rail network in the whole of Europe grew rapidly and after the First World War and the independence of Czechoslovakia, the company Československé státní dráhy was founded. From 1948 until the Velvet Revolution the border crossings with Austria and West Germany were strictly controlled and only a limited number of trains was operated. Following the fall of communism, the railway network was reopened to Western Europe; the first EuroCity trains operated in transitional Czechoslovakia in 1991. In the 21st century the network has undergone extensive modernisations, and newer rolling stock have been introduced.

Operation

The company Správa železniční dopravní cesty is responsible for maintaining the infrastructure. In 2010, the Czech government proposed merging SŽDC and České dráhy to a single company. In 2011, RegioJet, a subsidiary of Student Agency, became the first company to actively compete with České dráhy on a route, launching a service between Prague and Havířov. Other private companies own exclusive rights to run services on certain lines. The Czech Republic is a member of the International Union of Railways and has the country code 54.

Rail links to adjacent countries