CZECH REPUBLIC | Railways

[earthbound]

History:

History of railways in Czech countries started in 1828 when was opened the first horse-powered railway in Europe (Linz – Summerau – Horní
Dvořiště – České Budějovice ; 129 km long). The First steam-powered railway was opened in 1839 (Hohenau - Břeclav). First train became to Prague in 1845. Until 1880 more than 5,000 km of railroads were built. The first electric-powered railroad was opened in 1903. Almost all parts of Czech railway system were build before 1918 (under the reign of the Austro-Hungarian Empire).

The first significant modernisation period was in 50's and 60's of the 20th Century, when majority of the main national and international lines were electrified. The second significant modernisation period is in progress right now, when are the main lines modified up to the standart of the international agreements (more info see below in the modernisation part).

Numbers:

- Today, there's about 9,400 km of railroads which makes our railway network one of the densest in the world (about 0.12 km lines per 1km2).
- The single track lines are about 7,500 km long.
- About 3,000 km of railroads are under electric traction in 3kV and 1,5kV system and 25kV/50Hz system.
- There's more than 6,600 bridges (total lenght of more than 147 km) and more than 150 tunnels (the total lenghth of more than 38km).
- 48% of the total track lenght lies in curves and 86% of the total track length is in a gradient. The biggest gradient level reaches 57‰
- The higgest-set station is in Kubova Huť in altitude 995m.
- More than 95% of passenger transport is provided by "Czech Railways" ("České Dráhy").

Modernisation:

In 1993, the Czech Republic has defined four transit railway corridors that are undergoing a priority modernization (to meet the parameters specified in the AGC* and AGTC** Agreements):





RED: German/Czech border - Děčín - Prague - Česká Třebová - Brno - Břeclav - Czech/Austrian border (Slovakia)
YELLOW: Austrian/Czech border - Břeclav - Přerov - Ostrava - Petrovice u Karviné - Czech/Polish border with a branch Česká Třebová - Přerov
GREEN: German/Czech border - Cheb - Pilsen - Prague - Olomouc - Ostrava - Petrovice u Karviné - Czech/Polish border (Slovakia), with a branch Pilsen - Česká Kubice
BLUE: German/Czech border - Děčín - Prague - Veselí nad Lužnicí - Horní Dvořiště- Czech/Austrian border with a branch Veselí nad Lužnicí - České Velenice

Modernisation - facts:

- the total length of the corridors is 1,962 km, with the length of the modernised railway lines 1,442 km, as some of the corridors overlap.
- increasing max. speed up to 160 km/h
- costs: about 100 bilions CZK (34 bilion EUR)
- already about 80% of the selected lines have been modernised

* "European Agreement on Main International Railway Lines"
** "Agreement on Main International Combined Transport Lines and Related Structures"

TRAINS: most common types

electric:

Class 150/151



















Class 363









Class 122







Class 230/240





Class 380

- still in testing, three-system, fully ETCS compatible, max. speed up to 200 km/h, power: 6400 kW which makes this train the most powerful in Czech history ; "Czech Railways" ordered 20 units so far, the first deliveries should be next year







diesel:

Class 742







Class 749









Class 754





Class 714





electric units:

Class 451



Class 560



Class 471





Class 680 Pendolino









diesel units:

Class 843



Class 854











Class 810





Class 814+914





sources: szdc.cz ; internet. Most of the posted pics are from the zelpage.cz website

[frozen]

love this hred! thanks!

[ArtManDoo]

Soon 2% of local routes will be closed. I really hope that they think 10 times before make decision. Often locals are feeders for other kind of passenger trains (for example for some IC service). It means if they discontinue local then they loose some IC passengers too.

Class 451 seems really classic. I hope some of them will be modernised and stay in service for a lot of years.

[Timon91]

Beautiful pictures!

On what routes is the Pendolino currently used?

[vlker]

Originally Posted by Timon91

Beautiful pictures!

On what routes is the Pendolino currently used?

Pendolino is now used mainly between Prague and Ostrava. Also 2 trains a day are going between Prague and Wien and one train between Prague and Bratislava. In 2010 they will cancel connection between Prague and Bratislava and one train to Wien and Pendolino will be more used between Prague and Ostrava

[webeagle12]

I love winter pictures. Beautiful.

[vlker]

The very first high speed line is now projected between Prague and Pilsen to improve 3th transit corridor and better connection to Germany. On that line is planned 24,7 km long tunnel between Prague and Beroun. It will include 2 one rail tubes with diameter 8,3m and will be bored by TBM machine (excluding small parts of emergency tunnels and some tunnel ramps at Prague side - NATM technology will be used there). Tunnels are designed for speed 250 - 300kph. Begining of construction is planned between years 2010 and 2018, but in my opinion it will be started later than 2010.

Price of construction including reconstruction of tracks on both sides before tunnel is estimated to 35 bil. CZK = aprox. 1,37 bil. EUR

situation of tunnels
http://www.praha-beroun.cz/_file_sto..._prehledka.jpg

[פובליק פיינט]

Škoda 109e still in testing process. 0-200 kmph in less than 30s.

.

[New York Morning]

Great pictures!

[Slartibartfas]

Great pictures
I did not know that Skoda is buildings such cool locomotives either.

PS:
I think its a pity that it takes 4 and a half endless hours from Vienna to Prague. To Budapest the connection is not that fast either, but it takes only 2:40. The distance is a bit shorter, but not that much. I don't know the reason for that, if its the bad tracks on the Austrian side, or on the Czech side or that the old Franz Josephs Bahn has been degraded over the decades and sidelined.

[פובליק פיינט]

Originally Posted by Slartibartfas

I think its a pity that it takes 4 and a half endless hours from Vienna to Prague. To Budapest the connection is not that fast either, but it takes only 2:40. The distance is a bit shorter, but not that much.

Well the distance is significantly shorter, since by train Prague-Vienna is 401km while Budapest-Vienna only 250km. That gives you the difference.

[wenxe]

so nices the landscapes !

[Norkey]

one more train, DB's RegioSwinger (or how it's called), which wasn't mentioned yet you can meet on czech rails (especially around Liberec and Tanvald):

[strandeed]

is it just me or does the czech countryside look a lot like the english countryside?

[ianto]

My videos of Czech suburban electric units class 471 CityElefant in snow in Prague. The newest one from today.

http://www.youtube.com/user/ianto1983#p/u/0/dFfil29jBrM

[פובליק פיינט]

Nice take of 680 Pendolino passing the Kolín railway station

[eminencia]

Originally Posted by strandeed

is it just me or does the czech countryside look a lot like the english countryside?

They have a lot in common, temperate climate, hilly landscape, vast industrial heritage and strong railway tradition.

[פובליק פיינט]

another great take of Pendolino in Moravia this time

[ianto]

ČD Class 380 007-05 on trials in Cerhenice. For more videos follow link.

http://www.youtube.com/user/ianto1983#p/u/4/S196fNOwuBI

[earthbound]

Class 380 (Škoda 109E)

Type 109E triple-voltage 200 km/h locomotives have begun trial operations, starting with No 380.007 which hauled a 100 km/h CD Cargo freight train from Plzen to Beroun on May 27.

Initial 160 km/h passenger operations are expected to begin on routes from Praha to Brno and Ústí nad Labem in August. Regular passenger services will begin in December

and few random pics from this year (again the source is zelpage.cz)

Class 680



Class 122



Class 742