Ceské dráhy
Encyclopedia
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
operator of the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
. In 2010 its consolidated revenues reached CZK 41.0 bn (€1.6 bn, $2.1 bn). Revenues from passenger
Passenger
A passenger is a term broadly used to describe any person who travels in a vehicle, but bears little or no responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination....
transport amounted to CZK 18.7 bn (65 % transfer payments from the government, 25 % intrastate transport, 10 % international transport), revenues from freight transport operated by subsidiary ČD Cargo amounted to CZK 11.8 bn, revenues from traffic control
Train dispatcher
A train dispatcher is employed by a railroad to direct and facilitate the movement of trains over an assigned territory, which is usually part, or all, of a railroad operating division. In Canada the train dispatcher is known as the rail traffic controller...
invoiced to state-owned railway infrastructure operator SŽDC
Správa železniční dopravní cesty
Správa železniční dopravní cesty is the national railway infrastructure manager in the Czech Republic. Its main customers include passenger train operator České dráhy and its cargo subsidiary ČD Cargo...
amounted to CZK 5.2 bn. With 38 thousand employees ČD Group is the largest Czech company by the number of employees.
The company was established in 1993, after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia as a successor of the Czechoslovak State Railways
Czechoslovak State Railways
Czechoslovak State Railways was a state-owned railway company in Czechoslovakia.The company was created in 1918, after the end of First World War and the breakup of Austria-Hungary...
. It is a member of the International Railway Union
International Union of Railways
The UIC , or International Union of Railways, is an international rail transport industry body.- Brief history :The railways of Europe originated as separate concerns. There were many border changes after World War I and the Treaty of Versailles. Colonial railways were the responsibility of the...
(UIC Country Code
UIC Country Code
The UIC Country Code is a two digit number used to identify member countries of the International Union of Railways . The UIC has issued numbering systems for rolling stock and train stations that both contain the UIC Country Code. The values are defined in UIC leaflet 920-14.-Table of Codes:-...
for Czech Republic is 54), Community of European Railways and the Organization for Railways Cooperation (Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
).
Until 1 July 2008, České dráhy was the biggest employer in the Czech Republic. After experiencing regular losses and requiring government subsidies, the railway reported its first ever "profit" in 2007 although it receives government subsidies. Attempts to make it more efficient are currently ongoing and a recent plan to move passenger transport to an independent subsidiary was approved by the Czech government in January 2008.
ČD operates trains; fixed infrastructure (such as tracks) is managed by SŽDC
Správa železniční dopravní cesty
Správa železniční dopravní cesty is the national railway infrastructure manager in the Czech Republic. Its main customers include passenger train operator České dráhy and its cargo subsidiary ČD Cargo...
. In December 2010, the Czech government proposed bringing SŽDC and ČD together in a single holding company. The government has also changed the subsidies available to ČD and SŽDC.
Statistics (2009)
- 9,420 km of railway lines controlled by ČD employees; 3,153 km electrified; 1,894 km doubleDouble trackA double track railway usually involves running one track in each direction, compared to a single track railway where trains in both directions share the same track.- Overview :...
- and multiple-track - 162.906 mil passengers carried
- 6,462 mil passenger kilometer
- 68.370 mil tonnes of goods carried
- 12,581 mil tonne-kilometre
History
České dráhy is the result of more than 160 years of railway history in the Czech landsCzech lands
Czech lands is an auxiliary term used mainly to describe the combination of Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia. Today, those three historic provinces compose the Czech Republic. The Czech lands had been settled by the Celts , then later by various Germanic tribes until the beginning of 7th...
. Historic milestones include:
- 1828: first horse drawn railwayHorsecarA horsecar or horse-drawn tram is an animal-powered streetcar or tram.These early forms of public transport developed out of industrial haulage routes that had long been in existence, and from the omnibus routes that first ran on public streets in the 1820s, using the newly improved iron or steel...
in Europe: České BudějoviceCeské BudejoviceČeské Budějovice is a city in the Czech Republic. It is the largest city in the South Bohemian Region and is the political and commercial capital of the region and centre of the Roman Catholic Diocese of České Budějovice and of the University of South Bohemia and the Academy of Sciences...
- LinzLinzLinz is the third-largest city of Austria and capital of the state of Upper Austria . It is located in the north centre of Austria, approximately south of the Czech border, on both sides of the river Danube. The population of the city is , and that of the Greater Linz conurbation is about... - 1839: first steam hauledSteam engineA steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
railway: ViennaViennaVienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
- BřeclavBreclavBřeclav is a town in the South Moravian Region, Czech Republic, approximately 55 km southeast of Brno. It is located at the border with Lower Austria on the Dyje River. The nearest large town on Austrian territory is Hohenau an der March... - 1903: first standard gaugeStandard gaugeThe standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
electrified railway track - 1918: foundation of Československé státní dráhy (ČSD or CSD) (English: Czechoslovak state railways)
- 1991: first EuroCityEuroCityEuroCity, abbreviated EC, denotes an international train service within the European inter-city rail network. In contrast to trains with the "IC" label, "EC" trains are international trains that meet certain criteria. The EuroCity label replaces the older Trans Europ Express name for...
(EC) trains run on ČSD railways - 1993: foundation of České dráhy (ČD or CD) after break up of CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
- 1993: started renovation of backbone railways corridorPan-European corridorsThe ten Pan-European transport corridors were defined at the second Pan-European transport Conference in Crete, March 1994, as routes in Central and Eastern Europe that required major investment over the next ten to fifteen years. Additions were made at the third conference in Helsinki in 1997...
s - 1994: started truckTruckA truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...
transportation ("RoLa") on ČD railways: LovosiceLovosiceLovosice is a small town in northern Bohemia, the western part of the Czech Republic.Geographic coordinates of Lovosice are: latitude 50° 51' andlongitude: 14° 05'....
- DresdenDresdenDresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
(stopped in 2004) - 2003: founding of České dráhy (Czech Railways), joint stock company
- 2005: tilting trainTilting trainA tilting train is a train that has a mechanism enabling increased speed on regular rail tracks. As a train rounds a curve at speed, objects inside the train experience centrifugal force. This can cause packages to slide about or seated passengers to feel squashed by the outboard armrest due to...
PendolinoPendolinoPendolino is an Italian family of tilting trains used in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Slovenia, Finland, Russian Federation, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, Slovakia, Switzerland, China and shortly in Romania and Poland...
in regular service - 2007: freight transport moved into subsidiary company ČD Cargo
- 2008: creation of CD Sky alliance between České dráhy and airline Sky Europe. Heavily indebted SkyEurope went bust in August 2009.
Rail links to adjacent countries
- Same gauge
-
AustriaRail transport in AustriaRail transport in Austria is mainly owned by the national rail company ÖBB. The railway network consists of 6,123 km, its gauge is 1,435 mm and 3,523 km are electrified....
— voltage change 25 kV AC/15 kV AC -
GermanyRail transport in Germany, Germany had a railway network of 41,315 km. 19,857 km are electrified. The total track length was 76,473 km. Germany is a member of the International Union of Railways . The UIC Country Code for Germany is 80.-Overview:...
— voltage change 3 kV DC/15 kV AC -
PolandRail transport in PolandThe Polish railways network consists of around of track as of 2008, of which the vast majority is electrified using a 3 kV DC overhead line system.Poland is a member of the International Union of Railways...
— same voltage 3 kV DC -
SlovakiaRail transport in SlovakiaRail transport in Slovakia began on 21 September 1840, with the opening of the first line from Bratislava to Svätý Jur and on 20 August 1848 ....
— same voltage 3 kV DC or 25 kV AC
-
Freight services
ČD Cargo division is mainly focused on raw materialRaw material
A raw material or feedstock is the basic material from which a product is manufactured or made, frequently used with an extended meaning. For example, the term is used to denote material that came from nature and is in an unprocessed or minimally processed state. Latex, iron ore, logs, and crude...
s, intermediate good
Intermediate good
Intermediate goods or producer goods are goods used as inputs in the production of other goods, such as partly finished goods. Also, they are goods used in production of final goods. A firm may make then use intermediate goods, or make then sell, or buy then use them...
s and containers
Intermodal container
An intermodal container is a standardized reusable steel box used for the safe, efficient and secure storage and movement of materials and products within a global containerized intermodal freight transport system...
transport. Products transport is few flexible and competitive. Nevertheless ČD is fifth largest railway cargo operator in Europe.
Rolling stock
- 3,059 locomotives (electric - 925, motorized - 1,130, electric motorized units - 113)
- 33,354 freight cars
- 4,274 passenger cars