Rail transport in Slovakia - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Rail transport in Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...

began on 21 September 1840, with the opening of the first line from Bratislava

Bratislava

Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...

to Svätý Jur

Svätý Jur

Svätý Jur is a small town northeast of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. The name means Saint George. Between 1960 and 1990, the Communist government forced the town to use a "non-religious" name Jur pri Bratislave. Svätý Jur has a population of almost 5,000.-Geography:Svätý Jur is situated in...

(at that time in Kingdom of Hungary

Kingdom of Hungary

The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...

, horse-powered) and on 20 August 1848 (line to Vienna

Vienna

Vienna 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...

, steam-powered).

The Železnice Slovenskej republiky company was established in 1993 as a successor of the Československé státní drahy

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...

in Slovakia

Slovakia

The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...

. Until 1996 it had formal and since then de-facto monopoly on railroad transportation in the country.

Since 2002 a law divided the company: ŽSR was left with infrastructure maintenance and passenger and cargo transport was moved into company "Železničná spoločnosť, a. s." (ZSSK). In 2005 this new company was further split into "Železničná spoločnosť Slovensko

Železnicná spolocnost Slovensko

Železničná spoločnosť Slovensko a.s. is Slovak state-owned passenger trains operated company, based in Bratislava.In 2002 a company Železničná spoločnosť was established as a successor of personal and cargo transport part of the Železnice Slovenskej republiky. In 2005 this new company was further...

, a. s." (ZSSK) providing Passenger transport services and "Železničná spoločnosť Cargo Slovakia, a. s." (ZSSK Cargo) providing cargo services.

Freight transport is operated by ZSCS and around 30 private companies. Private passenger service operators do not exist (except for three narrow gauge railways companies, shown below).

Slovakia is a member of the International Union of Railways

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). 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 Slovakia is 56.

Companies

Železnice Slovenskej republiky (ŽSR) - state
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...

-owned railway infrastructure
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...

operator in Slovakia
Čierny Hron Railway
Cierny Hron Railway
The Čierny Hron Railway is a narrow gauge railway in the Slovak Ore Mountains, built as an industrial railway for logging operations.-History:...

(ČHŽ) - narrow gauge railway owned by villages placed on ČHŽ lines
The Historical Logging Switchback Railway in Vychylovka (HLÚŽ or OKLŽ) - a narrow gauge railway owned by Museum of Kysuce
Nitra Agricultural Museum Railway (NPŽ) - narrow gauge railway
Železničná spoločnosť Slovensko
Železnicná spolocnost Slovensko
Železničná spoločnosť Slovensko a.s. is Slovak state-owned passenger trains operated company, based in Bratislava.In 2002 a company Železničná spoločnosť was established as a successor of personal and cargo transport part of the Železnice Slovenskej republiky. In 2005 this new company was further...

a. s. (ZSSK) - state-owned passenger train Operator
Železničná spoločnosť Cargo Slovakia a. s.(ZSSK Cargo or ZSCS) - state-owned freight train Operator

Statistics

Data taken from Year bulletin of ŽSR 2006 (in Slovak)

Total length of lines: 3658 km (2,273 mi)
- Single track
  Single track (rail)
  A single track railway is where trains in both directions share the same track. Single track is normally used on lesser used rail lines, often branch lines, where the traffic density is not high enough to justify the cost of building double tracks....
  
  : 2639 km (1,639.8 mi)
- Double
  Double track
  A 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 :...
  
  or more track: 1019 km (633.2 mi) broad gauge
  Russian gauge
  In railway terminology, Russian gauge refers to railway track with a gauge between 1,520 mm and . In a narrow sense as defined by Russian Railways it refers to gauge....
  
  : 99 km (61.5 mi) standard gauge
  Standard gauge
  The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
  
  : 3509 km (2,180.4 mi)
Narrow gauge: 50 km (31.1 mi)
- 45 km (28 mi) of gauge; 5 km (3.1 mi) of gauge)
Electrified
Railway electrification system
A railway electrification system supplies electrical energy to railway locomotives and multiple units as well as trams so that they can operate without having an on-board prime mover. There are several different electrification systems in use throughout the world...

: 1577 km (979.9 mi)

Rail links to adjacent countries

Same gauge
- Austria
  Rail transport in Austria
  Rail 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
- Czech Republic — same voltage 3 kV DC or 25 kV AC
- Hungary — same voltage 25 kV AC
- Poland
  Rail transport in Poland
  The 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
Break-of-gauge /
- Ukraine — voltage 3 kV DC

Companies

Statistics

Rail links to adjacent countries

See also