Last update for this page: 12 February 2010.
National railway system: České Dráhy (ČD). Since 1 January 2003 infrastructure has been managed by state organization Správa železniční dopravní cesty (SŽDC).
Language: Czech
Currency: Czech Koruna
UIC code: numeric 54, alpha CZ
| Journey Planner: | www.cd.cz/spojeni/ |
| Downloadable Timetable: | www.cd.cz/vnitrostatni-cestovani/jizdni-rad/tratove-jizdni-rady/-3546/ |
| Printed Timetable: | Traťové Jízdní Řády. Includes the ČD-owned funicular railways and cableways. Printed in Czech throughout but with general instructions in English, German and French. Timetable supplements are issued and obtained at major stations on presentation of the coupons in the timetable book. A fold-out, near-geographic route diagram is included in the timetable, and there are enlargements of the Praha, Brno and Ostrava areas. The diagrams show principal stations and distinguish privately-operated and electrified lines. |
| Engineering Information: | www.cd.cz/cd-online/vyluky/ |
Gauge: Standard, except for the 760 mm gauge routes from Jindřichúv Hradec to Obrataň and Nová Bystřice, and from Třemešná ve Slezsku to Osoblaha.
Electrification: Generally, lines to the north and east of Praha are electrified at 3 kV dc, whereas those to the west and south of Praha are electrified at 25 kV 50 Hz. The two systems meet at
There is an isolated 1500 V dc branch in the south from Tábor to Bechyně.
Rule of the road: Right-hand, except for Bohumín - Břeclav which is left-hand. At the eastern end of the Přerov avoiding line, the changeover is made by an unusual flyover arrangement. Most double-tracked routes are reversibly signalled and often used as such.
Other Railways: The following timetable routes are operated by, and where marked by * the railway infrastructure is owned by, private companies.
With the 2007 timetable, a number of services were withdrawn by ČD but summer only Private Operator services are timetabled, see Recent and future changes below.
Tourist Lines:
Metro: Praha.
Trams: Brno, Liberec, Most-Litvinov, Olomouc, Ostrava, Plzeň, Praha.
Recent and future changes:
There are plans to reopen from Harrachov to Szklarska Poreba Górna in Poland where the Polish section to the Czech border was transferred to the ownership of the Lower Silesian Regional Authority on 29 January 2008. A joint application for EU Funds by Polish and Czech organisations and Regional Authorities for 85% of the reconstruction costs was made in October 2008 but the outcome is not yet known. If funds are approved there should be a speedy commencement of works with reopening around a year later.
It is hoped that the Královec - Lubawka (- Jelenia Gora) cross-border line [043] will be reopened in summer 2009 if Viamont resolve funding difficulties with the Polish regional authorities.
There is a plan to close the existing Brno hlavni nadrazi station and the main line running through it, replacing it with a new station on the existing freight freight line between odb. Cernovice and Horni Herspice, approximately where Brno dolni nadrazi is located. A new light railway (tram) would be built into Brno city centre. There is considerable opposition to this plan and it is unlikely to occur for at least ten years.
Electrification works are in progress on the following routes:
Changes with the timetable commencing 14 December 2008
Closures:
Other significant changes:
The northern exits from Praha hl n have been undergoing total reconstruction since December 2005 as there had been just two separate single-track routes between Praha hl.n. and the Kolín line via Praha-Libeň. These were either a steeply-graded line leading to the former Praha-Hrabovka station at the eastern end of the Masarykovo station layout or via a tunnel and Praha-Vítkov, this second route shared with services to Praha-Holešovice and Praha-Vysočany which was a major operating constraint. The new northern route involving tunnels and flyovers came into use on 11 September 2008 and is believed to be as described in Today's Railways issue 105 (September 2004). An additional part of these works was a grade separated connection allowing a direct Praha Masarykovo - Lysá nad Labem - Kolín service which avoids the previously required reversal near Praha-Libeň. This is believed to have been used with effect from a timetable revision on 4 October 2008.
The cross-border line from Královec to Lubawka in Poland re-opened on 5 July 2008 with a Summer weekend only service using PKP DMUs and, as a consequence, the branch service on 043 from Královec to Žacléř was withdrawn. Services were popular, with the operating season extended until 12 October 2008 when it was suddenly withdrawn following an objection from the Polish Regional Authorities that the units whose purchase they had subsidised were now operating services into the Czech Republic.
An internal Viamont weekend only service ran to Královec (4 – 5 October) and then to Žacléř from 1 November until 7 March 2009 when the Hradec Kralove region withdrew funding. A timetable revision issued on 8 March 2009 shows trains between Trutnov and Lubawka on 8 days in the year.
Changes during the timetable period ending 13 December 2008
Closures:
Other significant changes:
Changes during the timetable period ending December 2007
Closures:
In addition the following had all ČD regular services withdrawn but still appeared in the timetable with Private Operator summer only services
Reopenings:
Other significant changes:
Changes during the timetable period ending December 2006
Closures:
Other significant changes:
Previous year events
The peculiar arrangements east of Česká Trebová on table 270 where east and westbound took totally separate routes and crossed over each other twice ended in August 2005, when the previously single eastbound track was doubled. Other significant cut-offs with new tunnels opened in 2006 on the section to Zábreh na Moravé.
The summer SSuO pair using the Ceská Lípa avoiding line connecting tables 080 & 086 from Vlcí Dul-Dobranov to Srní u Ceské Lípy did not appear in the 2006 timetable, so the last trains ran on 28 August 2005.
The previously isolated 1500 V dc branch from Rybnik to Lipno nad Vltavou was converted in stages to 25 kV 50 Hz during 2004/05.
The following lines or routes closed with no services from 12 December 2004:
The line and station at Mladá Boleslav Mesto on table 064 was dropped from street level into a cutting on a slightly new alignment of 1.6km in length in September 2003 to avoid lengthy blockages of a busy level crossing. See www.sudop.cz/en/references/stavby/zahloubeni.php.
The line southwards from Ceské Budejovice was electrified at 25 kV 50 Hz to Horní Dvoríšté from 7 June 2001, then towards Summerau in Austria in December 2001; the electrification change to the Austrian standard 15 kV 16.7 Hz is at the border.
Special Notes:
Many of the diesel routes are worked by railcars with trailers: some of these workings divide en route but may not be clearly marked. At busy junctions in the country areas it can be difficult to ascertain which is which train; often a notice placed on the ground near the train is the only clue. Sometimes a plate on the side of the railcar will show the train's destination, but these are not always correct; also, beware of some vehicles, especially un-powered coaches, terminating short of the final destination.
The Czech timetable retains the useful routing markings in the centre of the train timings column: a straight line indicates that the train runs through the listed stations, whereas a wavy line shows that the train runs via a different route.
Ticket machines offering zonal fares for journeys up to 100km are installed at larger stations, and particularly near Praha. These machines take coins or prepaid smart cards.
At the following locations trains on the indicated route make a reversal manoeuvre away from the main station area:
Maps: Quail Map Co publishes a Czech Republic and Slovakia Railway map, which includes details of electrification, tram systems and some historical information. The "Atlas Drah, Ceské Republiky 2006-2007” is a hard backed very detailed 1:200000 map by Zdenék Hudec, ISBN 80-87047-00-1, costing 599CZK or €38 and now generally available in large CD station bookstalls and Information Offices. This new edition also contains Tram and Trolley bus system maps, but the indexed key of numbered highlights from each page is only now in Czech. The map is very detailed and shows numerous freight only lines not displayed on the Quail map.
Last complete update 6 January 2009. Subsequent amendments: "Recent and future changes" amended (1 May 2009); "Timetable" amended (12 February 2010).
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