Czechoslovak State Railways
Encyclopedia
Czechoslovak State Railways (in Czech
Československé státní dráhy, ČSD) 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 took over the rolling stock and infrastructure of the Imperial Austrian State Railways
.
In 1930 Czechoslovakia had 13,600 km of railroads (the fifth largest in Europe), of which 81% were state (ČSD)-owned, and the trend was to nationalize the remaining private railroads. Most of the infrastructure was concentrated in the industrial regions of the Czech lands
. 87% of the railroads were single-track
. 135,000 people were employed on the railroads (around 1% of the population).
When Czechoslovakia broke up in 1939, the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
formed the "Bohemian-Moravian Railway" company (in Czech Českomoravské dráhy-ČMD, in German Böhmisch-Mährische Bahn-BMB) under the control of the Deutsche Reichsbahn
(DRB). In the Slovak State, the company "Slovak Railways" (in Slovak Slovenské železnice-SŽ) was formed. In 1945 the ČSD was re-established.
After the dissolution of Czechoslovakia at the end of 1992, the company was divided into the state-owned České dráhy
(Czech Railways) and Železnice Slovenskej republiky (Railways of the Slovak Republic). The fixed infrastructure was transferred to the successor countries according to location; the remainder was divided by 2:1 ratio.
Czech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
Československé státní dráhy, ČSD) was a state-owned railway company in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia 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...
.
The company was created in 1918, after the end of First World War and the breakup of Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
. It took over the rolling stock and infrastructure of the Imperial Austrian State Railways
Imperial Austrian State Railways
The Imperial Royal State Railways was the state railway organisation in the Cisleithanian part of Austria-Hungary.-Early history:...
.
In 1930 Czechoslovakia had 13,600 km of railroads (the fifth largest in Europe), of which 81% were state (ČSD)-owned, and the trend was to nationalize the remaining private railroads. Most of the infrastructure was concentrated in the industrial regions of the Czech lands
Czech 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...
. 87% of the railroads were 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....
. 135,000 people were employed on the railroads (around 1% of the population).
When Czechoslovakia broke up in 1939, the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was the majority ethnic-Czech protectorate which Nazi Germany established in the central parts of Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia in what is today the Czech Republic...
formed the "Bohemian-Moravian Railway" company (in Czech Českomoravské dráhy-ČMD, in German Böhmisch-Mährische Bahn-BMB) under the control of the Deutsche Reichsbahn
Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft
The Deutsche Reichsbahn – was the name of the German national railway created from the railways of the individual states of the German Empire following the end of World War I....
(DRB). In the Slovak State, the company "Slovak Railways" (in Slovak Slovenské železnice-SŽ) was formed. In 1945 the ČSD was re-established.
After the dissolution of Czechoslovakia at the end of 1992, the company was divided into the state-owned České dráhy
Ceské dráhy
České dráhy or Czech Railways is the main railway operator of the Czech Republic. In 2010 its consolidated revenues reached CZK 41.0 bn...
(Czech Railways) and Železnice Slovenskej republiky (Railways of the Slovak Republic). The fixed infrastructure was transferred to the successor countries according to location; the remainder was divided by 2:1 ratio.
Electrification
- Electrification of the railroads started gradually during the 1920s. In PraguePraguePrague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
the trains used a direct currentDirect currentDirect current is the unidirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is produced by such sources as batteries, thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-type electric machines of the dynamo type. Direct current may flow in a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through...
system at 1.5 kVVoltThe volt is the SI derived unit for electric potential, electric potential difference, and electromotive force. The volt is named in honor of the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta , who invented the voltaic pile, possibly the first chemical battery.- Definition :A single volt is defined as the...
. - To power the line from Prague to ChopChop, UkraineChop is a city located in the Zakarpattia Oblast of western Ukraine, near the borders of Slovakia and Hungary. It is separated from the Hungarian town of Záhony by the river Tisza, and the city itself is designated as a separate raion within the oblast.-Demography:According to the Ukrainian...
(Чоп, Čop, in today's UkraineUkraineUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
), a direct currentDirect currentDirect current is the unidirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is produced by such sources as batteries, thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-type electric machines of the dynamo type. Direct current may flow in a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through...
system using 3 kV was built after 1945. - To the north of this line, trains use direct currentDirect currentDirect current is the unidirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is produced by such sources as batteries, thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-type electric machines of the dynamo type. Direct current may flow in a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through...
with voltage 3 kVVoltThe volt is the SI derived unit for electric potential, electric potential difference, and electromotive force. The volt is named in honor of the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta , who invented the voltaic pile, possibly the first chemical battery.- Definition :A single volt is defined as the...
, to the south they use alternating currentAlternating currentIn alternating current the movement of electric charge periodically reverses direction. In direct current , the flow of electric charge is only in one direction....
with voltage 25 kVVoltThe volt is the SI derived unit for electric potential, electric potential difference, and electromotive force. The volt is named in honor of the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta , who invented the voltaic pile, possibly the first chemical battery.- Definition :A single volt is defined as the...
at 50 HzHertzThe hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications....
. These two systems continue today.