Slovakia - General Information: Difference between revisions
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* 164 Fiľakovo - Somoskőújfalu (Hungary) | * 164 Fiľakovo - Somoskőújfalu (Hungary) | ||
* 165 Plešivec - Muráň | * 165 Plešivec - Muráň | ||
The following lines lost their passenger services with effect from 12 December 2010: | The following lines lost their passenger services with effect from 12 December 2010: | ||
Revision as of 23:42, 7 November 2011
Country Name
Slovakia (Slovenska Republika)
National railway system
ŽSR was split into two companies on 1 January 2002: railway infrastructure manager Železnice Slovenskej republiky (ŽSR), and railway operator Železničná spoločnosť (ZSSK).
Official Website
Language
Slovak (Slovenský)
Currency
Euro
UIC code
Numeric 56; alpha SK
Timetable
Journey Planner
Downloadable Timetable
www.zsr.sk/. Click on the ‘Cestovný poriadok’ link under the heading ‘INFORMÁCIE PRE CESTUJÚCU VEREJNOSŤ’ on the left hand side of the page.
Printed Timetable
Cestovný poriadok, published annually. This includes introductory material in English, French and German, and contains details of the ŽSR-owned funicular railways and cableways. Timetable supplements are issued twice a year, usually in March and June: normally these are obtainable only at major stations and on presentation of the coupon in the timetable book. A fold-out route map shows principal stations.
Engineering Information
www.zsr.sk/slovensky/aktuality/mimoriadne-udalosti.html?page_id=132 in Slovak only. The current week is given at isi.zsr.sk/NADAktualT.htm and the following week at isi.zsr.sk/NADBuduciT.htm
Maps
Slovakian railways are shown Quail Map Company's "Czech Republic and Slovakia Railway Map". This also includes details of tram routes and some historical information.
Ticketing
ŽSR discontinued its network ticket several years ago.
Seat reservations are compulsory on IC trains, and casual travellers (even those with One Country pass tickets) may be asked to pay a seat reservation charge.
Gauge
The main line network is Standard. The tramway between Trenčianská Teplá and Trenčianske Teplice is 760mm gauge. The Tatranské Elektrické Železnice (Tatras Electric Railways) system is 1000mm gauge.
There are two 1520mm gauge freight-only routes into Ukraine:
- between the East Slovakia Steelworks (VSŽ), south west of Košice, via Trebišov to Uzhgorod (note: the route of this is shown completely wrongly on some maps). A joint venture has been set up to assess the merits of extending this line westwards to Wien.
- between Čierna nad Tisou and Chop.
Electrification
Main line electrification is 3 kV dc except for the south west of the country which is 25 kV 50 Hz; the changeover point is just south of Púchov. The Trenčianske Teplice tramway is 600 V dc. The Tatra system is 1500 V dc. The cross-border line from Kittsee ÖBB to Bratislava-Petržalka is electrified at the Austrian standard 15 kV 16.7 Hz.
Rule of the road
Right.
Other railways
There are several freight operators: BRKS Bratislava, U. S. Steel Košice, Slovenská železničná dopravná spoločňosť, LTE Slovakia.
Tourist lines
- Čiernohronská Železnica Čierny Balog is a 760mm gauge former forestry railway. It operates over 14 km of track from Chvatimech ČHŽ station to Vydrovo skanzen between May and September. The Čiernohronská Železnica website is in Slovak and has further information and photographs. The standard gauge connecting line between Chvatimech and Hronec has a return journey between Banská Bystrica and Hronec zlieváreň advertised for early May each year.
- The Kysuce-Orava Museum railway is a 7km 760mm gauge line about 20km east of Čadca. Further information is also available at the railway's "romantic" enthusiasts club website.
- At Čermel, north-west of Košice, there is the 4.2km long 1000mm gauge Čermel Valley Pioneer Railway.
Metro
None.
Trams
Bratislava, Trenčianská Teplá (ŽS operated), Košice.
Recent and future changes
The final draft 2011-12 timetable shows the following two lines as closing on 10 December 2011
- 122 Trenčianska Teplá - Trenčianske Teplice
- 134 Šaľa - Neded ( in practice bus substituted since 12 December 2010)
These two lines lost their service from 1 May 2011
- 164 Fiľakovo - Somoskőújfalu (Hungary)
- 165 Plešivec - Muráň
The following lines lost their passenger services with effect from 12 December 2010:
- 132 Bratislava-Petržalka – Rajka (Hungary). The sole remaining service was the overnight train between Praha and Budapest.
- 133 Sered' – Leopoldov
This line was bus-substituted, but not formally closed
- 134 Šaľa – Neded
The cross-border route from Lenartovce to Bánréve in Hungary closed to passenger services on 12 December 2009.
In May 2009 the Russian, Austrian, Slovak and Ukrainian railways agreed a joint venture to examine the case for extending from Košice to Vienna the 1520 mm gauge railway from the Ukraine, to connect central Europe to the Trans-Siberian.
Line 167 - Roznava to Roznava mesto (one early morning train each way) closed with effect from 14 June 2009
Line 135 - Komárno to Komárom (Hungary) - has closed and reopened several times in recent years: closed by June 2001; reopened by 2 February 2003; closed 11 December 2004; reopened 9 December 2007; closed 13 December 2008.
Owing to severe financial difficulties the following lines closed as from 2 February 2003 inclusive (timetable numbers shown):
- 112 Zohor - Plavecký Mikuláš
- 117 Jablonica - Brezová pod Bradlom
- 124 Nemšová - Lednické Rovne
- 136 Komárno - Kolárovo
- 141 Kozárovce - Zlaté Moravce - Lužianky
- 142 Zbehy - Radošina
- 144 Prievidza - Nitrianske Pravno
- 153 Zvolen - Šahy
- 161 Lučenec - Kalonda
- 163 Breznička - Katarínska Huta
- 166 Plešivec - Slavošovce
- 167 Rožňava - Dobšiná
- 168 Moldava nad Bodvou - Medzev
- 186 Spišská Nová Ves - Levoča
- 192 Trebišov - Vranov nad Topľou
- 175 Poltár - Rimavská Sobota [already replaced by buses]
The following lines closed as from 2 February 2003 but re-opened on 15 June 2003 with financial support from the local region:
- 134 Šaľa - Neded
- 143 Trenčín - Chynorany
- 151 Zlaté Moravce - Úľany nad Žitavou
- 152 Levice - Čata - Štúrovo
- 153 Šahy - Cata
- 154 Hronská Dúbrava - Banská Štiavnica
- 165 Plešivec - Muráň
- 195 Bánovce nad Ondavou - Veľké Kapušany
The following lines were threatened with closure as from 2 February 2003 but survived owing to regional support (perhaps closing for only a few days):
- 113 Zohor - Záhorská Ves - operated for an unknown period from 7 July 2003 by Bratislavská regionálna koľajová spoločňosť (BRKS) using hired OBB stock, but this has now reverted to ZSSK
- 126 Žilina - Rajec
The complete Tatra mountain system has also been threatened.
Line 175 (Rimavská Sobota - Poltár) was replaced by buses in 2001 because very poor track condition but these have now been withdrawn.
The short branch from Komárno to Komárno zastávka closed sometime in 2001.
The cross-border route from Parndorf via Kittsee to Bratislava-Petržalka opened in May 1999 and now carries the principal Wien - Bratislava services in preference to the Marchegg route.
Special notes
A route diagram of Bratislava with historical notes is available.
The Slovak timetable retains the useful train 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.
The electric railway between Štrba and Štrbské Pleso is rack worked. The steeply graded line between Pohronská Polhora and Tisovec-Bánovo is rack fitted but not worked as such.
