Benešov u Prahy – Dolní Kralovice railway line

Benešov u Prahy – Dolní Kralovice
Course book series (SŽDC) :	222
Route length:	46.861 km
Gauge :	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Route class :	C3 (Benešov – Vlašim) C2 (Vlašim – Tr. Štěpánov)
Maximum slope :	25  ‰
Top speed:	60 km / h
Legend from Praha hl. n. 0.000 Benešov u Prahy formerly Beneschau 365 m to České Velenice 3,921 Myslíč 385 m 5.913 Struhařov formerly Struhařow 425 m 7,853 Dobříčkov 470 m 10.225 Postupice formerly Jemnischt-Postupitz 435 m 12,520 Městečko u Benešova 400 m Chotýšanka 14.340 Lhota Veselka 410 m 16,590 Domašín formerly Bruck-Damashin 430 m 20,560 Znosim 365 m Blanice 22.837 Vlašim formerly Wlaschim 390 m 23,550 Vlašim zastávka 390 m 27,579 Bolina 470 m 29.167 Zdislavice formerly Zdislawitz 440 m 33,037 Trhový Štěpánov formerly Trhowý Štěpánow 385 m 35.750 Dubějovice 37.618 Sedmpány formerly Sedumpan H. 40.596 Keblov formerly Keblau Švihov dam 43,450 Borovsko formerly Borowsko 46.861 Dolní Kralovice formerly Unter Kralowitz 371 m

The railway line Benešov u Prahy – Dolní Kralovice is a regional railway connection in the Czech Republic , which was originally built by the local railway Beneschau – Wlaschim – Unter Kralowitz (Czech: Místní dráha Benešov – Vlašim – Dolní Královice ) as a guaranteed local railway . It runs from Benešov u Prahy via Vlašim to Trhový Štěpánov . The further route to Dolní Kralovice was closed in 1975 because of the construction of the Švihov dam .

According to a decree of the Czech government, the line has been classified as a regional railway ("regionální dráha") since December 20, 1995.

history

On March 4, 1895, the concession to build and operate a standard gauge local railway from Beneschau to Wlaschim was granted. This line from Benešov u Prahy to Vlašim was opened on December 15, 1895. On November 27, 1899, the local railway company Beneschau – Wlaschim was also approved by law to extend it to Dolní Kralovice. On October 11, 1902, the line to Dolní Královice was put into operation.

Passenger train at Postupice (2013)

Postupice Station (2013)

The operation was carried out by the kk Staatsbahnen (kkStB) on behalf of the owners.

In 1912, the local railway timetable showed two mixed pairs of 2nd and 3rd class trains over the entire route. Two more operated only between Beneschau and Vlaschim. They needed about three hours for the 47 kilometer route.

After the collapse of Austria-Hungary in October 1918, management was transferred to the newly founded Czechoslovak State Railways (ČSD). On January 1, 1925, the local railway Beneschau – Wlaschim – Unter Kralowitz was nationalized by law and the lines were integrated into the ČSD network.

On July 2, 1932, the worst accident in the history of the route occurred when two passenger trains collided head-on between Domašín and Vlašim. Nine people died in the rubble of the trains, and another died in hospital from his injuries. In addition, 15 people were injured, some seriously.

The commissioning of modern motor trains by the ČSD at the beginning of the 1930s enabled both a significant reduction in travel times and a compaction of the timetable. The winter timetable of 1937/38 recorded seven passenger trains from Benešov to Dolní Královice on weekdays, three more only ran to and from Vlašim. Five pairs of trains were run as motorized trains that took between 95 and 100 minutes between Benešov and Dolní Královice.

During the Second World War , the route lay entirely in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia . The operators were now the Protectorate Railways Bohemia and Moravia (ČMD-BMB). On May 9, 1945, the entire line came back to the ČSD.

In August 1974 the passenger train service on the section Trhový Štěpánov – Dolní Královice was stopped because of the construction of the Švihov dam . On January 1, 1975, the section was closed and later flooded. The line between Benešov u Prahy and Trhový Štěpánov is still in operation. In the 2014 timetable, there is a two-hour cycle schedule, which is compressed into an hourly cycle in the afternoons during the weekday rush hour traffic to Vlašim.

Vehicle use

For the account of the local railway Beneschau – Wlaschim – Unter Kralowitz , the kkStB procured four class 97 locomotives . The locomotives had the road numbers 97.84–85 and 214–215.

Today, tourist traffic is handled by ČD class 810 railcars .

Web links

Commons : Benešov u Prahy – Dolní Kralovice railway line  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Benešov u Prahy – Trhový Štěpánov on www.zelpage.cz
• Trhový Štěpánov – Dolní Kralovice - description, map, gallery. Archived from the original on June 3, 2009 ; Retrieved July 3, 2016 (Czech). 

Individual evidence

1. ^ Zdeněk Hudec et al: Atlas drah České republiky 2006–2007. 2nd Edition. Dopravní vydavatelství Malkus, Praha 2006, ISBN 80-87047-00-1 .
2. ↑ Artaria railway map of Austria-Hungary and the Balkans, with Station Directory; Artaria & Co., Vienna 1913
3. ↑ Decree of the Czech government of December 20, 1995
4. ↑ http://alex.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/anno-plus?aid=rgb&date=18940004&seite=00000651
5. ↑ http://alex.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/anno-plus?aid=rgb&date=18990004&seite=00001051
6. ↑ 1912 timetable of the kkStB - valid from May 1, 1912
7. ↑ http://www.psp.cz/eknih/1920ns/ps/tisky/t5205_01.htm
8. ↑ ČSD winter timetable 1937/38 - valid from October 3, 1937
9. ↑ ČD annual timetable 2014 - valid from December 15, 2013