Railway line Prague – Děčín

Praha Masarykovo nádraží – Děčín hl.n.
Course book series (SŽDC) :	090, 091
Route length:	129.867 km
Gauge :	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Route class :	D4
Power system :	3 kV  =
Top speed:	160 km / h
Dual track :	Praha Masarykovo n. – Děčín hl.n.
Legend 409.816 Praha Masarykovo nádraží 195 m 410.788 odb. Praha Masarykovo nádraží St. 4 to Česká Třebová – Brno (formerly StEG ) Moldova ( Negrelliviaduct ) 411.687 odb. Praha-Bubny St. 1 to Chomutov (formerly BEB ) 412.133 Praha-Bubny 412,600 Praha-Holešovice zastávka 195 m from Praha-Libeň – Praha-Holešovice 413.647 odb. Stromovka 415.170 výh. Praha-Bubeneč 190 m 416.025 Praha-Podbaba 190 m 417.160 Praha-Podbaba 190 m 418.611 Praha- Sedlec 190 m 421.788 Roztoky u Prahy 185 m 425.705 Roztoky- Žalov 185 m 426,663 Úholičky 185 m 427.763 Řež 185 m 429.425 Libčice nad Vltavou-Letky 185 m 430.988 Libčice nad Vltavou 185 m 433,802 Dolany 180 m from Neratovice (formerly BNB ) 437.221 Kralupy nad Vltavou 180 m to Kladno (formerly BEB ) 438,820 Nelahozeveský I tunnel (23 m) 438.864 Nelahozeveský II tunnel (41 m) 438,926 Nelahozeveský III tunnel (291 m) 440.258 Nelahozeves zámek 180 m 442.614 Nelahozeves 175 m 444.715 Nové Ouholice 175 m Dálnice D8 446,030 Mlčechvostský tunnel (Vepřek; 390 m) 447.714 Mlčechvosty 175 m 450.267 Vraňany 175 m to Lužec nad Vltavou (formerly StEG ) to Libochovice (formerly LB Libochowitz – Jenschowitz ) 455.058 Cítov 170 m 458.222 Dolní Beřkovice 165 m 463,484 Horní Počaply 160 m 467,421 Hněvice 160 m vlečka Papírna Štětí 468.514 Hněvice seř. nádr. 160 m 470.905 Záluží 160 m 473,931 Dobříň 160 m from Zlonice (formerly LB Raudnitz – Hospozín ) 476.683 Roudnice nad Labem 160 m 479.673 Židovice u Hrobců 160 m 481,589 Hrobce 160 m 484.872 Oleško 160 m 486,600 Hrdly 160 m 488,405 Bohušovice nad Ohří 155 m vlečka Zelenina Terezín 490.656 Nové Kopisty 155 m 491.296 Protectorate border 1938–1945 492.758 Lukavec formerly Lukawetz (b Lobositz) 155 m (vlečka Lovochemie) vlečka Lovochemie from Liberec (formerly ATE ) 495.102 Lovosice formerly Lobositz 155 m to Libochovice (formerly StEG ) to Řetenice (formerly ATE ) 497,069 Lovosice město formerly Lobositz town 155 m 499.235 Malé Žernoseky formerly Klein Zernosek 155 m 502.258 Litochovice nad Labem formerly Lichtowitz 155 m 503.811 Prackovice nad Labem formerly Praskowitz (Elbe) 150 m 507.455 Dolní Zálezly formerly Salesl 150 m 512,951 Vaňov formerly Wannow vlečka přístav Vaňov 515.992 výh. Ústí nad Labem jih Connection curve to Ústí nad Labem západ Ústí nad Labem-Střekov – Ústí nad Labem západ (formerly ÖNWB ) von Chomutov (formerly ATE ) 516.925 Ústí nad Labem St. n. earlier Aussig Hbf 145 m vlečka přístav (port railway) 519.618 Ústí nad Labem sever formerly Aussig-Schönpriesen 145 m 521.840 Neštěmice formerly Nestomitz 145 m 523,581 Mojžíř formerly Mosern 145 m 524,930 Neštědice used to be the seat of a nest 145 m 526.105 Povrly formerly Pömmerle 145 m 529.186 Povrly-Roztoky formerly Rongstock 145 m 532,700 Dobkovice formerly Topkowitz-Kartitz 140 m 533.750 Choratice formerly Kartitz 140 m 536,337 Vilsnice formerly Wilsdorf 140 m Hafenbahn (formerly DBE ) Rozbělesy formerly Rosawitz 538.002 odb. Děčín hl.n. jih to Děčín hl.n. zapad – Chomutov (formerly DBE ) 538.133 Děčín nákl. nádr. from Chomutov – Děčín hl.n. zapad (formerly DBE ) 539.683 Děčín St. n. formerly Bodenbach 135 m to Jedlová (formerly BNB ) to Dresden-Neustadt (formerly K. Sächs. Sts. EB )

The Prague – Děčín railway is a double-track, electrified main line ("celostátní dráha") in the Czech Republic , which was originally built and operated as part of the Imperial and Royal Northern State Railway . It runs from Prague along the Vltava and Elbe to the North Bohemian city of Děčín ( Tetschen ). The route is part of the Pan-European Transport Corridor IV and TEN Corridor No. 22 (Athens − Nuremberg / Dresden) .

history

prehistory

Network of the Imperial and Royal Northern State Railways

→ Main article : kk Northern State Railways

Opening dates:

• Prague – Lobositz: June 1, 1850
• Lobositz – Aussig: October 1st, 1850
• Aussig – Bodenbach: April 6, 1851

In the operation of the Austro-Hungarian state railway company

→ Main article : Austro-Hungarian state railway company

The Austro-Hungarian State Railroad Company (StEG) was founded in 1854 with French capital. In January 1855, it took over the concessions for the Northern and Southeastern State Railways as well as for other state railway lines in Hungary from the Austrian state . Despite the resistance of the KFNB, the StEG sought both a direct connection to the capital Vienna and both subnets with each other. This goal was achieved in 1870. From now on, the line between Prague and Bodenbach was part of a continuous north-south connection of the StEG, which from 1878 reached to the then Hungarian-Romanian border near Orșova .

On October 15, 1909, the StEG was nationalized. The Prague – Bodenbach line was henceforth part of the network of the kk state railways kkStB.

In the First Republic

After the First World War , which Austria-Hungary lost , the line became the property of the newly founded Czechoslovak State Railways (ČSD).

The 1919 timetable only recorded four pairs of passenger trains over the entire route, including one pair of express trains. Another four passenger trains served the suburban traffic between Prague and Kralupy. The journey in the express train over the 130-kilometer route between Prague and Bodenbach took 3 hours and 5 minutes, which corresponded to an average travel speed of 42 km / h.

Sudeten crisis and World War II

When the Sudeten crisis reached its climax in autumn 1938 , all rail traffic between the German Reich and Czechoslovakia came to a standstill on September 24, 1938. A few days later, the ČSD began to drive away all mobile property from the affected areas. When the area fell to Germany on October 1, 1938, in accordance with the Munich Agreement , the railway lines had been cleared of all vehicles and service facilities.

From then on, the line between Lobositz and Bodenbach was administered by the Dresden Railway Directorate . Operation with German vehicles could only be resumed slowly. There was initially no train traffic over the new border at Lobositz. The connection as KBS 165 (Berlin–) Dresden – Bodenbach – Aussig – Lobositz – Prague (–Wien) was included in the Reich course book.

The continuous express train service between Prague and Dresden was not resumed until the spring of 1939, after corresponding agreements had been concluded between Germany and Czechoslovakia. Theresienstadt-Bauschowitz and Lobositz were designated as border stations. However, all express trains had to continue to run with Czech locomotives to Bodenbach, as German locomotives such as the 01 series were not possible due to axle load restrictions .

The line was of particular strategic importance during World War II. Because of its distance from the front, it could be used for freight traffic in the German sphere of influence until the end of the war. For a long time, the Prague – Bodenbach line was not affected by the direct effects of the war. It was not until the air raids on Aussig on April 17 and 19, 1945 that the railway systems there were badly damaged.

Immediately at the end of the Second World War, the route was completely returned to the ČSD.

After the Second World War

The Vindobona in Děčín

On December 23, 1980, the new line Praha Libeň – odb. Stromovka opened. Since then, all long-distance trains have been routed through the new Praha-Holešovice long-distance train station . Since then, only local trains and a few national express trains have been running on the old line from Praha Masarykovo nádraží .

At the end of the 1980s the importance of the Prague – Děčín railway in international travel reached its peak. The 1988/89 annual timetable recorded a total of 13 international express train pairs between Prague and Dresden. The fastest connection was the Interexpress Hungaria , which covered the route between Praha-Holešovice and Děčín in 106 minutes with a stop in Ústí nad Labem.

Important international passenger trains in the 1988/89 timetable (selection):

• IEx72 / 73 "Metropol" (Budapest – Berlin)
• IEx74 / 75 " Hungaria " (Budapest – Berlin)
• IEx76 / 77 "Primátor" (Praha-Berlin)
• D370 / 371 " Pannonia " (Sofia-Berlin)
• D372 / 373 " Balt-Orient " (Bucharest – Berlin)
• D374 / 375 " Vindobona " (Vienna – Berlin)
• D376 / 377 " Meridian " (Sofia – Belgrade – Berlin)

electrification

The first short sections of the Prague – Děčín railway line were fitted with an electric contact line as early as the 1960s, but initially only used for freight traffic. The complete electrification of the entire line only began at the end of the 1970s and was completed in 1986.

The following table shows the opening dates of the electric train operation:

opening	route
1962/1963	Praha Masarykovo n. – Praha-Bubeneč
02nd October 1964	Ústí nad Labem St. n. – Ústí nad Labem sever
0April 6, 1979	Lovosice – Ústí nad Labem hl. n.
0January 1, 1980	Vraňany – Lovosice
May 24, 1983	Nelahozeves – Vraňany
0June 2nd 1985	Praha-Bubeneč – Nelahozeves
0May 1, 1986	Ústí nad Labem sever – Děčín hl. n.

The expansion of the line as part of the "First Railway Corridor" project

First railway corridor (První železniční koridor) Děčín – Praha – Brno – Břeclav

A Eurocity on the new route near Mlčechvosty, in the background the newly built tunnel (2005)

Construction work in Ústí nad Labem (June 2007)

On May 27, 2002, the straightened new construction route between Nové Ouholice and Mlčechvosty was put into operation. Since November 26, 2002, the route has been open to two tracks, the old track was demolished shortly afterwards.

On October 12, 2004, construction work on the 1st railway corridor was officially completed after 11 years. At that time only the sections Praha Masarykovo nádraží – Praha-Bubeneč, Kralupy nad Vltavou – Nelahozeves zámek and Ústí nad Labem jih – Ústí nad Labem sever were still undeveloped. The section in the Ústí nad Labem railway junction was finally renewed from 2005 and completed by 2008.

The envisaged continuous line speed of 160 km / h could only be achieved on the 54 km long section Nelahozeves – Lovosice. Between Prague and Kralupy nad Vltavou as well as between Lovosice and Děčín it was not possible to straighten or widen the narrow curved tracks for topographical and financial reasons. In some cases, there are still speed limits of up to 80 km / h.

After the temporary completion of the construction work in 2004, an integral clock timetable was gradually introduced on the line . The clock nodes with symmetry time on the hour are in Lovosice (express trains Praha – Děčín; minute 56/58), Ústí nad Labem (passenger trains Most – Děčín; minute 55/57 or 58/00) and Děčín (Eurocity Praha – Berlin; Minute 55/57 or 00/02).

In February 2013, the expansion in the Prague urban area between the Praha-Holešovice and Praha-Bubeneč train stations began. The infrastructure operator SŽDC invested a total of 936 million Kč in the complete renewal of the tracks and facilities. The section is to be completed in the course of 2015.

Construction phase	length	start of building	Installation
Hněvice – Hrobce	12.2 km	1996	1997
Lovosice – Ústí nad Labem jih	18.9 km	1998	2001
Vraňany – Hněvice	17.2 km	1999	2001
Hrobce – Lovosice	15.5 km	2000	2002
Nelahozeves zámek – Vraňany	10.3 km	2000	2002
Ústí nad Labem sever – Děčín	17.0 km	2001	2002
Prague-Bubeneč – Kralupy nad Vltavou	19.6 km	2001	2003
Děčín knot	03.8 km	2001	2004
Ústí nad Labem jih – Ústí nad Labem sever	03.8 km	2005	2008
Praha-Holešovice – Praha-Bubeneč	04.4 km	2013	2015

The last section between Kralupy nad Vltavou and Nelahozeves that has not yet been renewed will be expanded from 2020. Only one of the two tracks will then run through the old tunnels, thus enabling the previously insufficient clearance profile to be widened. A new 580 meter long tunnel is being built parallel to the old one for the Děčín – Praha line. Total costs of up to CZK 1.5 billion are expected . Completion of the section is planned for 2025.

In addition, there are plans to supplement the Prague – Ústí nad Labem route in the medium to long term with a new line that is to become part of a high-speed line from Dresden to Prague , thereby relieving the existing line of long-distance passenger transport.

Route description

course

At Řež the route runs directly on the bank of the Vltava

The railway line from Prague to Děčín begins at the Praha Masarykovo nádraží terminus. In the station area, the route branches off to the left in a track triangle and crosses the Vltava on the Negrelliviadukt . From now on, the route runs orographically to the left along the Vltava and Elbe rivers. In the narrow valley to Kralupy, the route follows the arches of the Vltava, often running directly under steep rock walls. At Kralupy, the route passes three short, one after the other tunnels that date from the opening year. Then the route runs through the wide lowlands of the Vltava and Elbe, but always remains close to the course of the river. Here - between Nelahozeves and Lovosice - there is also the only longer section of the route where the permitted line speed of 160 km / h can be extended. The winding section through the Elbe valley in the Bohemian Central Uplands begins at Porta Bohemica near Lovosice . In the North Bohemian border station Děčín hl.n. ends the route. It is continued in the former Saxon-Bohemian state railway in the direction of Dresden .

Operating points

Praha Masarykovo nádraží

Praha Masarykovo nádraží

→ Main article : Praha Masarykovo nádraží

The Prague Masarykovo nádraží station is the only terminus in the Czech capital today. It mainly serves regional traffic.

Praha-Podbaba

Praha-Podbaba stop (2014)

The Podbaba stop was originally located further north at the mouth of the Šárecký potok and the Vltava. Opened in 1867, the stop was closed in 1949 after a Prague city bus line was established. The high-rise buildings consisted only of a large, spacious waiting hall with service rooms, which after 1949 were only used for residential purposes. Parts of the building are still there today.

A new stop Praha-Podbaba was reopened on August 29, 2014 in the Prague district of the same name as a connection point to the Prague tram, with the neighboring Praha-Bubeneč station being closed to tourist traffic.

Roztoky u Prahy

Roztoky u Prahy station is to be rebuilt so that it is barrier-free by 2020 for CZK 184 million. In addition to the new construction of the platforms for a system height of 550 millimeters above the top of the rails, the underpass is also to be renewed and equipped with elevators.

Train traffic

(Status: 2015 annual timetable) Today, EC trains run every two hours on the Berlin – Prague route, some of which are connected beyond these two endpoints to Hamburg , Bratislava and Budapest . There are express trains every half hour and local trains every hour between Ústí nad Labem and Prague. Every hour, a pair of express trains to Děčín is tied through and there is a local train from Ústí nad Labem to Děčín.

literature

• Zdeněk Hudec et al: Atlas drah České republiky 2006–2007 . 2nd Edition. Pavel Malkus Publishing House, Prague 2006, ISBN 80-87047-00-1 .

Web links

Commons : Praha – Děčín railway line  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• (Praha–) Kralupy nad Vltavou – Ústí nad Labem – Děčín on www.zelpage.cz
• Souhrnná doprava Prague – Kralupy nad Vltavou on www.zelpage.cz

Individual evidence

1. ↑ 1919 timetable of the ČSD
2. ↑ 1919 timetable of the ČSD
3. ↑ 1919 timetable of the ČSD
4. ^ Siegfried Bufe, Heribert Schröpfer: Railways in the Sudetenland ; Bufe-Fachbuchverlag, Egglham, 1991; P. 52ff
5. ^ German course book - annual timetable 1944/45
6. ↑ Annual timetable 1988 of the ČSD p. 272/273
7. ↑ Annual timetable 1988 of the ČSD p. 274/275
8. ↑ Annual timetable 1988 of the ČSD p. 276/277
9. ↑ Annual timetable 1988 of the ČSD p. 278/279
10. ↑ Annual timetable 1988 of the ČSD p. 280/281
11. ↑ SZDC 2010 timetable - valid from December 13, 2009 to December 11, 2010
12. ↑ Optimalizace trati Praha-Bubeneč - Praha-Holešovice ( Memento of the original from July 1, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
13. ↑ Nejkratší železniční tunel Česka může projít reconstruction, projekt má posudek EIA
14. ↑ Kateřina Bečková: Zmizelá Praha - Nádraží a železniční tratě 2nd díl , Schola ludus - Pragensia, Praha 2013, ISBN 978-80-7432-298-3 ; Pp. 114-117
15. ↑ SŽDC press release of October 31, 2017