Kaštice – Kadaň-Prunéřov railway line

Kaštice – Kadaň-Prunéřov

Course book series (SŽDC) :

143

Route length:

32.870 km

Gauge :

1435 mm ( standard gauge )

Route class :

A1 / C3

Top speed:

75 km / h

Legend

		from (Duchcov–) Obrnice (formerly EPPK )
	0.000	to Plzeň (formerly EPPK )
		Kaschitz local train station
	2.260	Vysoké Třebušice formerly Hohentrebetitsch
	4.033	Krásný Dvůr formerly Schönhof
		Schleppbahn sugar factory Schönhof
	6.302	Chotěbudice formerly Kettowitz
	8.528	Vitčice formerly Großwitschitz
		original route to Radonice (formerly ÖLEG )
		from Doupov (formerly Kaadner Lokalbahnen )
	11.988	Vilémov u Kadaně formerly Willomitz
		Liboc
	13.691	Pětipsy used to be five dogs
	18,396	Poláky formerly Poland
		vlečka přep. stanice Hradec
	22,946	Hradec u Kadaně formerly Castle Townl
	24.848	Želina formerly Seelau
		Ohře
	26.605	Kadaň předměstí formerly Kaaden kaolin factory
	27.237	Kadaň formerly Kaaden
		Kadaň-Bystřice (since December 15, 2019)
		by Cheb
	32.870	Kadaň- Prunéřov formerly Kaaden-Brunnersdorf
		to Březno u Chomutova (formerly BEB )
		to Chomutov (formerly BEB )

Realignment in 1978

The Kaštice – Kadaň – Prunéřov railway is a regional railway connection in the Czech Republic , the three sections of which were originally built by the Pilsen – Priesen (–Komotau) (EPPK), the Austrian Local Railway Company (ÖLEG) and the Kaadner Lokalbahnen . It runs at the foot of the Duppau Mountains from Kaštice ( Kaschitz ) via Krásný Dvůr ( Schönhof ) and Vilémov ( Willomitz ) to Kadaň - Prunéřov ( Kaaden-Brunnersdorf ).

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

history

Today's Kaštice – Kadaň-Prunéřov line originates from the Kaschitz – Schönhof local railway , for which the concession was granted on August 28, 1880. The line was opened on August 18, 1881 by the EPPK, which also led the operation. The Kaschitz – Schönhof local railway opened up an agricultural area that was mainly dominated by sugar beet cultivation . In Schönhof, a 400-meter-long siding led to Count Czernin's sugar factory .

On February 28, 1882, the ÖLEG received the concession for the extension of the line to Radonitz. On January 1, 1884, the Schönhof – Radonitz local railway was opened. On July 1, 1884, the local railway Kaschitz – Schönhof also became the property and operation of the ÖLEG, so that both lines could be operated as a unit.

In 1886, the management of the ÖLEG was transferred to the kk Staatsbahnen (kkStB). On January 1, 1894, the ÖLEG was nationalized. The infrastructure was thus also part of the kkStB network.

On December 22, 1900, the Kaadner local railways received the concession for the Willomitz – Kaaden – Brunnersdorf and Radonitz – Duppau lines. The Kaadner Lokalbahnen built a new train station in Willomitz, which was to serve as a branch station between the now continuous connection Kaschitz – Kaaden-Brunnersdorf and the line to Duppau. The routes were opened on November 10, 1902 (Radonitz – Duppau) and August 1, 1903 (Willomitz – Kaaden-Brunnersdorf). The kk Staatsbahnen (kkStB) took over the management of the entire route .

After the First World War , the line was transferred to the newly founded Czechoslovak State Railways (ČSD). Their first timetable recorded only two pairs of trains on the entire route, whereby the journeys were always broken in Kaaden and Willomitz. Other travel options existed between Kaaden and Kaaden-Brunnersdorf.

On January 1, 1925, the Kaadner local railways were nationalized.

After the annexation of the Sudetenland to Germany on October 1, 1938, the line came under the administration of the Deutsche Reichsbahn , Reichsbahndirektion Dresden . In the imperial course book the connection was included as course book route 167h Kaaden-Brunnersdorf-Kaschitz . After the end of the Second World War on May 8, 1945, the line came back to the ČSD.

In the 1970s, the line between Kadaň předměstí and Kadaň-Prunéřov had to be re-routed. The reason for this was the massive expansion of lignite mining in the area east of Kadaň, which also fell victim to the Březno u Chomutova – Kadaň-Prunéřov and Chomutov – Kadaň-Prunéřov (main Chomutov – Cheb) routes. The line between Kadaň předměstí and Kadaň-Prunéřov was given up on October 15, 1974 and canceled shortly thereafter.

For the Chomutov – Cheb line, a cup was finally built running directly on the slope of the Ore Mountains in a coal-free area. A new station " Kadaň " (since 2009 again: Kadaň-Prunéřov ) was built on this, into which the line from Kaštice was integrated. The new Kadaň předměstí – Kadaň-Prunéřov line was opened on September 27, 1978.

In the 1988/89 timetable there were only four pairs of trains over the entire route, which required significantly more than an hour for the 33 kilometers. There were other trains on the routes Radonice – Kadaň, Krásný Dvůr – Kadaň and Kadaň město – Kadaň.

Vilémov u Kadaně railway station (2011)

Vitčice stop (2012)

On January 1, 1993, the line was transferred to the newly founded České dráhy (ČD) in the course of the dissolution of Czechoslovakia . Since 2003 it has been part of the network of the state infrastructure operator Správa železniční dopravní cesty (SŽDC).

With the timetable change on December 10, 2006, travel between Kaštice and Kadaň předměstí was discontinued. Today there is only tourist traffic there on the weekends of the summer half-year, which is marketed under the name “Doupovská dráha” (Duppau Railway). The railway company responsible for these journeys was initially the company Jindřichohradecké místní dráhy (JHMD) and now Railway Capital . The trains have been integrated into the Ústecký kraj regional cycle as the T6 tourist line since 2016 .

There is still regular traffic between Kadaň předměstí and Kadaň-Prunéřov. In the 2011 timetable, passenger trains ran there at approximately hourly intervals , with some of the trains being linked as line U16 to Jirkov .

In July 2018, SŽDC put the electrification of the Kadaň-Prunéřov-Kadaň section out to tender. The offer period ended on August 8, 2018, and the project is expected to be completed within 26 months of the order being placed. In addition to the electrification, the renewal of the track systems and the safety technology as well as the construction of a new stop Kadaň sídliště in the east of the city of Kadaň are planned. After completion, the U1 passenger trains from Děčín to Kadaň will be tied through. The order for the modernization was awarded in November 2018 to the Skanska company, which had made the cheapest offer with 335 million crowns. Construction work should start this year and be completed by January 2021.

As of July 2020, the electrification has been completed and the new train station, only called Kadaň , is in operation, but there is still a shuttle service with diesel multiple units from Kadaň-Prunéřov , which also stops at the newly built Kadaň-Bystřice stop.