Řetenice – Liberec railway line

Řetenice – Liberec

Course book series (SŽDC) :

086, 087, 097

Route length:

142.831 km

Gauge :

1435 mm ( standard gauge )

Maximum slope :

25 ‰

Minimum radius :

240 m

Top speed:

100 km / h

Legend

		from Ústí nad Labem hl. n. (formerly ATE )
	0.000	Řetenice formerly Settenz
		to Chomutov (formerly ATE )
	2.770	Teplice zámecká zahrada formerly Teplice Palace Gardens
	4,980	Prosetice
	6.572	Bystřany v Čechách formerly Wisterschan
		to Trmice (formerly ATE )
	9.335	Úpořiny formerly Auperschin
		to Bílina (formerly ATE )
		Úpořinsky tunnel (Steinberg tunnel; 234 m)
	11,660	Hradiště v Čechách formerly Ratsch
	13,530	Žalany formerly Schallan
	14,692	Žalany zastávka
	16.231	Bořislav formerly Borislau
	18,831	Žim earlier Schima
	21,886	Radejčin formerly Radzein (formerly Bf)
	25,280	Dobkovičky formerly Dubkowitz
	26,970	Chotiměř formerly Milleschau-Kottomirsch
	30.042	Oparno formerly Wopparn
	34,609	Lovosice zastávka formerly Lobositz ATE
		from Děčín hl. n. (formerly Northern State Railway )
		from Libochovice (formerly StEG )
	36,367	Lovosice formerly Lobositz
		to Praha Masarykovo nádraží (formerly Northern State Railways )
	38.180	Lovosice závod
		Elbe bridge
		Kolín – Děčín (formerly ÖNWB )
		Connecting railway from Velké Žernoseky
	40.447	Žalhostice formerly a chalet seat
	42.720	Litoměřice cihelna since 1997
	44.064	Litoměřice horni nádraži formerly Leitmeritz ob. Bf.
	47,370	Trnovany u Litoměřic since 1974
	50.605	Ploskovice formerly Ploschkowitz-Pitschkowitz
	55,334	Horní Řepčice formerly Oberrepsch
	57.745	Liběšice used to be Liebeschitz
		Úštěk horní n . – Lovečkovice (formerly LGWA )
		Connecting railway to Úštěk horní n.
	61.915	Úštěk formerly Auscha Teplice railway station
	65.955	Dubičná formerly Eicht
	69.468	Blíževedly formerly lead whisk
	71.467	Kravaře v Čechách formerly graves
	74.015	Stvolínky formerly Drum
	79.196	Zahrádky used to be new garden
		Höllengrund Viaduct (273 m) Technical monument
		Helenental Viaduct (74 m)
	83.026	Zückmantel b. Bohm. Leipa / Cukmantl until 1920
		from Bakov nad Jizerou (formerly BNB )
		Bakov nad Jizerou – Ebersbach
		and the new line to Vlčí Důl-Dobranov
	84.960 0.000	Česká Lípa St. n. formerly Bohemian Leipa
		to Děčín and to Ebersbach (Sachs) (formerly BNB )
	85.64	Česká Lípa město formerly Bohemian Leipa Teplitzer Bf.
		Dobranov formerly Dobern
	4,990 89,450	výh. Žizníkov
		New line from Česká Lípa
	91,000	Vlčí Důl-Dobranov formerly Wolfsthal-Leskenthal
	93,354	Zákupy formerly an imperial city
	94.571	Božíkov formerly Götzdorf
	99.994	odb. Mimoň St. 1
		former local railway Böhmisch Leipa – Niemes ; today industrial track
	100.536	Mimoň formerly Niemes
	102.939	Pertoltice pod Ralskem formerly Barzdorf
	105.449	Velký Grunov formerly Grünau
		vlečka DIAMO Stráž pod Ralskem
	107.594	Brniště formerly Brims
	110.932	Velký Valtinov used to be great rulers
		by Svor (formerly BNB )
	114.557	Jablonné v Podještědí formerly German fork
	117.175	Lvová formerly Lämberg-Markersdorf
	120.588	Rynoltice formerly Ringelshain
	125.238	Zdislava formerly Schönbach
	129.174	Křižany formerly Kriesdorf
		Jeschkenkamm tunnel (815 m)
		Neuländer Viaduct (198 m)
	131.450	Novina used to be uncharted territory
		Jägerhaus tunnel (40 m)
		Jägerhaus Viaduct (127 m)
		Christofsgrunder Tunnel (48 m)
	132.002	Kryštofovo Údolí formerly Christofsgrund
		Höllengraben Viaduct (51 m)
		Rehberg tunnel (239 m)
		Burggrafentunnel (35 m)
		Burggrafenviadukt (64 m)
	136.516	Karlov pod Ještědem formerly Karlswald
	139.023	Ostašov formerly Berzdorf
	141.024	Liberec-Horní Růžodol formerly Rosental-Johannestal
		from Pardubice (formerly SNDVB )
		von Tanvald (formerly RGTE )

		Reichenberg Teplitz train station
	145.107	Liberec formerly Reichenberg
		to Zawidów (formerly SNDVB )
		to Zittau (formerly ZRE )

Play media file

Video of the section between the Novina and Křižany stations

The Řetenice – Liberec railway is a railway connection in the Czech Republic that was originally built and operated by the Aussig-Teplitz Railway (ATE) as the “North Bohemian Transversal Railway ” (Severočeská transverzálka). It runs in the north of Bohemia from Teplice ( Teplitz-Schönau ) via Lovosice ( Lobositz ), Česká Lípa ( Bohemian Leipa ) and Jablonné v Podještědí ( German fork ) to Liberec ( Reichenberg ). Between Česká Lípa and Liberec, the line is part of the national long-distance connection between Cheb and Liberec.

Between Řetenice and Česká Lípa the line is a branch line ("regionální dráha"); classified as the main line ("celostátní dráha") between Česká Lípa and Liberec .

history

Prehistory and construction

At the end of the 19th century, the development of Bohemia with railways had made great progress. In the north of Bohemia, however, there was still no connection between the north Bohemian lignite mining area and the up-and-coming industrial center of Reichenberg. At that time, the Bohemian Northern Railway from Tetschen to Warnsdorf and Böhmisch Leipa already existed , but the Bohemian Northern Railway was not planning to continue over the Jeschkengebirge.

Route sketch (1901). Marked: Localbahn Teplitz (Settenz) –Reichenberg

The Aussig-Teplitz Railway was now planning its own route, which was to lead to Reichenberg via Lobositz and Böhmisch Leipa. For cost reasons, a standard-gauge local railway was planned, which allowed the use of narrower radii and inclines of up to 25 per thousand. The local railway Böhmisch Leipa – Niemes , which once belonged to the ÖLEG , was included in the routing. It was acquired by ATE on December 29, 1898.

On September 20, 1896, construction work on the section through the Bohemian Central Uplands to Lobositz began by the company Schön & Sohn from Prague . The other sections were created by the Redlich & Berger company from Vienna . On September 11, 1900, the continuous train service could be started.

Opening dates

Teplitz-Schönau-Lobositz: December 1, 1897
Lobositz – Leitmeritz: October 1, 1898
Leitmeritz – Bohemian Leipa: December 20, 1898
Bohemian Leipa – Niemes: August 5, 1900
Niemes – Ober Rosenthal: September 11, 1900
(Niemes–) Ober Rosenthal – Reichenberg: September 17, 1900

business

Due to the unfavorable topography, the traffic performance on the route fell short of expectations. The timetable from 1912 shows only two continuous passenger trains and a pair of express trains for the entire route. At the time, the express train needed four hours for the 149 km from Teplitz to Reichenberg, which at least corresponds to a travel speed of almost 40 km / h.

Just a few years after the nationalization of ATE in 1924, the entire route lost its intended importance. From then on, the CSD ran the continuous trains between Eger and Reichenberg via the important Tetschen / Bodenbach junction .

At the end of the 1980s, the route between Česká Lípa hl. n. and Vlčí Důl re-routed to enable continuous train runs without changing direction from Děčín to Liberec. This new route was put into operation on May 28, 1989. The old route between Česká Lípa město and Vlčí Důl was dismantled and turned into a cycle path. The former Česká Lípa město train station is still used as a freight station.

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).

Line break at Dobkovičky (2014)

On June 7, 2013, a landslide interrupted the route between Radejčin and Dobkovičky. The cause was the construction work on the parallel D8 motorway . Since then, all passenger trains coming from Teplice have ended in Radejčin, the rest of the route to Lovosice is served by rail replacement services. SŽDC announced in April 2016 that it wanted to restore the destroyed section by November 2019. In this context, twenty level crossings are to be modernized and the line speed increased. According to a study, the cost of the repair was given as 800 million crowns.

However, the Ministry of Transport rejected the first cost estimate for the repair of the route as too expensive. A revised infrastructure management project from February 2020 now expects 463 million crowns. Subject to timely approval from the Ministry of Transport, construction work can begin in September 2022 and be completed in December 2023. In addition to the construction of a bridge over the landslide, tracks are to be renewed, retaining walls renovated and rock cuttings secured.

After the section was repaired, the line from Chotiměř to Lovosice was put back into operation on June 6, 2020. For the time being, however, only passenger trains run on the weekends of the summer half-year as the T4 Lovosice – Chotiměř tourist line . The commissioned railway company is AŽD Praha . For this purpose, trains of the U10 line (Litoměřice horní nádraží – Most) are used, which serve the route to Chotiměř in the previous circulation-related waiting time in Lovosice.

Since 2014, low-floor regional railcars of the Polish type PESA LINK II , which is also known as RegioShark , have been operating between Česká Lípa hlavní nádraží and Liberec from the České dráhy . These trains operate as line L2 (Liberec-Děčín hlavní nádraží).

Route description

Teplice – Lovosice ( KBS 097)

This section of the North Bohemian Transversal Railway is no longer of any importance as a through route, local trains run every two hours, from Radejčin in the replacement rail service.

Lovosice – Česká Lípa (KBS 087)

Following the express trains from Prague, railcars commute at frequent intervals to Litoměřice, and continue to Česká Lípa every two hours.

The Lovosice train station leaves the line in a left curve. Immediately after the Lovosice zavod stop - which is used for rush hour traffic at the Lovosice chemical plant - the route crosses the Elbe on a riveted truss bridge . Shortly afterwards, the line crosses the double track of the former Austrian Northwest Railway on another bridge and reaches the Žalhostice station . A connecting track reserved for freight traffic leads here to the neighboring Velké Žernoseky train station . Below the slopes of the striking Radobýl mountain , the track now climbs slightly to Litoměřice . After the old episcopal town, the route leads through a flat undulating landscape, always following the southern edge of the Bohemian Central Uplands. In Úštěk there used to be a connection to the local railway from Velké Březno , which has been shut down and dismantled since 1979. After Úštěk, the route climbs more steeply and crosses the watershed to the Ploučnice catchment area at Blíževedly . At Stvolinky , the route crosses parts of an extensive pond area. After the next Zahrádky station , the route crosses the valley of the Peklo on two large, listed lattice box viaducts . Shortly before Česká Lípa, the line crosses the Liberec and Bakov tracks on a bridge and reaches the station on its east side, the former ATE stop .

Česká Lípa – Liberec (KBS 086)

Novinský viaduct

Liberec-Horní Růžodol railway station (2006)

The Česká Lípa - Liberec section is the only section that is still used today as a main line and serves supraregional traffic. Due to the unfavorable alignment, however, high driving speeds are not possible. In today's express train traffic, multiple units are mostly used, which are sufficient for the small number of passengers. The route is no longer of any great importance in freight transport.

The original route, which is now abandoned, left the Česká Lípa train station northwards, in order to then lead back eastwards via the former city train station. A new line has been in existence since 1989, which initially lies parallel to the former northern line to Bakov and then swings eastwards onto the route of the former local railway Böhmisch Leipa-Niemes. A connecting arch enables direct train runs between Bakov and Liberec. At Vlčí Důl-Dobranov the track returns to the original route. The route now leads through a hilly landscape, which is characterized by individual, conical mountains. At Mimoň the line leaves the route of the former local railway. After a left bend, the route leads almost in a straight line northwards in the direction of Jablonné v Podještědí . The connecting line to the mining facilities in Stráž pod Ralskem begins at Brniště station . After the Jablonné v Podještědí station , the track leads back eastwards towards the Jeschken Mountains . The route slowly climbs parallel to the Jeschkengebirge at its foothills. After the Křižany train station , the track crosses under the Jeschkengebirge in the 815-meter-long apex tunnel and shortly afterwards leads over the 29-meter-high Neuländer viaduct in the arch . With the maximum gradient of 25 ‰, the route now leads steadily downhill on the slopes of the Jeschkengebirge through several tunnels and other larger bridges. In the urban area of Liberec, the track finally describes a 180 ° left curve and then reaches the station of the district town from the east.

literature

H (ermann) Rosche: The viaducts and tunnels on the Niemes – Reichenberg line of the North Bohemian Transversal Railway . In: Constantin von Popp (Red.): Journal of the Austrian Association of Engineers and Architects . No. 9/1901, March 1, 1901 (Volume III). Verlag des Verein, Vienna 1901, pp. 133–141. - Full text online (PDF; 70.1 MB).
Zdeněk Šindlauer: Severočeská transverzálka . Malkus, Praha 2008, ISBN 978-80-87047-12-5 .