České dráhy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| České dráhy | |
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| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| Founded | Prague (2003) |
| Headquarters | Prague, Czech republic |
| Industry | Railway company |
| Revenue |  45,981,720,000 CZK (2004) |
| Net income |  -621,272,000 CZK (2004) |
| Employees | 73 825 (2004) |
| Website | www.cd.cz |
| České dráhy | |
|---|---|
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| Reporting marks | ČD |
| Locale | Czech republic, as well as routes to Austria, Germany, Poland, and Slovakia |
| Dates of operation | 1993 – present |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge), 760 mm (2 ft 6 in) |
| Headquarters | Prague |
České dráhy or Czech Railways (ČD or CD) is the main railway operator of the Czech Republic and provides passenger and freight service via state owned rail tracks. It is a significant company in an international railway transport and a member of important European and world institutions, e.g. the International Railway Union, Community of European Railways and the Organization for Railways Cooperation (Asia and Europe).
The company was established in 1993, after dissolution of Czechoslovakia as a successor of the Czechoslovak State Railways.
České dráhy is biggest employer in the Czech Republic. The company is in permanent loss and needs to be subsidized regularly by government. Attempts to make it more efficient are progressing
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[edit] History
České dráhy is the result of more than 160 years of railway history in Bohemia. Historic milestones include:
- 1828: first horse drawn railway in Europe: České Budějovice - Linz
- 1839: first steam hauled railway: Vienna - Břeclav
- 1903: first standard gauge electrified railway track
- 1918: foundation of Československé státní dráhy (ČSD or CSD) (English: Czechoslovak state railways)
- 1991: first EuroCity (EC) trains run on ČSD railways
- 1993: foundation of České dráhy (ČD or CD) after break up of Czechoslovakia
- 1993: started renovation of spinal tracks - railways corridors
- 1994: started truck transportation ("RoLa") on ČD railways: Lovosice - Dresden (stopped in 2004)
- 2003: foundation of České dráhy (Czech Railways), joint stock company
- 2005: tilting train Pendolino in regular service
[edit] Freight services
ČD Cargo division is mainly focused on raw materials, intermediate goods and containers transport. Products transport is few flexible and competitive. Nevertheless ČD is fifth largest railway cargo operator in Europe.
