Štrba railway station
Encyclopedia
Štrba railway station is a break-of-gauge
junction station
serving the village of Štrba
, in the Prešov Region
, northeastern Slovakia
.
The station forms part of the standard gauge
Košice–Bohumín Railway (KBD), and is the highest point on that line. It is also the junction between the KBD and the Štrbské Pleso – Štrba rack railway, a metre gauge
line of which it is the valley terminus. As such, the station is a gateway to the High Tatras
mountain range, a popular tourist destination.
The station is currently owned by Železnice Slovenskej republiky (ŽSR); train services are operated by Železničná spoločnosť Slovensko
(ZSSK).
–Poprad
section. It became a junction when the rack railway opened in 1896.
Although the rack railway was closed in 1932 and lifted soon afterwards, it was reconstructed at the end of the 1960s, and reopened in 1970 in time for that year's FIS Nordic World Ski Championships.
houses information and ticketing facilities, and a restaurant.
The standard gauge station yard has tracks equipped with low level platforms for passenger services, and tracks for freight workings and the stabling of rolling stock.
The current rack railway terminus is in an upper section of the station dating from the reconstruction of the rack railway in 1970.
Line 180 forms part of Slovakia's main east-west rail corridor, and is also part of Pan-European Corridor Va, which runs from Venice
in Italy to Kiev
in Ukraine, via Bratislava
, Žilina
, Košice
and Uzhhorod
.
Break-of-gauge
With railways, a break-of-gauge occurs where a line of one gauge meets a line of a different gauge. Trains and rolling stock cannot run through without some form of conversion between gauges, and freight and passengers must otherwise be transloaded...
junction station
Junction (rail)
A junction, in the context of rail transport, is a place at which two or more rail routes converge or diverge.This implies a physical connection between the tracks of the two routes , 'points' and signalling.one or two tracks each meet at a junction, a fairly simple layout of tracks suffices to...
serving the village of Štrba
Štrba
Štrba is a village in the Poprad District, Prešov Region, northern Slovakia. It is situated in the Sub-Tatra Basin, which separates the High Tatras and Low Tatras at the European continental divide between the Baltic and the Black Sea. It is approximately 16 km west of the city of...
, in the Prešov Region
Prešov Region
The Prešov Region is one of the eight Slovak administrative regions. It consists of 13 districts.-Geography:It is located in north-eastern Slovakia and has an area of 8,975 km². The region has diverse types of landscapes occurring in Slovakia, but mostly highlands and hilly lands dominate the...
, northeastern Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
.
The station forms part of the standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
Košice–Bohumín Railway (KBD), and is the highest point on that line. It is also the junction between the KBD and the Štrbské Pleso – Štrba rack railway, a metre gauge
Metre gauge
Metre gauge refers to narrow gauge railways and tramways with a track gauge of . In some African, American and Asian countries it is the main gauge. In Europe it has been used for local railways in France, Germany, and Belgium, most of which were closed down in mid 20th century. Only in Switzerland...
line of which it is the valley terminus. As such, the station is a gateway to the High Tatras
High Tatras
High Tatras or High Tatra are a mountain range on the borders between Slovakia and Poland. They are a part of the Tatra Mountains...
mountain range, a popular tourist destination.
The station is currently owned by Železnice Slovenskej republiky (ŽSR); train services are operated by Železničná spoločnosť Slovensko
Železnicná spolocnost Slovensko
Železničná spoločnosť Slovensko a.s. is Slovak state-owned passenger trains operated company, based in Bratislava.In 2002 a company Železničná spoločnosť was established as a successor of personal and cargo transport part of the Železnice Slovenskej republiky. In 2005 this new company was further...
(ZSSK).
Location
Štrba railway station is located in the borough of Tatranská Štrba, about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) from the centre of the village.History
The station was opened in , upon the commissioning of the KBD's ŽilinaŽilina railway station
Žilina railway station serves the city and municipality of Žilina, seat of the Žilina Region, northern Slovakia. Opened in 1871, the station is an important railway junction between the Bratislava–Žilina railway and the Košice–Žilina railway, both of which form part of Slovakia's main east-west...
–Poprad
Poprad-Tatry railway station
Poprad-Tatry railway station is a break-of-gauge junction station serving the city of Poprad, in the Prešov Region, northeastern Slovakia.Opened in 1871, the station forms part of the standard gauge Košice–Bohumín Railway, and is the junction between that line and the Poprad-Tatry–Plaveč railway,...
section. It became a junction when the rack railway opened in 1896.
Although the rack railway was closed in 1932 and lifted soon afterwards, it was reconstructed at the end of the 1960s, and reopened in 1970 in time for that year's FIS Nordic World Ski Championships.
Facilities
The three storey station buildingStation building
A station building, also known as a head house, is the main building of a passenger train station. It is typically used principally to provide services to passengers.A station building is not to be confused with the station itself...
houses information and ticketing facilities, and a restaurant.
The standard gauge station yard has tracks equipped with low level platforms for passenger services, and tracks for freight workings and the stabling of rolling stock.
The current rack railway terminus is in an upper section of the station dating from the reconstruction of the rack railway in 1970.
Train services
Štrba railway station is the junction of the following Slovakian railway lines:- 180 Košice–Žilina (part of the Košice–Bohumín Railway)
- 182 Štrba–Štrbské Pleso
Line 180 forms part of Slovakia's main east-west rail corridor, and is also part of Pan-European Corridor Va, which runs from Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
in Italy to Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
in Ukraine, via Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
, Žilina
Žilina
Žilina is a city in north-western Slovakia, around from the capital Bratislava, close to both the Czech and Polish borders. It is the fourth largest city of Slovakia with a population of approximately 85,000, an important industrial center, the largest city on the Váh river, and the seat of a...
, Košice
Košice
Košice is a city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary...
and Uzhhorod
Uzhhorod
Uzhhorod or Uzhgorod is a city located in western Ukraine, at the border with Slovakia and near the border with Hungary. It is the administrative center of the Zakarpattia Oblast , as well as the administrative center of the surrounding Uzhhorodskyi Raion within the oblast...
.
See also
- History of rail transport in SlovakiaHistory of rail transport in SlovakiaThe history of rail transport in Slovakia began in November 1836, at the founding meeting of the participating companies for the construction of a horse railway from Bratislava to Trnava...
- Rail transport in SlovakiaRail transport in SlovakiaRail transport in Slovakia began on 21 September 1840, with the opening of the first line from Bratislava to Svätý Jur and on 20 August 1848 ....