The Prague Semmering: Scenic rail route still going 150 years later
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Loading... - Adela Chvatal
- 24 Oct 2022
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Exactly 150 years ago, on September 16, 1872, the first passenger train was launched on the so-called Prague Semmering, the most picturesque railway line in the Czech capital. The line, which is listed as a cultural monument, earned its nickname due to its hilly profile, resembling the famous Austrian mountain railway.
The Prague Semmering refers to an eight-kilometre section of the railway line connecting Prague’s Smíchov station and the district of Jinonice. The railway runs across the Prokopské and Dalej valleys, passing through deep cuts in the limestone cliffs and overcoming a considerable altitude difference.
Bohumil Augusta is the head of the KŽC transport company, which operates the weekend trains:
“One hundred and fifty years ago, all routes to Prague through valleys and along waterways had already been taken by other railway lines. The BuštÄ›hrad Railways, which was a private company, was looking for a new route to get to the city centre. Its primary interest was of course the transport of coal.”
The construction of the new line started in 1862 and included two stone viaducts, which were built by Italian stonemasons in just 17 months. Read More...
