Historie českých železnic

Odd military lines – a comparative analysis of the Czech railway network’s efficiency

in
Autor: 
Martin Kvizda

The article was accepted for presentation at the 3rd international conference "Railways in Transition - Eastern Europe Railways Past, Present and Future in the 20th and 21th Centuries" Pressburg, 24th - 26th September 2009 - International Railway History Association, and at the 7th "Conference on the History of Transport, Traffic, and Mobilty" Lucerne, 5th-8th November 2009 - T2M Association.

 

We can see in history of the Czech railways, that some parts of network were constructed by the order of military authorities. The state recognised the importance of railways for transport of troops and supplies during a war time immediately in 1830s, the importance of railways appeared without doubt after the lost war against Prussia in 1866. That is why the state charged railway companies to build on their own account several lines which had little economic but great strategic importance. Military lines appeared within the Czech network, doubled existing old lines and connected strategic friend-countries – most of them went across hilly areas, had little economic importance, but high operating costs.    

The influence of the history of establishing Czech railways on their present-day economic efficiency

in
Autor: 
Martin Kvizda

The article was accepted for presentation at the 4th international conference "History of Transport, Traffic and Mobility" 28th September - 1st October 2006 Université Paris 1 - Panthéon Sorbonne.   


The question to be examined in this paper is empirical evidence of path dependency of the Czech railways network, i.e. the question: Did the way of the establishing of a particular railway influence its economic efficiency? The study is of relevance because European countries are carrying out reforms of railway transport nowadays, attempting to improve its economic efficiency. Economic efficiency of railways doesn’t depend of direct costs only (i.e. operation costs), but of the network’s shape and suitability as well. Even though the impact of history on the present state of railways is not easy to determine, the aim of this study is to elaborate on the idea that “history matters”.

Počátky průmyslu a železnice na Moravě a ve Slezsku – historické aspekty vývoje

in
Autor: 
Josef Kunc

Článek publikovaný v časopise Národohospodářský obzor 4/2006


Summary
Industrial production in Moravia has have a long history and tradition. Original concentration of manufactorial and factory production was based particularly in Moravian/Silesian – Prussian borderland and in Brno and its surroundings. Together with coal mining development and related production (metallurgy and metal works) the Ostrava region experienced intensive development, which was an exception to a certain extent, since centre of industrial development relocated during the 19th century, in a large degree thanks to developing railway infrastructure inland into newly established industrial centers. Just Brno, as a one of the most industrial cities of the whole former Austria, was in 1839 connected to locomotive railway and industrialization and urbanization of Moravia and Silesia was set off.

Historické souvislosti rozvoje průmyslu a železnic v českých zemích

in
Autor: 
Josef Kunc

Článek byl přijat k prezentaci na konferenci "Regionálna geografia, regionálny rozvoj a Európska únia - 2004" na Přírodovědecké fakultě UK v Bratislavě, Slovensko a publikován v Acta Facultatis Rerum Naturalium Universitatis Comenianae, Geographica.


A phenomenon of railway transport is from the beginning of its birth closely connected with the industrial production. The turn of the 18th and 19th century is at the same time a period of the birth of the modern railway on the European continent and a period of the most important technological development in the industrial production. It is commonly denoted as the first industrial revolution and is connected both in the case of industry and railway transport with the invention of the steam engine and with its gradual introduction into practice. Despite the oldest efforts to use railways in industry can be found in England’s coal mines, Central Europe, and especially the Czech lands, belong to the pioneering regions in the historical context of the railway and industry development on the continent (e. g. horse-driven railway České Budějovice – Linec). The aim of this article is to present historical-geographical context of the railway and industry development and their mutual benefits at the model examples of the regions of the Czech Republic.

Competition in Railway Services – Historical Experience and Limits of Contemporary Development in the Czech Republic

in
Autor: 
Martin Kvizda

Článek přijatý k prezentaci na 10. workshopu INFER "Economic Policy: Competition in Deregulated and/or Privatized Industries" 20. - 21. října 2006, Université Montpellier I, UFR Sciences Economiques, Montpellier, Francie


The question to be examined in this paper is empirical evidence of path dependence of the Czech railways network, i.e. the question whether a way of founding of a particular line influence its economic efficiency and in that way the potential competition of train-operated-companies on it? The study is divided into three parts, beginning by an outline of the most important principles of competition – the competition in the market, and the competition for the market. Further, eight ways of the origin of Czech railways is set out with regard to their present importance: it is presupposed that the way in which a given railway was established predestines its economic efficiency and in that way the potential competition for the market.