There are a several narrow-gauge railways in Slovakia. Most famous are railways in High Tatra – narrow gauge trains run every day and are the basic means of transport in the region. Most narrow-gauge railways in Slovakia run only during the summer season on weekends and on selected days outside the summer holiday period. Some run only a few times a year. List of active narrow gauge railways in Slovakia does not include miniature railways.
Narrow-gauge railways in Slovakia
Tatra Electric Railways
Two electrified single-track routes at the foot of the High Tatras. Trains run on the lines:
Poprad-Tatry – Starý Smokovec – Štrbské Pleso (29,1 km)
Tatranská Lomnica – Starý Smokovec (5,9 km)
Passengers are carried by comfortable, air-conditioned 425.95 and new 495.95 (Stadler GTW2) electric units. On summer weekends heritage trains are deployed. Trains have no toilet on board. The journey from Poprad-Tatry station to Štrbské Pleso station takes over an hour. Sometimes the views from the trains are stunning but there are no way to open the windows.
Single, zone, one-day, three-day and weekly tickets are available. Trains depart from a separate platform at the Poprad-Tatry station. Tickets must be validated before start your journey.
Ozubnicová železnica (OŽ) Štrba – Štrbské Pleso
A rack railway connecting railway stations Štrba – Štrbské Pleso. It covers the 4.6-kilometer route in 15 minutes. A few years ago rolling stock was replaced. Trains have no toilet on board. On summer weekends heritage trains with wooden benches are deployed.
At Strba station passengers can change to normal-gauge trains. At Strbske Pleso station passengers can continue their journey by Tatra Electric Railway trains to Poprad or Stary Smokovec and Tatranska Lomnica.
Čiernohronská železnica
Forest railway with built to 760 mm gauge. Trains run from Chvatimech to Vydrovo. The railway was put into operation in 1909. The line connected the sawmills in Cierny Balog and Hronec. The next sections and branches were built by prisoners of war during World War I. The total length of the narrow-gauge railway network in this region was 131.98 km in its heyday. Only about 15 kilometers have survived to this day.
During the Slovak uprising in 1944, the narrow gauge railway helped the partisans – trains carried food and ammunition to the mountains. The Germans never captured the village of Čierny Balog.
In 1982, the narrow gauge railway was closed. The government decided that the entire inventory was to be scrapped and the tracks dismantled by 1985. Thanks to railway enthusiasts, the railway was declared a protected monument and saved from total destruction. The line was gradually rebuilt. In 1992 trains were reinstated on a small section of the original route.
In recent years, it has become famous thanks to videos showing a train passing through a football pitch during a match.
The future of the narrow gauge railway is at stake because of construction of the new housing estate.
Čiernohronská železnica – official website
Trenčianska elektrická železnica
A narrow-gauge railway, or rather a tram, running between Trenčianska Teplá and Trenčianske Teplice. The length of the route is 5 kilometers. The short railway line was intended to transport patients between the spa and the Trenčianska Teplá normal-gauge station located on the Žilina – Bratislava railway line
The first tram covered the route on June 27 or February 27, 1909. The route was electrified from the beginning and resembled a suburban tram line.
During World War II, the infrastructure was modernized.
Further modernizations took place in the early 1950s and 1970s. After the second modernization, an expert opinion was prepared which recommended close the railway line due to its unprofitability or regauge the tracks to a gauge of 1000 mm.
On December 10, 2011, scheduled trains were suspended and the line and infrastructure were sold to the local government. The railway was threatened with closure, but thanks to volunteers was saved. In 2013, the Trenčianska elektrická železnica association was founded, which organizes tourist rides on selected days.
Currently, rides take place mainly on weekends during holidays and on selected days, for example on Women’s Day.
Trenčianska elektrická železnica – official website
Orava Forest Railway
A narrow-gauge railway running in Oravská Lesná, right next to the border with Poland. The forest railway was intended mainly for sawmills. The route was built by prisoners of war. On July 27, 1918, the line was opened to the traffic. The railway was used to transport of the wood was not connected to the standard gauge railway network. On 15 February 1928 Orava Forest Railway and Kysuce Forest Railway were connected. The total length of the network of narrow-gauge railways in region was over 60 kilometers and was further expanded. During World War II, part of the trail was deliberately destroyed by Slovak partisans to prevent Germans from using it.
After the end of World War II, the railway was nationalized. In the mid-1960s, the railway started to lose an importance. The outdated fleet could not withstand the competition with new trucks.
The authorities decided to close the line from January 1, 1969. The route was to be dismantled in three stages in 1969-71. The narrow gauge line was officially closed on 31 December 1971.
On May 31, 2008, traffic on the rebuilt section was officially resumed. Currently, total length of the railway is 3 km only. Trains run from Tanečník station to Sedlo Beskyd station. One-way journey take 15-20 minutes.
Orava Forest Railway – official website
Vychylovka Forest Railway
The historic Vychylovka forest railway is the second preserved section of the former Orava-Kysuce narrow gauge railway. Today it is part of the Kysucka Village Museum in Nova Bystrice. The train runs on the Skansen – Chmúra station – Skansen route from May to October. From Monday to Friday, trains are run by diesel locomotives, on Saturdays and Sundays by steam locomotives.
Vychylovka Forest Railway – official website
Children’s railway in Kosice
A popular attraction on the outskirts of Kosice. The railway was built in 1955-1956 as a place of recreation for the inhabitants of Kosice, but it was also used for practical education of future railway workers – children. It was a railway created on the model of pioneer railways, or children’s railways, popular at that time in the countries of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. It is the only preserved railway of this type in the territory of former Czechoslovakia.
In the 1990s, there were plans to close and dismantle the railway. Moreover, part of the rolling stock and the building of one of the stations were destroyed during a fire in 1992.
Currently, the narrow gauge railway is a very popular tourist attraction.
Trains usually run on weekends from April to the end of October and on selected days, in July and August they run every day. The route between Čermeľ and Alpinka stations is 3.9 km long and the rail gauge is 1000 mm. Usually, the trains are driven by a diesel locomotive, but sometimes a renovated steam locomotive “Katka” is deployed on the route (especially on July and August weekends). The train ride takes approximately 20 minutes one way.
The narrow gauge railway is located on the outskirts of Kosice, you can reach it by public bus no. 14
Children’s railway in Kosice – official website
Field railway in Nitra
The Nitra field railway (Nitrianska poľná železnica) is the least popular and least known of the Slovak narrow-gauge railways. It is located on the area of the Slovak Agricultural Museum and partly on the area of the local Agrokomplex Fair. It was built as part of the exhibition of the mentioned open-air museum, and the tracks were taken over from the sugar factory in Želiezovce.
The railway was built in 1985. The total length is 2.6 km long, of which 1.6 km is a circular line within the open-air museum, and 1 kilometer is a line connecting the open-air museum with the Agrokomplex fairgrounds. The gauge is 760 mm. Trains run on selected days (museum areas) and during selected events at the Agrokomplex Fair.
It is the last preserved field railway in Slovakia. Similar ones existed in several towns and villages in western Slovakia, but were closed down in the 1950s and 1960s due to the competition of car transport.
Field railway in Nitra – official website
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