There are a several narrow-gauge railways in the Czech Railways. Most famous are railways from Tremesna to Osoblaha and temporarily suspended narrow gauge railways in Jindrichuv Hradec area. Most narrow-gauge railways in the Czech Republic 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 the Czech Republic does not include miniature railways.
Narrow-gauge railways in the Czech Republic
Narrow-gauge railway Třemešná – Osoblaha
A twenty-kilometer narrow-gauge railway line in the Moravian-Silesian region, at the Czech-Polish. The line starts at the Třemešná ve Slezsku station, where trains coming from Karniów towards the Glucholazy in Poland station, and ends at Osoblaha station, located three kilometers from the Czech-Polish border, in near Raclawice Slaskie.
Narrow-gauge railway with scheduled traffic, trains are comprised of diesel locomotives and carriages typical of Czech narrow-gauge railways. Trains are operated by České dráhy, basic tariff applies. During the summer season, steam-powered trains run on selected days. Steam trains are run by Slezské zemské dráhy and are much expensive that regular trains.
The railway line and infrastructure have recently been renovated.
Třemešná – Osoblaha railway – official website
Jindřichohradecké místní dráhy (suspended)
Very popular narrow gauge railway. Trains ran on two routes:
Jindřichův Hradec – Nová Bystřice
Jindřichův Hradec – Obrataň.
The lines leads through picturesque rural Czech landscape The trip was perfect for people who want to feel the specific atmosphere of Czech local lines. The narrow-gauge railway ran every day. Only disadvantage was a motor carriage bought from Poland and modified in a terrible way.
There were also steam trains in the summer season – special tariff applied.
Jindřichův Hradec is one of my favorite Czech cities and definitely worth a visit.
In 2022, railway services have been suspended for an indefinite period
Mladejov Industrial Railway
A narrow-gauge railway with a rail gauge of 600 mm, originally used to transport slate, fireclay and coal in the town of Mladejov na Morave. It was built at the end of World War I and ceased operations in 1991 with the closure of the local clay mine. The length of the route is 11 kilometers. The trains are comprised of open excursion cars and a steam or diesel locomotive.
Passengers can also visit an Industrial Museum on the closed clay mine. It displays, among others, railway, road and construction machines. Trains run during the season, most often on Sundays. Special trips are organized several times a year. All information can be found on the official website.
Mladejov Industrial Railway – official website
Sugar Beet Railway in Kolin
Kolínská řepařská drážka is the only remnant of the sugar railway network in the region, which used to be approximately 130 kilometers long in its heydays. The railways were used to transport sugar beets to the local sugar factories. The sugar railway in Kolin was the oldest on the network. It was built in 1894. The route led from the sugar factory in Kolin to Jestřábí Lhota (10.6 km), and also had a short branch to today’s Ovčáry district (900 meters). The railway operated for approximately 70 years.
Thanks to obtaining funds from various institutions, it was possible to rebuild 4.5 kilometers of the line. The first renovated section was opened on June 23, 2007, and in 2015 the narrow gauge railway reached the Býchory station.
The narrow gauge railway is located on the outskirts of Kolin and runs on selected days.
Sugar Beet Railway in Kolin – official website
Regional Narrow Gauge Railway in Zbysov
Narrow-gauge railway at the Industrial Railway Museum in Zbysov near Brno. Within a few years, it has grown into one of the most interesting seasonal attractions in the area. Trains run in July and August every Saturday and on selected days outside the season on the Zastávka u Brna – Babice u Rosic – Zbýšov route. The line was converted to 600 mm. Depending on the day, the train is hauled by a steam or diesel locomotive. In the area the former mine “Jindřich” there is an exhibition of railway vehicles.
We can reach the Zastávka u Brna station by Czech Railways trains from Brno.
Narrow gauge railway in Zbysov – official website
Garden Railway in Dačice
Dačice is a tiny town on the Kostelec u Jihlavy – Telč – Slavonice railway line. It is worth taking a ride to Slavonice, because you can feel the true atmosphere of the Czech Republic. I was traveling from Kostelec to Slavonice in 2007, but at that time I had no idea that there was a narrow-gauge railway on the way. The 600 mm gauge railway is only 300 meters long. The trains, if you can call them that, run from April to October every first weekend of the month. It looks more like a garden railway.
Garden railway in Dacice – Facebook profile
Narrow gauge railway Solvayovy Lomy
In the open-air museum located in the quarries in Svatý Jan pod Skalou, part of the tour includes a ride on a short industrial railway line with a rail gauge of 600 mm. The narrow gaue railway line is approximately 2 kilometers long and the journey takes approximately 20 minutes.
The open-air museum has over 25 locomotives, 4 wagons for transporting miners and 6 open wagons for transporting passengers.
Solvayovy Lomy – official website
Kateřina narrow-gauge railway
A short stretch of the former mine railway (600 mm gauge) in the town of Nový Drahov in the Karlovy Vary Region. The narrow gauge railway runs only on selected days. In the past, it transported loam/silt and clay, but now it has been an increasingly popular tourist attraction for several years.
The tourist trains were inaugurated in 2012.
Kateřina narrow-gauge railway – official website
Narrow gauge railway in Stary Plzenec
Museum industrial railway in Starý Plzenec. Czech name of the railway is “Plzenecká železnice”. The 600 mm line is very short – only 550 m long. The line was built in 1994-2015. Locomotives and wagons were obtained from various factories in the area. It is also classified as a children’s railway because it is mainly used for summer camps and trips for children and teenagers. Trains run a few times a year.
Starý Plzenec is located near Pilsen.
Plzenecká železnice – official website
Related articles:
Train travel in the Czech Republic
Narrow gauge railways in Slovakia
