Czechoslovak State Railways (''Československé státní dráhy'' in Czech or ''Československé štátne dráhy'' in Slovak, often abbreviated to ČSD) was the state-owned railway company of Czechoslovakia. The company was founded in 1918 after the end of the First World War and dissolution of Austria-Hungary. It took over the rolling stock and infrastructure of the Imperial Royal Austrian State Railways. In 1930 Czechoslovakia had of railways: the fifth-largest network in Europe. Of these 81% were state (ČSD)-owned, and the trend was to nationalize the remaining private railways. Most of the infrastructure was concentrated in the industrial regions of the Czech lands. 87% of the railroads were single-track. 135,000 people were employed on the railways: about 1% of the population. When Nazi Germany dissolved Czechoslovakia in 1939, the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia formed the "Bohemian-Moravian Railway" company (in Czech ''Českomoravské dráhy-ČMD'', in German ''Böhmisch-Mährische Bahn-BMB'') under the control of Deutsche Reichsbahn (DR). In the Slovak State the "Slovak Railways" company (in Slovak ''Slovenské železnice-SŽ'') was formed. In 1945 ČSD was re-established. After the

dissolution of Czechoslovakia The dissolution of Czechoslovakia ( cs, Rozdělení Československa, sk, Rozdelenie Česko-Slovenska) took effect on December 31, 1992, and was the self-determined split of the federal republic of Czechoslovakia into the independent countries o ...

at the end of 1992, the company was divided into the state-owned České dráhy (Czech Railways) and

Železnice Slovenskej republiky Railways of the Slovak Republic ( sk, Železnice Slovenskej republiky, acronym: ''ŽSR'') is the state-owned railway infrastructure company of Slovakia. The company was established in 1993 as the successor to the Czechoslovak State Railways ( ...

(Railways of the Slovak Republic). The fixed infrastructure was transferred to the successor countries according to location; the remainder was divided by 2:1 ratio.

Electrification

* Electrification of the railways started gradually during the 1920s. In Prague the trains used a direct current system at 1.5 kV. * To power the line from Prague to

Chop Chop, CHOP, Chops, or CHOPS may refer to: Art *Embouchure, in music, a synonym for chops (and later, more broadly, musical skill or ability) *CHOPS, an Asian-American hip hop producer, rapper and member of rap group Mountain Brothers * ''Chops'' ...

(Чоп, Čop, Ukraine State), a direct current system using 3 kV was built after 1945. * To the north of this line, trains use direct current with voltage 3 kV, to the south they use alternating current with voltage 25 kV at 50 Hz. These two systems continue today.

Notes

{{Authority control 1918 establishments in Czechoslovakia 1992 disestablishments in Czechoslovakia Defunct railway companies Railway companies of Czechoslovakia Railway companies established in 1918 Railway companies disestablished in 1992 Defunct companies of Czechoslovakia