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{{Short description|Russian gauge freight railway in Slovakia}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2012}}
{{Refimprove|date=October 2006}}
[[File:Uschhorod-Haniska.jpg|350px|right]]
The '''[[Uzhhorod]]–[[Košice]] [[Russian gauge|broad-gauge]] line''' is a [[Single track (rail)|single-track]] {{Track gauge|1,520 mm}} gauge railway mostly in eastern [[Slovakia]], which is used especially for transporting iron ore from [[Ukraine]] to the [[U.S. Steel Košice, s.r.o.|steel works]] near Košice.

In the 1960s, after construction of the steel works in Košice, imports of iron ore to Slovakia rose steeply, and the checkpoint in [[Čierna nad Tisou railway station|Čierna nad Tisou]] could not handle this volume, particularly in winter, as [[Czechoslovakia]] and the [[Soviet Union]] had different gauges and all freight had to be transshipped. It was thus decided to build a Russian gauge line in Czechoslovakia to ease the bottleneck. Construction started on 4 November 1965, and the line opened on 1 May 1966. It was electrified in 1978.

Trains are hauled by two electric twin-unit locomotives, similar to the late versions of [[PKP class ET40|PKP's ET40]] but with [[SA3 coupler]]s instead of buffers and chain couplings, except of westbound between [[Trebišov]] and [[Ruskov]] where the gradient is over 15 ‰ and two sets of locos are needed. The train weights are up to {{Convert|4,200|t}}. This stretch has the heaviest [[Overhead catenary|catenary]] construction in the EU (2 work cables, 1 fitting cable and 3 additional cables).{{Citation needed|date=April 2008}}

This line is for freight only, but there are some diesel motor cars for railway personnel.

==Technical parameters==
* Length: {{Convert|88.051|km|abbr=on}} ({{Convert|8|km|4=0|abbr=on}} in Ukraine).
* Gauge: {{RailGauge|1520mm}}, [[Russian gauge]].
* Electrification: 3 [[Volt|kV]] [[Direct current|DC]] [[Overhead line|overhead]].
* Maximum speed: from Uzhhorod to [[Maťovce]] {{Convert|50|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}}, from Maťovce to [[Haniska, Košice-okolie District|Haniska pri Košiciach]] {{Convert|60|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}}.
* Stations: 2 (Maťovce, Haniska pri Košiciach).
* [[Passing loop|Crossing loops]]: 6 ([[Vojany]], [[Budkovce]], [[Trebišov]], [[Červený Dvor]], [[Slančík]], [[Hornád]]).
* Depots: 1 (Haniska pri Košiciach).
{{Infobox rail line
|name = Košice–Uzhhorod broad gauge line
|gauge = {{Track gauge|1520 mm}}
|map = {{routemap|inline=1|map=
\BHF~~12,576~~[[Užhorod train station|Ужгород-1 (Užhorod-1)]]
\ABZgl+l~~ ~~ ~~ ~~track to [[Čop, Ukraine|Čop]]
\DST~~ ~~8,7~~Ужгород-2 (Užhorod-2)
\ÜST~~ ~~0,9~~Павлово (Pavlovo)
\GRENZE~~ ~~0,000~~ ~~state border [[Ukrajina|UA]]/[[Slovensko|SK]]
\DST~~ ~~2,382~~[[Maťovské Vojkovce|Maťovce]] ŠRT
\KRZo~~ ~~ ~~ ~~track [[Železničná trať Bánovce nad Ondavou – Veľké Kapušany|Bánovce nad Ondavou – Veľké Kapušany]]
\ÜST~~ ~~10,456~~[[Vojany]] ŠRT
\ABZgl~~ ~~ ~~ ~~siding to the Vojany power plant
\KRZo~~ ~~ ~~ ~~Vojany siding – Vojany power plant (1435 mm)
\hKRZWae~~ ~~ ~~ ~~[[Laborec]]
\ÜST~~ ~~21,329~~[[Budkovce (okres Michalovce)|Budkovce]] ŠRT
\hKRZWae~~ ~~ ~~ ~~[[Ondava]]
\ÜST~~ ~~ ~~[[Trebišov]] ŠRT
\KRZo~~ ~~ ~~ ~~track [[Železničná trať Michaľany – Łupków|Humenné – Michaľany]]
\ÜST~~ ~~53,532~~[[Slivník]] (before Červený Dvor) ŠRT
\ÜST~~ ~~65,700~~[[Slančík (okres Košice-okolie)|Slančík]] ŠRT
\KRZo~~ ~~ ~~ ~~track [[Železničná trať Košice – Čierna nad Tisou|Košice – Čierna nad Tisou]]
\hKRZWae~~ ~~ ~~ ~~[[Torysa (rieka)|Torysa]]
\ÜST~~ ~~77,808~~Hornád ŠRT
\hKRZWae~~ ~~ ~~ ~~[[Hornád]]
\KRZo~~ ~~86,210~~ ~~track [[Železničná trať Košice – Hidasnémeti|Košice – Miskolc]]
\DST~~ ~~87,159~~[[Haniska (okres Košice-okolie)|Haniska pri Košiciach]] ŠRT
\KDSTe~~ ~~ ~~[[U. S. Steel Košice]]

}}
}}

==Extension==
There are plans to extend the line {{Convert|450|km|abbr=on}} westwards to [[Vienna]] in Austria. An agreement was signed between the railway operators of Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine and Russia in April 2010;<ref name=agreementsigned>{{cite news |url=http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view/10/wien-broad-gauge-agreement-signed.html | title=Wien broad gauge agreement signed | work=[[Railway Gazette International]] | date=2010-04-08}}</ref> they formed a new company, [[Breitspur Planungsgesellschaft]], to develop the railway. In November 2010, the Slovak Prime Minister [[Iveta Radičová]] announced the Slovak government will not support the project, as it threatens the viability of the Košice area workplaces in the [[Dobrá, Trebišov District|Dobrá]] bulk terminal, which would be unnecessary after the completion of the project.<ref>Radičová sklamala Rusov. Širokorozchodná nebude - in Slovak - Hospodárske noviny, http://hnonline.sk/ekonomika/c1-48310440-radicova-sklamala-rusov-sirokorozchodna-nebude</ref> However, the project passed a feasibility study in December 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.railwaygazette.com/nc/news/single-view/view/broad-gauge-to-wien-is-feasible-says-study.html|date=2010-12-20 |access-date=2010-12-21|work=[[Railway Gazette International]]| title=Broad gauge to Wien is feasible, says study}}</ref> Construction was planned to start in 2013 and operation in 2016. The cost estimate is €6 bn.<ref name="broad gauge line extension planned">{{cite news | url=http://ekonomika.etrend.sk/ekonomika-slovensko/erusko-planuje-sirokorozchodnu-trat-cez-slovnsko-do-viedne.html | title=Širokorozchodnú trať chcú Rusi ťahať cez celé Slovensko až do Viedne | work=[[eTrend Slovensko]] | date=2013-07-05 | access-date=August 9, 2013 | archive-date=March 9, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140309031025/http://ekonomika.etrend.sk/ekonomika-slovensko/erusko-planuje-sirokorozchodnu-trat-cez-slovnsko-do-viedne.html | url-status=dead }}</ref> It will prove important (if really built) for the transport of containers, between Western Europe and Russia and China.<ref name=agreementsigned />

In May 2021 the Austrian government stated that it has no plans to approve the construction of the extension of the line.<ref>{{cite news |first=Keith |last=Fender |title=Austrian government will not support broad gauge line |url=https://www.railjournal.com/infrastructure/austrian-government-will-not-support-broad-gauge-line/ |date=6 May 2021 |work=International Railway Journal |access-date= }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Čierna nad Tisou railway station]], the break-of-gauge station for most other broad-gauge freight entering Slovakia from Ukraine
* [[Hrubieszów–Sławków Południowy LHS railway|Broad Gauge Metallurgy Line]]
* [[Košice–Vienna broad-gauge line]]

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
* [http://spz.logout.cz/trate/srt.html Article about history of the railway] (in Czech)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Uzhhorod - Kosice Broad Gauge Track}}
[[Category:Railway lines in Slovakia]]
[[Category:Railway lines in Ukraine]]
[[Category:Cross-border railway lines in Slovakia]]
[[Category:Cross-border railway lines in Ukraine]]
[[Category:Rail freight transport in Ukraine]]
[[Category:Uzhhorod]]
[[Category:Railway lines opened in 1966]]
[[Category:1520 mm gauge railways in Slovakia]]
[[Category:1520 mm gauge railways in Ukraine]]
[[Category:Transport in Uzhhorod]]
[[Category:Czechoslovakia–Soviet Union relations]]

Uzhhorod–Košice broad-gauge track - Revision history

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