Abstract: The Czech Parliament has passed a railway reform act that will create a new infrastructure body and transform the Czech Railways (CR) into a joint-stock operating company. The new railway infrastructure administration (SZDC) will remain a state-owned body and will be responsible for the maintenance of the rail network as well as allocating train paths. All users of the network will have to pay track access fees. CR will be seeking subsidies from the government to cover its loss-making local passenger services during 2003 and 2004. The Railway Office, a separate body, will operate as a railway regulator in future. SZDC will assume CR's outstanding debt of US$1.35 billion for repayment over up to 15 years. CR will continue to operate passenger and freight services. The new management structure of CR is described. A number of track maintenance and repair companies will be established by CR. State payments to CR will have to take into account EU regulations and non-payment in previous years. Cross-border traffic with Germany is already developing. The size of the workforce is being reduced to try to make passenger services profitable.
Publication Year: 2002
Publication Date: 2002-09-01
Language: en
Type: article
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