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KOŠICE CHILDREN RAILWAY STARTS RENEWAL OF VPRED STATION

The Kosice Children's Historic Railway will soon boast of a refurbished VPRED switch. The investment of nearly EUR 90,000.- will allow the restoration of the original second track line at this station and the installation of switches, which in turn will allow the trains of the popular tourist narrow-gauge railway to cross at the station. At the same time, stabling tracks for wagons will be added to the station.
“The Košice Children's Historic Railway used the VPRED station for almost its entire existence until the destruction of the second station track and switches in the 1990s. In particular, efforts to reduce the running costs of the children's railway were behind this liquidation. However, today, as the interest in our historic recreational railway is growing, renewal is needed for both operational and transport reasons,” explains Ľubomír Lehotský, chairman of the Civic Association of Košice Children's Railways, which operates the tourist attraction.
Money from the European Funds are used to restore track resources. It is part of a cross-border Slovakia-Hungarian project for the reconstruction of two neighboring narrow-gauge railways - the Košice Children's Historic Railway (KDHŽ) and the railway in Miskolc - Lillafüredi Állami Erdei Vasút (LÁEV). The project is funded by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund from the Interreg program.
“Our railway transports 45,000 visitors a year and we can only pass one way through the VPRED stop, which is hindering the traffic on the line. In the meantime, it lies in the middle of the line and has been designed so that the trains can cross each other when constructing the railway,” Lehotsky said. Restoration of the switch and consequently also the station should also lead to further increase of capacity and comfort of the railway.
The association has been trying to uplift the railway since 2012, when it started operating the line after state railway carrier. Enthusiasts gradually repaired the entire historical vehicle fleet, expanded the number of locomotives and wagons on the railway, and built the first brick station building last year. The number of visitors has increased more than twice.
The international project also includes a joint development document for the Hungarian and Slovak railways, this year on the Slovak side will be added an investment in the exterior equipment of stations and the application for mobile phones.

The content of this press release does not represent the official position of the European Union.

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