NatGate

PRESS RELEASE: Thanks to an international project, the children's railway is once again operating the historic Katka

Thanks to an international project, the children's railway is once again operating the historic Katka

Košice, May 31, 2023 – New summer carriages, repaired bridges and selected sections of the track and, years later, the commissioning of the historic steam locomotive Katka are the tangible results of the cross-border Slovak-Hungarian project on the famous children's railway in Košice. The project co-financed by the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund, which was implemented on the railway in the past years, ends these days.

The Košice Children's Historical Railway with the project "Narrow-gauge railways as a unique gateway to the knowledge of natural and cultural heritage - NatGate" succeeded in the project competition together with the Hungarian village of Nagybörzsöny, where, like in Košice, a historical railway is operated. The main goal of the project was investments in the track and rolling stock of both railways with the aim of making them more attractive.

The project had a budget of EUR 525,351.66, of which the contribution from the European Regional Development Fund was EUR 446,548.91. Košická železnička, which was the main partner of the project, received European co-financing in the amount of 195,262.- euros, which was 85 percent of its total project budget.

The implementation of the project encountered considerable problems in recent years. It was negatively affected by the pandemic, but also by the sharp increase in the prices of materials and energy, despite this, all project goals were met.

On the Slovak side, the funds from the project were directed mainly to the renewal of the track and the historic rolling stock. "We carried out the necessary and demanding repair of the steam boiler of the popular steam locomotive Katka, experts in the Czech Republic custom-made a new boiler and furnace for our rare locomotive, which can thus delight our visitors again for years to come," said the chairman of the civic association Detská železnica Košice Ľubomír Lehotsky.

Other investments in Slovakia include the delivery of two new excursion cars with a higher capacity, the demanding and expensive repair of two railway bridges, as well as the repair of part of the track. Also restored was the rare and only Swiss historical electric locomotive "Krokodíl" in Slovakia, which is part of the emerging historical exhibition at the Alpinka station.

The goal of the projects implemented through the cooperation program Interreg V-A Slovak Republic - Hungary is to build and develop cross-border cooperation, including in the field of cultural heritage protection. In the implementation of the Slovak part of the project, suppliers from several Central European countries were involved, part of the professional work was delivered by companies from the Czech Republic and Romania.

The municipality of Nagybörzsöny, which is located in the northwest of Hungary near the border with Slovakia, has also implemented several development investments. A historic diesel locomotive was reconstructed and put into operation, the original historic wagon was completely restored, and a new natural amphitheater was also built in the village. At the same time, the municipality installed the lighting of the precious historical monument of the church of St. Stefan.

"Such international projects are very rewarding for me, because it is about building cooperation, meeting new people and exchanging experiences, and I am very happy that this second cross-border project has helped to preserve the cultural heritage of the children's railway in the city where I live," said the project manager Rudolph Bauer. During this period, the project team of the children's railway is preparing the continuation of cooperation through another international project.

Historic narrow-gauge railways belong to the common cultural heritage of Central Europe. Both railways are currently important tourist destinations in their regions, the railway in Košice is visited by more than 50,000 tourists annually. The fate of narrow-gauge railways was still uncertain in the 1990s, and many of them were threatened with extinction. However, thanks to the constant efforts of enthusiasts and the help of investments from European Union funds, it was possible to start their restoration and current development.

The Interreg V-A Slovak Republic-Hungary cooperation program is a key instrument of the European Union for cross-border, transnational and international cooperation. The goal is to jointly solve problems and find solutions in the field of healthcare, research and education, transport or sustainable energy. Interreg programs are co-financed by the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund.

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