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SHUNT VRED OF KOŠICE CHILDREN RAILWAY RECOVERED AFTER 30 YEARS

After 30 years, there were crossing trains at the Košice Children's Railway today! This was possible after the complete reconstruction of the shunt VPRED, which had to be almost entirely rebuilt after it was dismantled in 1989 as unnecessary. The work could be done thanks to the enthusiasm of the volunteers, the support of the sponsors and, in particular, the support of almost 90,000 euros, which the railway received from European funds. The renewal of the second track at the VPRED station will make possible to increase the transport capacity of the popular tourist narrow-gauge railway and make it even more attractive. At the same time, blind tracks for wagons were added to the restored station.
"The liquidation of the second track in the shunt VPRED began in 1989, we managed to restore it almost exactly after 30 years. VPRED station was always part of the railway, creating the atmosphere of the" big "railway. The restored second track will increase the capacity of the railway, allow a more flexible response to the interest of passengers and will enable the crossing of not only passenger but also cargo and service trains,” explained Ľubomír Lehotský, chairman of the civic association Košice children railway (KDŽ), which operates the tourist attraction.
Money from European Funds were used to track restoration. It is a part of the 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 through the European Regional Development Fund from the Interreg program.
The success of the railway was also appreciated by the Mayor of Košice Jaroslav Polaček. “As a child, I regularly visited Pioneer's, today's Children's Railway. I remember that in the VPRED station there were two tracks and then only one. Today I look forward to seeing the track again with her new sister. I am proud of the cooperation and efforts of all those involved in the gradual renewal of this wonderful railway. I believe that thanks to the help of the city of Kosice, reconstruction and renewal of the railway will continue, making it even more attractive for passengers of all ages,” said Polaček.
The complete reconstruction of the track in the VPRED station lasted for more than a month under full operation of the railway. Four new switches were placed in the station, almost 130 meters of track no. 2 and more than 130 meters of blind tracks were added. In the entire station tracks ware completely renewed. Construction work was carried out by Koľajové a dopravné stavby, s. r. o. Kosice, which has been also involved in the repairs of the children's railway tracks in the past.
“In the past three decades, it has been the largest investment in Children railway rail infrastructure which is after all the property of city of Košice. Last year, we managed to complete the construction of the first station building from the same project. Investments in development and renewal are appreciated by our visitors, which is why their number grow every year,” Lehotsky said. The number of visitors has doubled over the past seven years.
Enthusiasts from the civic association have been trying to revive the railroad since 2012, when they took it over from the state railway carrier. They gradually repaired the entire historical vehicle fleet, expanded the number of locomotives and wagons and maintained regular operation of unique steam locomotives. Volunteer spirit and children service, in which children from elementary and secondary schools in Košice participate in operation of the railway, return to this attraction.