15 Years of IDOL - Trains 15 Years Ago and Today.

Until 2010, České dráhyoperated service on one of the busiest lines in the Liberec Region—from Liberec to Hrádek nad Nisou—primarily using the then-ubiquitous sets of two-axle Class 810 motor cars with attached cars of the same design. Two such trains pass each other at the Chrastava railway station on December 11, 2010.

Starting the next day, they were replaced by nearly new, modern German Class 642 “Desiro” trains; two of them can be seen on the right side of the photograph.

Despite the change in operator and service concept on the Liberec–Hrádek nad Nisou–Žitava–Varnsdorf – Rybniště, weekend direct trains continued to operate in 2011, running from Dresden via Zittau and Liberec to Tanvald, where this photo was taken.

The direct services ran twice daily and were operated by Class 612 trainsets from the major German carrier, DB. These trains were equipped with technology that allowed the car bodies to tilt in curves, enabling them to travel at higher speeds; however, this feature was used only on German territory, where the track conditions were better. The following year, they were replaced by Desiro trains for cost-saving reasons.

In the 2011/2012 timetable, a contract with Czech Railways came into effect for operating service on the lines of the so-called Jizerské Mountains Railway, and along with the new contract, the service model on the lines in the Frýdlant region was changed. As a result, there was a significant increase in service through Liberec and Frýdlant, and at the same time, new Class 840 RegioSpider railcars were introduced.

Two 840-series railcars were photographed in November 2012 while passing each other at the Řasnice junction. A few weeks later, the timetable was adjusted again, and trains no longer passed each other at this station.

Series 840 railcars also operate on another section of the former Frýdlant District Railways between Raspenava and Bílý Potok pod Smrkem, as evidenced by this winter photo from March 2013. Since most services to Bílý Potok run directly from Liberec, this line has not only halted the decline in ridership but has actually reversed it. Passengers appreciate not having to transfer trains.

Not long before that, this line was in jeopardy due to extensive damage caused by the devastating floods of August 2010, but thanks to the efforts of the Liberec Region, its repair was successfully carried out.

In June 2013, heavy rains caused extensive damage to the Liberec–Česká Lípa line between the stations of Křižany and Rynoltice. A high embankment collapsed near Křižany, forcing all rail service on the Liberec–Jablonné v Podještědí section to be replaced by buses for more than a year.

It was not until the following year that the embankment was repaired. The photo shows the progress of the work as of late February 2014. After service resumed, the schedule was partially adjusted, which shortened the travel time for passenger trains on this line.

Although new railcars had been running between Liberec and Tanvald since 2011, it was not until 2015 that an extensive reconstruction of the entire line took place. In addition to a smoother and faster ride, the project also included the construction of new platforms, as shown in this photo from the Jablonec nad Nisou station.

Since the subsequent timetable change, travel times have been reduced along the entire section, and service has been increased during peak hours on weekdays, when trains run at regular half-hour intervals.

During the summer vacation of 2016, direct tourist trains from Liberec to Doks were introduced for the first time, primarily serving day-trippers visiting Mácha Lake. During the journey, the trains use the so-called Žizníkovská spojka (Žizníkov bypass), so they do not have to travel through Česká Lípa, making them time-competitive with passenger cars. The service is operated by Die Länderbahn (formerly Vogtlandbahn) using its proven Class 642 “Desiro” trains, as shown in this photo of the Doks train station taken on August 14 of this year.

In 2017, the station in Česká Lípa also underwent a major modernization. A brand-new passenger concourse was built, and the platforms were moved closer to the city center, thereby shortening the walking distance for hundreds of residents who use the railway here every day.

A photo taken on April 9 of that year shows the new platforms with the tracks still under construction.

Demand for travel to the Jizera Mountains via the steepest railway in our country—running from Tanvald to Kořenov—has necessitated an expansion of service, and on the busiest weekend routes, trains consisting of up to three coupled Series 840 cars are therefore being deployed. This is illustrated by a photo from July 21, 2018, showing a trio of cars passing in front of the restored Kořenov locomotive depot.

Two decades earlier, however, the line was on the verge of closure, and in 1997, as part of cost-cutting measures by the then-management of České dráhy, operations were even completely suspended for several months. At the end of 2019, another major rail operator, Arriva vlaky, began service in the Liberec Region. The company took over from Czech Railways the operation of the R14A Pardubice–Liberec, R14B Liberec–Ústí nad Labem, R21 Prague–Tanvald, and R22 Kolín–Rumburk based on a contract with the Czech Ministry of Transport; for the Liberec Region, it also provides service on the L3 Liberec–Turnov – Stará Paka and L31 Železný Brod – Tanvald.

Passenger trains are primarily operated by the proven 642 “Desiro” series units. The company’s inaugural presentation took place at the Liberec train station in the second half of July 2019.

As early as late 2015, a direct cross-border line was introduced, connecting Liberec, Jablonec nad Nisou, and Tanvald with the Polish resort town of Szklarska Poreba. The number of direct connections varies from month to month depending on demand; during the summer and winter tourist seasons, up to three times as many trains run as during the off-season.

The last train crossings on our territory take place at the newly built Harrachov junction, where this photo was taken on March 8, 2020. Few people could have imagined at the time that just a few days later, international rail traffic would come to a complete halt for several months, and life—not only in our country—would be paralyzed due to measures taken to combat the spread of COVID-19.

Arriva vlaky s.r.o.’s “Desiro” trains also operated on the L5 line from Stará Paka to Lomnice nad Popelkou between 2019 and 2021. However, starting with the timetable effective in December 2021, České dráhy resumed service on this route; Arriva’s trains now operate on Line L3 all the way to Jaroměř under an interregional agreement with the neighboring Hradec Králové Region.

In this photo from November 20, 2021, we see unit 642.Unit 337, already sporting its new color scheme, is pictured at the station in Lomnice nad Popelkou—the very place from which the town’s famous native son, writer Jaroslav Rudiš, sets out on his own rail journeys.

Since December 2021, Die Länderbahn has replaced České dráhy on Line L4 between Mladá Boleslav, Česká Lípa, and Rumburk. Since then, trains from all three carriers providing passenger rail service in the Liberec Region have been meeting daily at the Česká Lípa station, as can be seen in this photo from January 8, 2022.

A year later, Trilex-branded trains also began operating on the L2 line between Liberec, Česká Lípa, and Děčín.

Under an inter-regional agreement, the neighboring Ústí nad Labem Region commissions service on the U11 line from Postoloprty and Lovosice to Česká Lípa. The line is operated by České dráhy, which has gradually replaced the previously deployed “Regionova” units with older but more modern and technically suitable “RegioSpider” railcars purchased from Germany.

The photo, taken on March 26, 2023, shows two RegioSpiders passing each other at Blíževedly Station.

On May 1, 2024, after nearly three years of reconstruction, tram service was resumed on intercity tram line 11 from Liberec to Jablonec nad Nisou. The renovation also included some unique solutions, such as a shared train and tram stop in Proseč nad Nisou.

On April 26, test runs were still underway for the trams, while a train set consisting of two “RegioSpiders” on Line L1 from Harrachov to Liberec was operating as part of its daily routine service.