Starý Smokovec railway station
Starý Smokovec railway station (Slovak: Železničná stanica Starý Smokovec) is a junction station in the High Tatras. It serves the ski, tourist and health resort of Starý Smokovec, in the Prešov Region, northeastern Slovakia.
Starý Smokovec | |
|---|---|
 The station building | |
| Location | Stary Smokovec 5/30 06201 Starý Smokovec  Vysoké TatryPoprad District  Prešov Region Slovakia |
| Coordinates | 49°08′21″N 20°13′21″E |
| Elevation | 1,355 m (4,446 ft) |
| Owned by | Železnice Slovenskej republiky (ŽSR) |
| Operated by | Železničná spoločnosť Slovensko (ZSSK) |
| Line(s) | 183 Poprad-Tatry–Štrbské Pleso 184 Starý Smokovec–Tatranská Lomnica (Tatra Electric Railway (TEŽ)) |
| Distance | 19.4 km (12.1 mi) from Poprad-Tatry |
| History | |
| Opened | 17 December 1908 |
| Location | |
  Starý Smokovec Location within Slovakia | |
Opened in 1908, the station is the focal point of the metre gauge Tatra Electric Railway (TEŽ). It forms the junction between the TEŽ's Poprad-Tatry–Štrbské Pleso main line and its only other line, the Starý Smokovec–Tatranská Lomnica branch.
The station is currently owned by Železnice Slovenskej republiky (ŽSR); train services are operated by Železničná spoločnosť Slovensko (ZSSK).
Location
Starý Smokovec railway station is right in the heart of Starý Smokovec, which forms part of the town of Vysoké Tatry, a conglomerate of separate and different settlements (originally separate villages). The only common feature of the Vysoké Tatry settlements is that they are the main tourist resorts in the Slovak High Tatras, connected through a common railway network, the TEŽ. After the country's capital, Vysoké Tatry is Slovakia's major tourist destination.
History
The station was opened on 17 December 1908, together with the rest of the TEŽ's 19.4 km (12.1 mi) first stage, between Poprad-Tatry and Starý Smokovec.[1]
On 16 December 1911, Starý Smokovec became a temporary switchback station, with the opening of the 6 km (3.7 mi) branch between Starý Smokovec and Tatranská Lomnica.[1]
The station was finally transformed into a junction station on 13 August 1912, when the rest of the TEŽ's main line was completed between Starý Smokovec and Štrbské Pleso.[1]
Facilities
The station building is an attractive three-storey building of half timbered design. It houses information and ticketing facilities, and a restaurant.
Train services
Starý Smokovec railway station is the junction of the following High Tatras railway lines:
- Line 183: Poprad-Tatry–Štrbské Pleso (the TEŽ's main line)
- Line 184: Starý Smokovec–Tatranská Lomnica
Interchange
The station offers interchange with local buses.
Services
| Preceding station | ŽSSK | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nový Smokovec toward Štrbské Pleso |
Stopping trains Tatra Electric Railway |
Dolný Smokovec toward Poprad-Tatry | ||
| Terminus | Stopping trains Tatra Electric Railway |
Pekná Vyhliadka toward Tatranská Lomnica |
References
Notes
- Catchpole, page 41
Books
- Catchpole, Paul (1998). Steam and Rail in Slovakia. Kings Norton, Birmingham, England: Locomotives International. ISBN 1-900340-08-9.
External links
Media related to Starý Smokovec railway station at Wikimedia Commons
- Starý Smokovec railway station on vlaky.net (in Slovak)