History

Austro-Hungarian Empire

In this time period, construction of railway network was initiated. The first railway in Hungary was constructed between 1839 and 1846 as a horse railway on the line Bratislava - Trnava � Sere�. The first steam locomotive ran to Slovakia on August 20, 1848 from Vienna to Bratislava. In the period of 1871 through 1880, up to 1404 km of railway network was built on the Slovak territory. After the Austro-Hungarian Empire �Ausgleich�(German word meaning �compromise�) following 1870, railway constructions became more submitted to the Hungarian Government�s plans based in Budapest. In 1880 new conditions arose; Austro-Hungary retook and even strengthened its efforts to construct a system of national railways, which had become the symbol of technology progress.

Time period 1918 � 1945

After establishment of Czechoslovakia in 1918 the Slovak railways became an independent network. At that time, there were 3227 km of railway lines in Slovakia. The new state followed up traffic and political tendencies of other European countries and endeavored assignation of the private railways to the state-owned property. The Munich Agreement and Vienna Arbitration affected the railways adversely. By separating the southern parts of Slovakia, some areas happened to be cut off all transportation services. In the course of years 1939 � 1945, 97 km of the railway lines were built and construction of a double track in the line �ilina � Vr�tky was initiated.

Time period 1945 � 1993

After the Second World War, there was a catastrophic situation on the Slovak Railways. Our railways were one of the most damaged European railways. Retreating German army transported material and machinery and was systematically destroying all constructions. However, all lines destroyed by the war were reconstructed before April 1946. In the same year the building of the transshipment yard in �ierna nad Tisou was started. In 1966, construction of a broad-gauge track from Ma�ovce to Haniska pri Ko�iciach was completed.
The joint railway company �SD existed, except for years 1939 through1945, until the federation was split in 1993.  

Time period 1993 � 2002

After splitting of �eskoslovensk� �t�tne dr�hy (Czechoslovak State Railways) into two separate railways, a state-owned company �eleznice Slovenskej Republiky (�SR) was established in Slovakia. Right in 1993 there were some vehement steps taken to consolidate �SR. The �SR Act No. 258/1993 was adopted in September 30, 1993. It defined �SR as a state-owned company applying elements of business and public legal management, sui generis.  

Time period 2002 � 2004

In connection with Slovakia�s integration ambitions to the European Union and based on transformation project of the Slovak railways, assets and activities of the traffic operator were separated from operator of railway infrastructure and on January 1, 2002 two railway companies were established - �elezni�n� spolo�nos�, a. s., as a provider of traffic and business services and �eleznice Slovenskej republiky, as a railway infrastructure operator. The founder and 100% shareholder of the newly established �elezni�n� spolo�nos�, a. s., was the Slovak Republic, represented by the Ministry of Transport, Posts and Telecommunications of the Slovak Republic.

Time period since 2005

In compliance with a resolution of the Slovak Republic, �elezni�n� spolo�nos�, a.s. was transformed into two separate companies at the turn of years 2004 and 2005, which resulted in splitting passenger traffic from freight traffic. The role of passenger railway traffic operator was taken over by new �elezni�n� spolo�nos� Slovensko, a.s. and the role of a freight railway traffic operator was undertaken by new �elezni�n� spolo�nos� Cargo Slovakia, a.s. Thereby, since January 1, 2005 three separate railway companies (�eleznice Slovenskej republiky, �elezni�n� spolo�nos� Slovensko, a. s., a �elezni�n� spolo�nos� Cargo Slovakia, a.s.) have been operating in Slovakia, which were established by a gradual transformation from one joint company.