Sarajevo main railway station

Sarajevo main railway station Glavna željeznička stanica u Sarajevu
Sarajevo main railway station in 2019
General information
Location	Sarajevo,Trg žrtava genocida u Srebrenici Bosnia and Herzegovina
Coordinates	43°51′37″N18°23′57″E
Owned by	ŽFBH
Platforms	3(5)
Tracks	5
Train operators	ŽFBH
Construction
Structure type	at-grade
Platform levels	1
Parking	Yes
Bicycle facilities	No
Architect	Bedřich Hacar Bogdan Stojkov
Other information
Status	Staffed
Website	http:// zfbh.ba
History
Opened	1882
Rebuilt	1949
Electrified	Yes
Location Sarajevo main railway station Glavna željeznička stanica u Sarajevu Location within Bosnia and Herzegovina

Sarajevo main railway station(Bosnian:Glavna željeznička stanica u Sarajevu) is arailway stationinSarajevo,the capital ofBosnia and Herzegovina,located in the northwest part of the city, approximately 3 kilometers from the downtown area nearMarijin Dvor.

Construction

The building has a semi-circular ground plan and is roofed with hyperbolic paraboloid structures. In front of it there is an extensive open-air area and a tramway terminal. The square in front of the station is named after the victims of theSrebrenica massacre(Bosnian:Trg žrtava genocida u Srebrenici). Tracks are entering the station from the west and then turning north, after few hundred meters rail line ends since dismantling of narrow-gauge line toUvac, Rudoclose toSerbianborders in 1978.

History

Original station built in 1882

The railway station was built in 1882 for thenarrow gauge railway,while Bosnia was underAustro-Hungarianrule.Near it, further west of the city were the main railwaydepotfor the whole ofBosnia,where a thousand people were employed at the peak.

In September 1941, the transport of theSarajevo Jewswas dispatched from there by the resolution ofUstasheadministration. The Jews were transported in wagons for the cattle to atransfer campinTravnik.AfterWorld War II,it was decided to replace war damaged old station by a newfunctionalistbuilding designed byCzechoslovakarchitectsled by Bedřich Hacar.

The designers and most of the technical staff leave Sarajevo, and the Ministry of Construction of the then People's Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina continued the construction. The project is headed by the assistant minister, architect Jahiel Finci (one of the founders of the Technical Faculty and the Collegium Artisticum movement), assisted by colleagues Muhamed Kadić and Emanuel Šamanek, and engineers Bogdan Stojkov and Lorenc Eichberger.

An agreement was made with the German prisoners of war, who participated in the construction of the station as workers, that they would continue the work without constant technical supervision, and in return, their living conditions were improved and a promise was made that they would be released as soon as the construction was finished.In its time, it was one of the few projects in the city that was not influenced bysocialist realism.However, due to the political turmoil inCzechoslovak-Yugoslavrelations, they could not complete their work. Finally, theCroatianarchitect Bogdan Stojkov finished the new departure hall. The reasons for the construction of the new railway station were several; the track to Sarajevo was rebuilt to astandard gaugeof 1435 mm, longer trains were expected and would be not possible to service them. The ceremonial completion of the station building took place in 1953.

The station was electrified in 1967, as part of the early electrification programme introduced in Bosnia up to 1969. TheSarajevo–Ploče railwayprovides a connection to theAdriaticcoast. It holds the distinction of being the first 25 kV AC-electrified country in the former Yugoslavia, followed by Croatia and Serbia (both countries introduced electric trains in 1970).

In 1971, the original historic station building was abandoned and pulled down. Railway equipment was damaged between 1992 and 1995, but it was eventually rebuilt in the late 1990s. Today it is one of the recognizable attractions of the city.

TheCommission to Preserve National Monuments,at a session held in 2016, declared the Railway station (with the square to the front of the buildings) as a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Routes

The station is at the junction of Bosnia and Herzegovina's two most important railway lines. TheSarajevo–Ploče railwayline viaKonjic,MostarandČapljinais an electrified, single-track main national long-distance transport route, which is developed for 70 km/h (ŽFBH) or 100 km/h (HŽ) and is part of thePan-European Corridor Vc.InSarajevo,long-distance passenger transport is transferred to the also electrified and partly double-track railway line viaZenicatoDoboj,which can be traveled at speeds of up to 70 km/h. Both passenger and freight trains run on these two routes towardsŠamacandPloče.The Sarajevo-Šamac section is operated by the ŽFBH and the ŽRS. The Sarajevo–Ploče railway railway line, on the other hand, is shared by the public limited company owned by the Federation and the Croatian State Railways.

The following route book routes meet in Sarajevo:

• KBS 11: Sarajevo – Konjic – Mostar – Čapljina – Metković – Opuzen – Ploče
• KBS 12: Sarajevo – Zenica – Zavidovići – Doboj – Modriča – Šamac

Services

In 2009, after nearly 18 years, rail traffic resumed betweenSarajevoandBelgrade.The ticket price of €31 for the approximately 500 km (310 mile) journey to Bosnia and Herzegovina was less than the cost of driving in December 2009.

In June 2023, trains resumed Service on theSarajevo-Ploče line.

Gallery

• 
  View from theAvaz Twist Tower
• 
  A sign at platform level, with the name inBosnian/CroatianandSerbian.
• 
  The booking Hall in 2019
• 
  ŽFBH 441.906
• 
  ŽFBH EMU
• 
  Platforms
• 
  CzechoslovakianTatra K2tram
• 
  Vienna tram type E

References

• R. DONIJA, Robert.Sarajevo: biografija grada.Sarajevo: Izdavač za istoriju, 2006. 462 s.ISBN9958-9642-8-7.(Bosnian)

External links

• Media related toSarajevo railway stationat Wikimedia Commons