ISSN 1426-5915 e-ISSN 2543-859X 20(2)/2017 Prace Komisji Geografii Komunikacji PTG 2017, 20(2), 43-56 DOI 10.4467/2543859XPKG.17.010.7392 DeveloPmenT of PassenGer Train TransPorT in The Brno urBan reGion BeTween 1980 anD 2010 Rozwój pasażerskiego transportu kolejowego w rejonie miejskim Brna w latach 1980-2010 Jiří Dujka (1), Daniel seidenglanz (2) (1) Department of Geography, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University Brno, Kotlářská 2, 611 37 Brno, Czech Republic e-mail: [email protected] (2) Department of Geography, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University Brno, Kotlářská 2, 611 37 Brno, Czech Republic e-mail: [email protected] Citation: Dujka J., Seidenglanz D., 2017, Development of passenger train transport in the Brno urban region between 1980 and 2010, Prace Komisji Geografii Komunikacji PTG, 20(2), 43-56. abstract: The lengthy timespan of thirty years shall be a playground of many changes and variations in all spheres of social life and technical world. Public transportation is an integral part of both mentioned fields and co-operates with their changes. The urban region of Brno, the second largest city in the Czech Republic, is the region with a strong core (city of Brno) and thus it is a rail hub as well. Since 1980, the whole urban region underwent several changes in an industrial structure (from industrialization and preference of heavy industries to de-industrialization and dominance of services), a social organization (transition from industrial to post-industrial patterns of life, from urbanization to suburbanization and subruralization), an arrangement of the settlement system (from densely-populated estates on the edges of the city to suburbanization) and transportation patterns (moving from public transportation to individual road transportation). The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of changes in train public transportation in Brno urban region between 1980 and 2010. As a basis of the analysis, timetables of 1980, 1990, 2000 and 2010 were taken. There have been analysed all stations with commuting time of passenger trains during the day less or equal 60 minutes. Results of timetable analysis are put into the context of other socio-economic terms. The main outcomes show little changes in the length of transport time, in the distribution of trains during the day, in differences between weekday (in this paper Wednesday) and weekend, in the usage of express trains and in train lines. The paper also compares conditions before and after establishing the Integrated Transport System in South Moravia Region in 2004. Key words: passenger train transport, passenger trains, Brno urban region, Czech Republic, timetable, South Moravian Region, Integrated public transport system. received: 02.05.2017 accepted: 25.07.2017 44 Jiří Dujka, Daniel Seidenglanz 1. introduction idenglanz, 2007). This is also the reason of its prefe- rence in urban regions and agglomerations, namely Passenger train transport is an important part of in the western Europe (Newman, Kenworthy, 1999c; transport systems. It has a long development during Seidenglanz et al., 2014). Exploration of public rail its existence. It was formerly considered as an ad- transportation phenomenon in the Czech Republic dition of freight transportation. According to its spa- increases after 1990 with the beginning of suburba- tial and technical attributes (fully separated body of nization. This led to spatial deconcentrating of resi- railway, stable speed, large number of passengers dential and industrial activities out of traditional ur- transport facility), rail transportation nowadays is one ban cores (Hnilička, 2005; Horská et al., 2002; Marada, of the fastest kinds of transportation in cities and ur- 2010). ban areas. This phenomenon emerges in the Czech Republic since 2000, mostly in Prague and Brno, be- 1.2. Brno urban region cause of highly-developed railway network. The aim of this paper is to outline the develop- Brno urban region can be roughly defined as the City ment of basic transport paradigms and railway ne- of Brno itself and the administrative districts of mu- twork quality in Brno urban region during last thirty nicipalities with extended powers (AD MEP) Kuřim, years. Analysis of timetables was chosen as a key Šlapanice, Rosice, Židlochovice, Blansko, Tišnov, method. Data were taken from the years 1980, 1990, Slavkov u Brna and Ivančice. In total, this area is home 2000 and 2010. Thus, the research question of this to over 670,000 inhabitants which is approximately paper is: „What are the changes in time-space pat- 57% of the population of the South Moravian Region.1 terns of commuter trains in Brno urban region be- The significance of the Brno urban region is not neg- tween years 1980, 1990, 2000 and 2010?“ The paper ligible in the settlement structure of the Region and contains four parts. The first part introduces the issu- the entire Czech Republic. The Brno urban region is es, theoretical approaches and terms and conditions not defined in a uniform manner or administrative of the Czech Republic and Brno urban region. The delimitation; however, a number of research works second part contains a methodology for research, the have attempted to define it, among othersAtelier Era results of which are analysed later in the third part. 2008, Hampl (1996, 2005), Mulíček et al. (2006), The fourth part of paper provides discussion of the Mulíček and Szczyrba (2004), Seidenglanz et al. (2014), results. Seidenglanz et al. (2015). By population, Brno is the second largest city in 1.1. Theoretical approaches the Czech Republic (377,973 inhabitants as at 1st Ja- nuary 2017). It is also an important cultural, industrial Phenomenon of work commuting has begun its im- and university centre. In modern history, the city ex- portance during the industrial revolution. Since that, perienced the greatest boom during the Industrial work commuting is an integral part of euro Atlantic Revolution when it became the centre of textile, che- way of living (Dickinson, 1957; Tonev, 2013). Commu- mical and engineering industries. These days, Brno is ting from economically less exposed regions to eco- primarily focused on subjects doing business in the nomically important ones is motivated mostly by field of tertiary and quaternary; moreover, the exi- higher vague and wider offer of workplaces (Harvey, stence of six state universities and of many research 1996; Šerý, 2010; Votrubec, 1980). As soon as work- institutes has a significant share in research orienta- places in agriculture in rural places decreased, work tion. Due to the economic superiority of Brno, no commuting became a great advantage. This dispari- other similar centres were created in the immediate ty led also to migration from rural to urban areas. background. The municipalities in the neighbour- Growing railway network made commuting to work hood of Brno mostly keep a sub-rural character in the possible, together with net of suburban tram (street- composite landscape. Industry in these municipalities car) and trolleybus networks (Dujka, 2012). Strong had only partial importance. The most significant development of bus transportation, in the Czech Re- areas were Rosicko and Oslavansko (west of Brno) public since 1950s, made everyday migration even where the mining and processing of black coal took easier (Ryba, 2004). place in a relatively small area until 1992. This coal Passenger rail transportation in the Czechoslova- was mainly used in the Brno industry (Plchová, 1999). kia belongs to key and subsidized parts of economy After the World War I, there was a more significant and transportation (Toušek et al., 2008). Its relative development of engineering companies north of importance decreases, however it is considered to be Brno (Kuřim, Adamov, Blansko). These companies an environmental alternative of individual car trans- port (Hoyle, Knowles, 1998; Rodrigue et al., 2010; Se- 1 Data on 1st January 2017. Source: Czech Statistical Office. Development of passenger train transport in the Brno urban region between 1980 and 2010 45 were based mainly on strategic reasons in the narrow ters does not correspond to the current requirements valleys in connection with previous smaller iron for the volume of traffic, and for the combination of works. commuter and long-distanced passenger transpor- After World War II, the population of the cities tation; however, due to the unresolved situation re- strengthened the most (mainly the population of garding the location of the main station, a great re- Brno, Blansko, Adamov and Kuřim). This was mainly building or extension of the existing station is due to the construction of large districts of housing impossible (Dukát, 2005; Kučera, 2010; Seidenglanz estates. Most of the non-urban settlement had a rural et al., 2014; Seidenglanz et al., 2015). character with an emphasis on agricultural primal The railway network in the Brno urban region is production. Although the suburbanization process currently created by two spinal arterial corridors and started in the first half of the 1990s, the municipalities two intrastate-important railways. The so-called So- in the closer neighbourhood of Brno remained less uthern long-distanced corridor Prague – Česká Tře- significant. As in the past, the development of larger bová – Brno – Břeclav – Bratislava – Štúrovo passes centres was hindered also by natural conditions: the through Brno. This corridor was headed in the section northern and western parts of the region have the Prague – Kolín – Havlíčkův Brod – Brno until the re- character of forested highlands. Moreover, with the construction of the railway Brno – Česká Třebová in exception of the north-west and south-west quadrant, the 90s of the 20th century. The so-called Vlára rail- there are municipalities with a large population (aro- way Brno – Veselí nad Moravou – Nové Město nad und 500 to 1,000 inhabitants). This was one of the Váhom/Trenčianská Teplá (today in Slovakia) was con- other reasons for the absence of a large centre. nected to this corridor.