Zvolen passenger railway station, also known as Zvolen main railway station, (Slovak: Zvolen osobná stanica, abbreviated Zvolen os.st.; Hungarian: Zólyom-személyi pályaudvar) is the main passenger station serving the city of Zvolen, Zvolen District, located in Banská Bystrica Region, central Slovakia. It is an important railway junction in Slovakia.
Etymology
The station is named osobná stanica (passenger station) to differentiate it from Zvolen nákladná stanica, a large freight terminal a short distance east, which is also served by some local stopping trains.
Zvolen osobná stanica was previously called "Zvolen Hrad station" (prior to 1959) and "Zvolen osobné nádraží" (between 1959 - 1972).
Location
Zvolen osobná railway station is located southwest from the city centre on the northern bank of the Slatina river and is accessible from T. G. Masaryka street.
There is a bus station across the street, offering access to local and intercity buses.
Present day
Zvolen railway station currently serves as a main railway junction connecting the southern route (between Bratislava and Košice) with other cities such as Šahy, Levice, Banská Bystrica and Vrútky. Trains of all national categories (Os, R, RR, REX) stop at the station. For most national train lines, the station is the terminating or departing station. The REX category has been operating specifically between Zvolen and Banská Bystrica since 2022 to speed up transport between the two cities.
The main station is divided into passenger and cargo parts. There is a mailing station right next to Zvolen osobná railway station, which is connected to train rails as well.
Other stations
There are also two smaller stations in Zvolen: Zvolen mesto (direction to Banská Bystrica), north of Zvolen osobná railway station, closer to the town centre Zvolen nákladná stanica (direction to Košice), east of Zvolen osobná railway station, serves primarily for freight trains
ŽOS Zvolen
The Zvolen railway junction also includes railway workshops, which today function as an independent production and repair company of ŽOS Zvolen rail vehicles.
Armored train Hurban
The replica armored train Hurban is displayed close to the station which was an armored train used during World War II, during the Slovak National uprising.
Platforms
There are 4 platforms (+ 1a) in the station. Platforms 1 and 1a are accessible from the main station building and from both underpasses, platforms 2–4 are "island" based and are accessible via both underpasses.
Each platform has a lift, serving primarily for wheelchair access.
Platform 1a elongates the first platform, which serves longer trains (usually of categories R or RR).
History
First rails
At the beginning of the 1860s, coal consumption in Hungary began to grow significantly. In May 1861, the St. Stephen's Coal Mining Company was established, which sought to exploit the coal reserves of the Salgotarjan Coalfield. To ensure the transport of the coal extracted from this district, the General Assembly of this company in 1861 decided to build the railway Lučenec – Fiľakovo – Salgótarián – Pázstó – Hatvan – Aszód – Isaszeg – Pest and applied for a concession for this railway. On January 19, 1863, the newly established The Pest-Lučenec-Banská Bystrica Railway and Satoštofan Coal Mining Company was granted a concession, which obliged the association to build a railway in the Pest – Lučenec section until 1866 and to continue the line in the Lučenec – Banská Bystrica section until 1870.
First station
Because the private company had problems raising capital and financing the construction, in 1868 the company was bought by the state and the line was renamed the Hungarian Northern Railway and the construction of the railway in today's Slovakia was intensified. At the same time, it was decided to build a connection between this line and the Košice-Bohumín railway under construction on the Zvolen – Hronská Dúbrava – Kremnica – Vrútky route. The section Salgótarián – Fiľakovo – Lučenec was put into operation on May 4, 1871, Zvolen was put into operation a month later – June 18, 1871, when the section Lučenec – Zvolen was put into operation. An important traffic junction was destined for the construction of a railway depot, which provided the background for technology. Zvolen became an important railway hub and important industrial centre.