The citizens of Valjevo even tried to construct by themselves the railway line to Belgrade. However, more than 20 years had passed until the construction of the rail- way line.
By decision of People's Assembly of Serbia taken in Niš in 1886 and upon the proposal of the twenty deputies, the two commissions for the routing of Belgrade-Valjevo-Drina railway line had been established. The next year the second railway route had been defined: Belgrade-Železnik-Stepojevac-Vreoci-Lazarevac-Lajkovac-Nepričava-Divci-Valjevo. By the Law enacted on 3. February 1896 the construction of the Belgrade-Valjevo-Bosnian boirder railway line had been defined. The People's Assembly, during its session in Niš on 6th December 1898, enected the Law on construction and exploitation of the new railway lines in the Kingdom of Serbia, anticipating the construction of the 12 new lines, including the following two:
- Belgrade-Obrenovac-Lajkovac-Valjevo-Kosjerić-Požega, and
Valjevo-Osečina-Zavlaka-Loznica-Bosnian border
By the Law of 1898, the previous Law of 1896 was abrogated.
The next, 1899 year, the Contract on concession for the construction an exploitation of new railway lines in the west part of the Kingdom of Serbia was signed betvveen the Serbian Government and R.F. Ewerard, R. Caltrop and D. Marcus from London. By this Contract the construction of six rail- way lines had been anticipated including those two in Kolubara Region and west part of Serbia given above. The concession was approved by the People's Assembly, but the concerssionaries abandoned the job, quoted various reasons.
By the Law on modifications and amendments in the Law on construction and exploitation of new railway luinbes of 1902, oinstead of the previously planned, the construction of the railway line from Valjevo via Lajkovac and Obrenovac to Zabrežje
The Fund of new railways was created from the six sources by increasing the tax from 2% to 5%. The money for constrauction of the railway lines had been provided from this Fund.
The next, 1903 year, the line was aligned, and in 1904 and 1905 the line was surveyed and marked.
In September 1905 the bidding was carried out and the works had been alocated to the domestic contractors. The works comnenced in March 1906, and on 12th September 1908, around noon, near village Lukavac the last rails had been laid down, and thus the first railway line in Kolubara region from Valjevo to Zabrežje were completely finished. The first train, with the guests and officials who came from Belgrade by boat, had left with approximately 200 passengers on l4th September 1908 from Zabrežje to Valjevo. In Valjevo the train was received by the great number of people, miltary music band, loud cheering and shooting. The solemn banquete was organized during the night. However, since the surfacing had not been finished completely, the operation of traffic started on 22dn September 1908. The whole works had been completed on 19th April 1909, when the ragular traffic had com menced.
The first trains were mixed ones, and it took three and the half hours from Valjevo to Zabrežje.
The same, 1909 year, the Arandjelovac-Lajkovac railway line was completed, which was conected to the previously constructed secton to Mladenovac. Thus, the connection to Belgrade-Niš line was obtained, and Lajkovac became the railway knot.
Later on, the line was extended from Lajkovac to čačak, and during the next period the connection to Sarajevo and Adriatic Sea was realized by construction of Obrenovac-Belgrade branch, and thus the importance of Lajkovac had been increased.
From the originally one pair of trains, the traffic had been increasing to the dozens of trains. With the increasing of traffic Lajkovac was increasing as well. From the small village at Kolubara Region to the modern small city. From the originally passing station to the biggest narrow gauge railway knot in Yugoslavia of that time. Lajkovac had been developing. The generations of the railway people had been changing. The volume of transport had been increasing. And so until the beginning fo sixties.
The next, 1899 year, the Contract on concession for the construction an exploitation of new railway lines in the west part of the Kingdom of Serbia was signed betvveen the Serbian Government and R.F. Ewerard, R. Caltrop and D. Marcus from London. By this Contract the construction of six rail- way lines had been anticipated including those two in Kolubara Region and west part of Serbia given above. The concession was approved by the People's Assembly, but the concerssionaries abandoned the job, quoted various reasons.
By the Law on modifications and amendments in the Law on construction and exploitation of new railway luinbes of 1902, oinstead of the previously planned, the construction of the railway line from Valjevo via Lajkovac and Obrenovac to Zabrežje
The Fund of new railways was created from the six sources by increasing the tax from 2% to 5%. The money for constrauction of the railway lines had been provided from this Fund.
The next, 1903 year, the line was aligned, and in 1904 and 1905 the line was surveyed and marked.
In September 1905 the bidding was carried out and the works had been alocated to the domestic contractors. The works comnenced in March 1906, and on 12th September 1908, around noon, near village Lukavac the last rails had been laid down, and thus the first railway line in Kolubara region from Valjevo to Zabrežje were completely finished. The first train, with the guests and officials who came from Belgrade by boat, had left with approximately 200 passengers on l4th September 1908 from Zabrežje to Valjevo. In Valjevo the train was received by the great number of people, miltary music band, loud cheering and shooting. The solemn banquete was organized during the night. However, since the surfacing had not been finished completely, the operation of traffic started on 22dn September 1908. The whole works had been completed on 19th April 1909, when the ragular traffic had com menced.
The first trains were mixed ones, and it took three and the half hours from Valjevo to Zabrežje.
The same, 1909 year, the Arandjelovac-Lajkovac railway line was completed, which was conected to the previously constructed secton to Mladenovac. Thus, the connection to Belgrade-Niš line was obtained, and Lajkovac became the railway knot.
Later on, the line was extended from Lajkovac to čačak, and during the next period the connection to Sarajevo and Adriatic Sea was realized by construction of Obrenovac-Belgrade branch, and thus the importance of Lajkovac had been increased.
From the originally one pair of trains, the traffic had been increasing to the dozens of trains. With the increasing of traffic Lajkovac was increasing as well. From the small village at Kolubara Region to the modern small city. From the originally passing station to the biggest narrow gauge railway knot in Yugoslavia of that time. Lajkovac had been developing. The generations of the railway people had been changing. The volume of transport had been increasing. And so until the beginning fo sixties.
With the incursion of the road transport competition and the faster and
more sofisticated transport means, the line was abolished in 1968 and the
first Lajkovac railway line went to history. After that the same destiny
hapened to other lines. The last narrow gauge line Lajkovac-Arandjelovac
was abolished in 1982.
New diferent times have come, and there was no place for the narrow gauge train so called "ćira".
Only memories have remained and some museum exhibit. From the sincere love towards "ćira", some songs and novels have come out.
This sooty, small train, which always had been in hurry, has been preserved from oblivion in this book.
"ćira", which had changed the way of life of Kolubara Region people at the beginning of 20th century, will live in books and songs. And memories, until they exist.
Lajkovac got a new railway line.
New diferent times have come, and there was no place for the narrow gauge train so called "ćira".
Only memories have remained and some museum exhibit. From the sincere love towards "ćira", some songs and novels have come out.
This sooty, small train, which always had been in hurry, has been preserved from oblivion in this book.
"ćira", which had changed the way of life of Kolubara Region people at the beginning of 20th century, will live in books and songs. And memories, until they exist.
Lajkovac got a new railway line.
Lajkovac Railway line is the long one as well as its history. Since 1908
to eternity.
( From the book: of Dr Milan Grujić : "Uzana Lajkovačka pruga" )
The west part of Serbia and the Kolubara Region in Šumadija, although wealthy districts, were undeveloped due to the lack of the good traffic communiocations. The roads were bad, sometimes even impassable, and the river traffis was carried out on the Sava river on the pheriphery of this region.A small port in Zabrežje near Obrenovac, had the great importance for this regaion. The main traffic mean of the Kolubara region in that time was the oxen driwen vehicle. Great expectations and the sincere belief in it were the construction of the railway lines in Serbia.
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Lajkovac 1908 - 2008
