Major and local railways in Bukovina before World War I

Abstract

The article analyzes the history of railway transport in Bukovina. Railway connections have played and continue to play an important role in the social and economic development of the region. Railway connections created new opportunities for the organization of cost-effective passenger and cargo transport. Railway lines organically combined passenger needs with the region’s economic interests. Railway transport also facilitated the general mobilization in the country on the eve of World War I. The study explores the evolution of major and local railways in Bukovina. The strategic importance of the network of major and local railways for the region’s development and its positive impact on all areas of life in Bukovina were analyzed. Special emphasis was placed on the strategic importance of Bukovina’s railways in the overall railway system of the Habsburg Empire. The study demonstrated that on the eve of the World War I at the beginning of the 20th century, Bukovina had numerous connections to external railways and played an important role in Austria-Hungary’s railway system. The railway system contributed to Bukovina’s status as a trade hub that exchanged goods with other districts in the empire as well as foreign partners.