Currents of History 1/2019

Siniša Lajnert

The Stock Company of the Ruma–Klenak Vicinal Railway (1901–1933)

Abstract: In the paper the author analyses the organizing, activity and liquidation of the Ruma–Klenak Vicinal Railway Stock Company from 1901 when the company was founded to 1933 when its liquidation was completed. The headquarters of the stock company during the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy was in Budapest and in 1921 it transferred to Zagreb. The railway line of the Ruma Klenak Stock Company was opened for traffic in 1901. This private railway line was exploited i.e. managed by the state. During the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy the railway line was under the jurisdiction of the Business Administration in Segedin i.e. Pecs and in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes/Yugoslavia it came under the jurisdiction of the Regional Board of State Railways in Belgrade. Based on the agreement from 7 February 1931 the state bought off the railway lines of the Stock Company of the Ruma–Klenak Vicinal Railway and hence the reason for its existence ceased to exist. In 1932 the company entered the process of liquidation, the latter ending on 12 April 1933.

Key words: Stock Company of the Ruma–Klenak Vicinal Railway in Budapest/Zagreb; stockholders, liquidation, vicinal railways, state-managed private railways exploited by the state

Summary

Vicinal railways i.e. railways of local interest are railways whose main aim was to suit the traffic-economical needs of the area through which they passed. The expansion of the railway network on the territory of the Kingdom of Croatia and Slavonia began in 1880 by passing of the Act on Railways of Local Interest, which enabled the private capital to build and exploit the railway network. Before the passing of this act our railway network was quite poor, hence it can be concluded that its implementation had vital role in the development of the railway network of the time in the territory of the contemporary Kingdom of Croatia and Slavonia. The cause of this success laid in various relaxations and benefits given by this act to private persons who built and exploited vicinal railways. There were approximately 20 vicinal railway stock companies on the Croatian historical territories, among which there was the StockCompany of the Ruma–Klenak Vicinal Railway. During its entire existence the company did business with considerable financial gain. Based on the agreement from 7 February 1931 the Kingdom of Yugoslavia bought off the railway lines of the Stock Company of the Ruma–Klenak Vicinal Railway. Hence, the reason for its existence ceased to exist. In 1932 the company entered the process of liquidation that was finished on 12 April 1933. It can be concluded that the biggest development of the railway network in the Kingdom of Croatia and Slavonia was reached when the state decided to relinquish its construction and exploitation to private capital i.e. economic interest (profit). Almost the entire railway network in our region was built during that period, existing until today. The Ruma–Klenak vicinal railway was also built upon the economic interests i.e. economical-traffic needs of the area through which it passed.