The brief history of the tramways of Budapest

1887 was a significant milestone concerning the track-based transportation. That was the year of the first route of the first tram, Pestbuda.hu reported.

The first tram was launched with a conduit system on its 1-km route from Budapest-Nyugati Railway Terminal with a speed of 10 km/h. Electricity, the main accomplishment of the Second Industrial Revolution, gained ground in Budapest’s transportation. The narrow tracks were broken down; the one in the boulevard was lengthened until the Rákóczi Street at first, later till the Üllői Street. The first underground (now Metro Line 1) was also launched in this era. By the end of WWI, about one thousand trams ran within Budapest’s transportation system, carrying about 380 million passengers. Later, the tram network had developed a lot, new tramways were being built, the tramway-cars had been renovated, and a uniform numbering system was introduced, tram wires were constructed.

1887, at Nyugati Railway Station photo: FortepanDue to WWII, development slowed down, and 85% of the overhead wires were destroyed. Thereafter, the first tram crossed the Liberty Bridge in 1946, on Buda, when tram nr 58 was launched. Since 1951, new trams were purchased, which closed their doors automatically. That was convenient and more safe for passengers. Unfortunately, the Revolution of 1956 destroyed the majority of the trams, only Line 109 was left unhurt, and only one-third of the tramways remained useable, Pestbuda.hu informs.