“A plane can crash, a ship can sink” – Did you know Hungarian Communist leader Kádár was terrified of travelling?

János Kádár, First Secretary of the Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party, ruled Hungary for over three decades, yet he never managed to overcome one thing: his fear of travelling. He dreaded flying, became ill on boats, and never felt safe in a car. There was only one mode of transport he trusted unconditionally – the train.

The railway enthusiast and the legend of the “Silver Arrow”

Kádár often repeated: “A plane can crash, a ship can sink, but the train always stays on track.” He took this belief so seriously that he had a private train built for himself. The Silver Arrow (Ezüstnyíl), completed in 1969 by the Rába Hungarian Wagon and Machine Factory, represented the technological peak of the era – and served as Kádár’s moving empire.

From the outside, the train appeared modest, earning the nickname “grey donkey” among railway workers. Inside, however, it offered full luxury: a telephone, world-band radio, air conditioning, shower, kitchen, and even rooms for chess and cards. The conference room seated sixteen people, while the sleeping cabin provided a comfortable retreat for Hungary’s leader, attended by his personal staff. According to Blikk, the train could reach speeds of up to 120 km/h and covered as many as 7,000 kilometres per year, mainly across Central and Eastern Europe.

Details of these journeys were strictly classified. A pilot carriage always preceded the train to inspect the track and prevent possible attacks. Railway crossings were closed in advance, and before each departure, the train driver – referred to as the “pilot” – would report the estimated arrival time and weather conditions.

Watch a video of how the Silver Arrow looks today:

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Fear of flying and a near-tragedy

Kádár felt particularly unwell in the air. Changes in air pressure caused him ear pain, and he would only board a plane if accompanied by Sándor Nagyváthy, an aeronautical engineer from Malév, the Hungarian national airline. Nagyváthy was the only person Kádár trusted implicitly – and for good reason.

During one flight aboard a Tu-134 carrying top party officials, the plane began to descend dangerously three times. Nagyváthy noticed a heating system failure near the wings just in time and managed to fix the problem. After this incident, Kádár became even more convinced that rail travel was the only truly safe option.