The rack railway in Budapest will be back in operation!

The distinctive red and white trains are back: on 1 April, Saturday, the rack railway will be back in operation. Tram 60 – or as most people know it, the rack railway – will run quieter and more foolproof on the renewed track during the winter break.

The weekday timetable will remain unchanged. The TELEfogas system, which has been recently introduced and proved successful, will be maintained in the early morning and late at night. The biggest plus of this demand-driven service in Budapest and the agglomeration is that buses and trains do not unnecessarily pollute the residential environment in the absence of travel demand. On weekends, trains will run every 15 minutes during the day, but BKK will increase the frequency of the service if traffic is heavy.

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Currently, you can use eight of BKK’s services as fully or partly demand-led services. You can indicate your intention to travel online at telebusz.bkk.hu or telefogas.bkk.hu after registration, or by calling +36 1 3 255 255, the customer service number.

New this summer, the open nostalgia train is expected to run several times between Városmajor and Széchenyi Hill, writes BKK in their article.

Substantial improvements are needed at the rack railway

The rack railway connects the hillside of the XII. district, Sváb Hill and Széchenyi Hill, with Városmajor. According to BKK, to make the rack railway a significant part of Budapest’s public transport network, substantial improvements are needed, for example, the reconstruction and extension of the track in both directions.

Future final stops are planned to be located at Széll Kálmán Square and Normafa. The extended route will strengthen the role of the line as a busy tram service to the Normafa area via Sváb Hill, seven days a week. The development will result in the rack-railway reaching Széll Kálmán Square via Szilágyi Erzsébet Alley as a tram, running on the existing tram railway tracks.

The vehicle will also run as a tram from Széchenyi Hill final stop to Normafa, as the route of the extended section does not require the installation of a rack railway. The average speed of the vehicle will also be significantly increased (40 km/h in uphill mode, 30 km/h in downhill mode and 50 km/h in tram mode), which will reduce journey times, and the improved conditions will favour cyclists, too.

Author: Vivien Rima