Hungarian Tramway Review

There are trams running in four Hungarian cities, most with rolling stock unique to the country. By far the largest system is in Budapest, the capital city, where there are three Metro lines, each with distinctive rolling stock, light railway lines, an extensive trolley-bus network, and a rack railway. Whilst this DVD deals mainly with the trams, there is some coverage of the other modes, and in particular, the fascinating 'Foldalatti Metro', dating from 1896. A highlight of our visit is a tram tour using a restored 2-axle car, dating from 1909. The attractive provincial city of Debrecen has a single tram line, worked by unique 'Ganz' articulated trams, dating from 1997, running alongside 'two room and a bath' articulated cars from the 1960's. Miskolc, in the north east of the country, has replaced its older rolling stock with second-hand 'Tatra KT8' articulated cars, painted in the corporate green and yellow livery, and ex Vienna 'E Class' articulated cars and bogie trailers, still running in their former owners colours. The fourth tramway is in Szeged, in the south of the country, where there are four tram routes. Routes 3, 3F and 4 are still worked with 'two room and a bath' articulated cars, which make evocative, traditional, tram noises. Route 1 is currently worked by 'Tatra T6' and 'KT4D' cars, in an attractive yellow and blue livery, relieved with white and a red stripe. There is also some earlier film of 2-axle museum cars operating in 1990.