The first train

The first train arrives in Vác

Ever travelled to Vác by train? Then you'll find it interesting that the first Hungarian railway line between Pest and Vác was opened on 15 July 1846, with the participation of the Hungarian Chancellor József and his family.

How did the first train arrive?

At 3 pm, the Buda and Pest locomotives took the 250 people invited to Vác in eight coaches, and the train was greeted with great ovations in the intermediate towns.

The train covered the 33.6-kilometre journey in 59 minutes with a 10-minute stopover in Dunakeszi. Unfortunately, the celebrations were not all over the place as the train arrived to the sight of the huge fire in Vác.

Points of interest

Under the 1836 law, everyone had to pay for travel, even the nobility, and the ticket was quite expensive. There were three pairs of trains a day, four on public holidays and four on Sundays, and the signals along the track were operated by signalmen, but there was now a telegraph connection between stations.

A vasútnak voltak ellenzői is, de Petőfi Sándor lelkesen támogatta a fejlődést. A Vasúton című versében így fogalmazott: „Száz vasutat, ezeret / Csináljatok, csináljatok / Hadd fussák be a világot / Mint a testet az erek”