Balatonfenyves small railway (line to Csisztafürdő)

Located south of the south-western tip of Lake Balaton, the Nagy-Berek is a small areaknown to anyone from István Fekete's two novels, The Thorns and Winter Berek. The author wrote both books in the same decade, when the small railway with the centre of Balatonfenyves was built, in the first half of the 1950s. The countryside south of Lake Balaton in this area was once part of the lake, but was later transformed into a lake by the waves.The sandy sediment was used to build a barrier, which separated the southern bay from the deeper lake bed. The marshy area thus created was abandoned in the 20th century. In August 1950, the Balatonnagyberek State Farm was established in the area, which was limited in its suitability for farming due to the above-mentioned limitations. They built stables and farms and decided to build a narrow-gauge railway to serve them.

Construction of the railway started in October 1950 and lasted for about five years: the building of a series of lines, generally perpendicular to each other, initially aimed at the major roads and then at the smaller onesThe network was then extended to the surrounding villages (Somogyszentpál, Táska, Csiszta). The final section was laid in 1956 towards Csisztapuszta, where oil exploration drilling resulted in a 42-degree, trenchlessrich in hydrocarbonate and sulphuric hot water, which was soon used to build a spa.

The initial horse-drawn locomotives were soon replaced by motorised locomotives, followed by steamers and thermaland the locomotive C50, the locomotive of all Hungarian small railways, found a home on the southern shore of Lake Balaton. At the height of its history, the 760-millimetre-long, almost 50-kilometre-longgauge, mainly transporting goods from farms and villages.agricultural produce - peat and lime mud - from the farms to the railway station at Balatonfenyves, but it was not long before regular passenger services began: From 1956, the small railway became the means of transport for the inhabitants of the area.

At the end of the 1960s, despite its heavy traffic, the railway was completely dismantled.but fortunately the decision or its implementation was regularly postponed. While freight traffic declined (the extraction of lime mud ceased), passenger traffic on the Chisinau branch increased, and from 1985 there were even nostalgic trains to the spa, operated by steamers. In 1987, the line was extended by 600 metres to Chiszta, and in 1990 the last The last freight train on the Balatonfenyvesi GV was built in 1990, and then some lines were slowly phased out and eventually dismantled. In 2002, the Csisztai and Táska lines were closed down, and the ominous shadow of closure was repeatedly cast over the only remaining Somogyszentpáli line (in 2009, the railwaymen on duty on the light railway were already shopping for the 'farewell party', and the Berek railway was saved at the last minute).

By 2021, however, the neglected Chisinau line will have been completely renovated, providing a high quality passenger service from Imremajor to the city of Chisinau.Today, there are 13 kilometres of the Nagy-Berek to Csisztafürdő.

Stations:

• Balatonfenyves GV
• Imremajor*
• Csisztafürdő

*Trains stop at Imremajor only if there is a passenger alighting or boarding. The intention to disembark must be indicated to the train crew in good time, and before boarding the train, passengers must be positioned on the platform in such a way that the driver of the arriving train can see them in time.

Fares:

According to the tariffs of MÁV-Start Zrt. For the 13 km distance between Balatonfenyves GV and Csisztafürdő, the full fare ticket price will be HUF 450 in 2025.

Timetable:

Trains run all year round, the timetable is available by clicking here.

The data are indicative and reflect the situation in March 2025. Always check the operator's website before arrival and let us know if you find any discrepancies.