Csömödér State Forest Railway

Contemporary descriptions testify that at the beginning of the 1900s, timber harvesting and transport in Zala posed serious problems. Villages could meet their own needs from surrounding forests, but in more distant areas, due to transport difficulties, wood was often burned instead. However, charcoal production and glassworks could not absorb as much wood as was available. When wood was to be transported, longer distances often had to be covered, but the transport was always uncertain: on the one hand, weather conditions influenced it (only dry weather allowed movement of wood-laden carts), on the other hand, it depended on agricultural seasonal work as well.

To eliminate transport difficulties, forest railways were increasingly built in Zala county as well, for example on the Rédics-Kozmadombja, Komárvár-Ormánd, Ortaháza-Nova sections, and one can mention the Tölösi, Vétyemi, or Zalaerdő forest railways in this context. Naturally, this includes the construction of the first sections of the then separate Lenti and Csömödér forest railways.

Both were intended to assist the Esterházy trust forestry management at the time of their construction. By 1923, the two sawmills of Kerkavölgyi Rt. closely connected to the trust were built in Csömödér and Lenti, and to ensure safe timber supply, the construction of a forest railway was decided. In Lenti, the tracks were first laid to the hompoki opening near Szilvágy in 1924-25 (also utilizing the earlier Hirschler narrow-gauge railway Szilvágy-Zsibos section), while in Csömödér, the already built 1917 Budnya line was used initially, with steam locomotives providing traction on both lines.

The network continuously expanded on both railways, adapting to logging needs. For example, the Vétyemi forest railway starting from the Tornyiszentmiklós Centrálé section was connected to the Csömödér forest railway with an inclined plane due to level differences, ensuring timber delivery to the Zalaegerszeg-Rédics (former Ukk-Csáktornya) railway line. An interesting fact in the railway’s development is that the railway was extended between Bázakerettye and Kistolmács because by the late 1930s, transport services in the area became significantly more expensive due to oil transport.

The continuous development culminated in connecting the two separate rail operations in September 2000: from then on, the 109-kilometer network became fully passable, of which less than a third, 32 kilometers, can be traveled by scheduled passenger trains between Lenti and Kistolmács, passing through Csömödér.

The forest railway's operation mostly still serves timber transport, mainly handled by C50 type locomotives, but there’s also a Romanian-origin steam locomotive (built in 1955 and named after the novel hero Ábel Tamási Áron), as well as two Mk48 diesels, one of which is a real rarity: engine No. 1005 is the only operational member left of the diesel-mechanical representation of the series.

Many cycling and hiking trails connect to the railway line, so it's worth combining hiking with atmospheric forest railway travel. The Csömödér ÁEV lines touch the Göcsej pine region, the Kerka valley, and the Göcsej beech landscape. Starting from Lenti, you can enjoy the Zajda forests, reach the Vétyemi Primeval Beech Forest, as well as the Budafa Arboretum with the Makk Adventure Playground. In 2021, the railway line was extended at Kistolmács, so you can now travel all the way to the popular Kistolmács Lake.

Stations:

• Lenti ÁEV station
• Lenti, Gyöngyvirág street stop
• Lentiszombathely-Mumor stop
• Nyúldomb stop
• Iklódbördőcei cemetery stop
• Csömödér station
• Páka stop
• Dőmefölde stop
• Kányavár stop
• Törösznek stop
• Kámaházi forest ranger path stop
• Víznyomó stop
• Bázakerettye lower stop
• Bázakerettye upper stop
• Kistolmácsi forest lodge station
• Kistolmács station

Stops marked with * are conditional stops, meaning trains only stop if passengers indicate a boarding or alighting intention.

Prices:

Full-price one-way tickets:

• 0-5 km: 700 HUF
• 0-10 km: 1100 HUF
• 0-20 km: 1900 HUF
• 0-32 km: 2500 HUF

Full-price round-trip tickets:

• 0-5 km: 1000 HUF
• 0-10 km: 1800 HUF
• 0-20 km: 2700 HUF
• 0-32 km: 3700 HUF

Discounted one-way tickets:

• 0-5 km: 600 HUF
• 0-10 km: 900 HUF
• 0-20 km: 1300 HUF
• 0-32 km: 1900 HUF

Discounted round-trip tickets:

• 0-5 km: 900 HUF
• 0-10 km: 1200 HUF
• 0-20 km: 1800 HUF
• 0-32 km: 2500 HUF

• The discounted ticket is available for students, pensioners, public employees, large families, and people with disabilities.
• Children under 3 years of age travel free of charge.
• Supplementary ticket (regardless of distance): one way 800 HUF; round-trip 1100 HUF (a supplementary ticket must be purchased for bicycles, live animals, etc.)

Tickets can be purchased on the train.

Timetable:

Trains operate from the end of April to the end of September, the timetable is available on the narrow-gauge railway's website.

The data is for information purposes and reflects the state in March 2025. Always check the provider's website before arrival, and if you find any discrepancies, please let us know!