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Hortobágy-Halastó narrow-gauge railway
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Along the route of the Hortobágy narrow-gauge railway, bird hides are located everywherePhoto: Abelovszky Tamás, Hungarian Hiking Association
The Hortobágy "fish railway" was originally built to ensure traffic between the surrounding fishponds, but since 2007, instead of fish, tourists visiting the area can jolt along the railway track leading straight from the Halászbárka Halastavi Visitor Center to Kondás Lake.
ATTENTION! THE NARROW-GAUGE RAILWAY IS UNSTABLE AND NOT OPERATING FOR TECHNICAL REASONS FOR AN INDEFINITE PERIOD!
The Hortobágy narrow-gauge railway was originally built in the 1920s as a fish farm railway, serving the Hortobágy fish pond system – in one direction, transporting fodder for the fish, and in the other, carrying the caught scaled fish to the transfer station. The creation of the Hortobágy fish ponds was indirectly thanks to the 19th-century regulation of the Tisza River: the wetlands lost their natural water replenishment, to which response began a few decades later with the establishment of fish ponds, rice fields, and irrigated grass systems.
The fish pond system important from our narrow-gauge railway’s point of view was completed in the 1970s on the so-called Csúnya plain, the least valuable area economically in the Hortobágy puszta. After the initial ponds were formed, track laying soon started because transporting fodder and fish was easier by rail. Sources vary on the original total length, with the 35-kilometer figure seeming exaggerated, possibly including a now-defunct fish farm railway track from the 1980s on the other side of the main road 33, toward Árkusi Fish Farm Railway, Fényes Lake and Csécs marsh.
Narrow-gauge railways serving fish ponds operated not only in Hortobágy – today only three such railways remain as relics: in Tömörkény, Fehér Lake, and Hortobágy. In Tömörkény and Fehér Lake, the trains are still used for their original purpose, while in Hortobágy, the narrow-gauge railway serves only tourism. (At Fehér Lake, the narrow-gauge railway can be tried occasionally, for example during the autumn crane migration, serving the fish farm’s purposes.)
Since 2007 it has been possible to travel on the narrow-gauge railway in Hortobágy, where the well-known domestic C50 type locomotive named Sziktipró hauls the small passenger wagons. On the 5-kilometer route, extended by one kilometer in 2010, initially horse-drawn trains operated, followed by small motor locomotives, one of which is still operational and regularly appears from the locomotive shed on Narrow-Gauge Railway Day.
Stations:
- Hortobágyi Halastó
- Lukas Hoffman stop
- Konrad Lorenz stop.
- Peter Scott stop
- Kondás Lake / Festetics Antal stop
Prices (round trip):
- Full price ticket: 1600 HUF/person
- Child (3-6 years), student (6-26 years), senior ticket (over 62 years): 1000 HUF/person
- Family ticket (2 adults, 2 children): 3400 HUF/family (discounted tickets available for every additional child/student at 600 HUF/person)
Schedule:
Trains operate from April until the end of October.
The schedule is available on the Hortobágy narrow-gauge railway website.
The information is for guidance only, reflecting the status as of March 2025. Please always check the service provider’s website before you arrive and let us know if you find any discrepancies!
Author’s recommendation
- It is recommended to combine the narrow-gauge railway ride with birdwatching or a walk on the nature trail.
- In summer – especially if a walk is part of the program – it is wise to prepare with an adequate amount of liquids.
Derived from the technical difficulty and the stamina requirements.
Track types
Show elevation profileSafety information
- When walking between the railway tracks, do not forget that a special train or track maintenance vehicle can arrive at any time, and the forest surprisingly mutes sound. Always keep a safe distance: the widest vehicles can be up to 2.5 meters wide, so they extend 70 cm on either side beyond the rails, plus potentially protruding loads or open doors.
- Do not walk between the tracks, on switches, or within a ten-meter radius of them: these areas are usually oily, the sleepers are slippery, and the switches contain many tripping hazards, especially hidden at night or under snow.
- Never operate the switches yourself: the weight lever can fall on your foot, the moving rail can pinch others’ hands and feet, and a train arriving on an incorrectly set switch can cause an accident even at very low speeds.
- Keep a few meters distance in front of or behind stationary vehicles when crossing the tracks: the train or its locomotive can start moving at any time without warning.
- The rail surfaces are slippery when wet, even if only covered by a thin layer of rust.
Roadbook
One terminal of the 5-kilometer long narrow-gauge railway, which runs almost straight between the fish ponds, is located very close to the Halászbárka Halastavi Visitor Center. Tickets are also sold here, granting admission to the Hortobágy National Park areas around the fish ponds. From the visitor center, you need to walk 2-3 minutes to the narrow-gauge railway terminal, where younger children can spend time at a playground until the train departs, older visitors can learn more about the surroundings from information boards, and railway enthusiasts can view some sidelined, out-of-service freight cars.
The short trains are hauled back and forth along the tracks by the locomotive named Sziktipró, with serial number C50-403, traveling through the middle of the nearly 2000-hectare fish pond system. Although so far we've only mentioned fish in the pond context, the birdlife is truly interesting here: this is one of Central Europe's best-known bird habitats, offering sights throughout all seasons, although perhaps the most spectacular is the October crane migration period when 40-50 thousand cranes spend the night in the drained fish ponds. This is less visible while traveling on the train, but numerous birdwatching towers are available both close to the tracks and a bit farther away, welcoming amateur and professional bird watchers alike.
The tracks run along a small canal from the visitor center to Kondás Lake, and both the onward and return routes can be made on foot: plank roads make the walk enjoyable, and the information boards about the habitats teach us not only about the birdlife but also about the buffaloes, fish, and reptiles. Each narrow-gauge railway stop is named after a notable ornithologist and forms part of the "Great Birdwatchers' Trail" nature trail.
Hortobágy-halastavi kisvasút (Lukas Hoffman megállóhely)
Hortobágy-halastavi kisvasút (Konrad Lorenz megállóhely)
Hortobágy-halastavi kisvasút (Peter Scott megállóhely)
Hortobágy-halastavi kisvasút (Kondás-tó / Festetics Antal megállóhely)
Public transport
Public-transport-friendly
- You must get off at the Hortobágyi Halastó stop from trains running on the Debrecen-Füzesabony line.
Get Timetable to destination
Directions
- From the Hortobágyi Halastó stop, head about 200 meters toward the Halászbárka Halastavi Visitor Center, passing by the former warehouse building.
Parking
- Parking is available in the car park of the Halászbárka Halastavi Visitor Center.
Coordinates
Equipment
- You don’t need any special equipment to travel the entire narrow-gauge railway.
Localization
Derived from the technical difficulty and the stamina requirements.
User Questions