EuroCity trains in Hungary

by Gigant Club

In 1986 the European Railway comittee decided to establish a network for the most important rail connections, which is called EuroCity (EC). The central of this organisation resides in Netherland. This organisation gave a strict criteria for these EC trains, which is periodically checked.

The criteria used for the EC evaluation for Hungary (1993-1995):

• Minimum 90km/h travelling speed (average). The trains should be pulled at the maximal allowed speed.
• Max. 5 minute late allowed, but the train should be on time in the 80% of the month.
• The coaches should be climatised UIC Z1 type, and not older than 15 years.
• The train should go with a dining car. This car is located in the middle of the train, between the 2nd and the 1st class coaches.
• The stop time mustn't exceed 3 minutes, except the border stations, where 10 minutes allowed (or 15, when the engine is changed).
• etc.

The first EC trains has started to run in 1987. MÁV has joined to this network in 1988. Now five EC trains come to Hungary:

The first EuroCity train was the "Lehár" in 1988. The "Lehár" has started to run in 1979 between Budapest and Wien, in 1988 it was requalified to EuroCity train. In the first times, V43 1156 was the usual engine of this train, but later Austrian locomotives (1146 class). came to Hungary Sometimes two 1146 pulled the EC. For a couple of months V63 047 used on this line. In 1996 the departure and arrival station of this train has changed form Budapest-Déli to Budapest-Keleti.

Liszt Ferenc EuroCity was the second EC train in the row. This train was pulled by the Gigants from the beginning. Since 1992, the regeared ones (V63 1xx, 160 km/h allowed speed) used for EC trains. Although the high speed engines the maximal speed of this train remained 120km/h on the Hungarian lines. Probably from summer 1997 on one part of the line, the speed limit will be raised to 140km/h.

Since June 1993, the Austrian 1014 class engines used for the EC trains. On the picture the EC-62 (Bartók) can be seen. The line of the "Bartók" is lengthened in two steps. The original line was: Budapest-München, last year the trains went from Budapest to Stuttgart, and now the line length is 1114km to Frankfurt.

For the EC service in Hungary and in Slovakia the following Austrian (ÖBB) locomotives were transformed:

• 1014-005-1
• 1014-006-9
• 1014-007-7
• 1014-009-3 (crashed in autumn of 1994)
• 1014-015-0 (instead of 009)

The service system of the 1014 class locomotives from/to Austria:
(Only two locomotive pair used for three EC trainsets)

For the "northern service" the Slovak ZSR 350 class engines pull the EuroCity trains. These locomotives can go on both the Hungarian 25kV A.C. and the Czech 3kV D.C. lines. (The ZSR 350 class locomotive called "Gorilla" by the Hungarian engine drivers.)

In the new timetable plan the line of the Bartók Béla EC will be lengthened to Debrecen via Miskolc and Nyíregyháza. Some new EC trains will go to Romania.