“Tram 58: a legend on rails” That is a phrase often uttered by Budapest locals. Tram 58 once ran a beloved route between Budagyöngye and Zugliget. Its story is more than just tracks and timetables. It reflects Budapest’s changing transit and social history.
Tram 58’s history stretches back to the horse-drawn carriages of the 1830s. These early services carried people to the Laszlovszky Manor. Horse-drawn carriages then replaced them in 1868. This service ran until 1896. The terminus of this route later became the Horse-Rail Cultural and Event Center.
Budapest sought to modernize its transit for the millennium celebrations. In 1893, the Budapest council asked BKVT to study electrifying the Zugliget line. Electric trams finally began running on 15 September 1896. They ran from Vígszínház to Zugliget. These trams didn’t have numbers. Instead, they used badges. Yellow-and-white alternating quarters marked trams from Lánchíd’s bridgehead. Yellow-and-white semicircles designated trams between Károly-kaszárnya and Zugliget.
A tragic accident spurred a line extension in 1903. On 4 June 1900, a tram full of people rolled back. Its released brake caused it to overturn. Several people died. The accident sparked public outrage. It almost led to the shutdown of all tram traffic in Budapest. Fortunately, this didn’t happen. However, the original terminal building was replaced. The line extended to Tündér-szikla’s foot. A new tram terminal was built there.
The new three-track terminal opened on 1 May 1903. It included a half-timbered waiting hall and staff residence. The waiting room expanded around 1907. In 1910, colored dials were replaced with a numbering system. The Zugliget line became numbers 43 and 45. After World War I in 1918, these became tram number 81. The Széll Kálmán Square terminus was completed in 1941. It connected tram lines from the Outer Ring Road, Hűvösvölgy, Zugliget, Krisztina Boulevard, and Alkotás Road.
World War II severely disrupted tram traffic. Service on line 81 was restricted in autumn 1944. By Christmas, trams stopped running altogether. After initial repairs, the line between Széll Kálmán Square and Szépilona reopened on 17 May 1945. It was designated 81A. On 5 August 1945, line 81 ran its full length again. This lasted until 15 May 1955.
In 1955, Budapest developed its trolleybus network. Numbers above 70 were assigned to trolleys. Tram 81 was renamed Tram 58 on 16 May 1955. Tram 58’s popularity soared after the Libegő chairlift opened in 1970. The metro’s extension to today’s Széll Kálmán Square in 1972 further boosted ridership. It provided a direct connection to Tram 58.
By the 1970s, the tracks were in poor condition. When Szilágyi Erzsébet Alley’s tracks were renovated, the Zugliget track was abandoned. From 7 July 1975, Tram 58 started at Budagyöngye. Track failures forced the tram to run on only one track.
Instead of renovating the line, a new trolleybus network was planned for Zugliget. On 16 January 1977, Tram 58 made its final run. A replacement bus, 58V, was introduced. But trolley investment declined. The replacement bus became permanent. It was renamed bus 158 on 3 March 1980. Since 9 September 2008, it has been bus 291.
Tram 58’s legacy lives on. It is commemorated in places like the Remiz restaurant. After the line closed, the tram terminal deteriorated. In 1983, two former cars of the type 1000 tram were parked there. One became a buffet. The other became the reception for the Zugligeti Niche Camping in the mid-1980s.
A contractor rescued the tram terminal. It operated as Restaurant 58 until 2021. The former terminus will be renovated under the Normafa Park Program. While the tram is unlikely to return, the iconic terminals of the Zugliget line will be preserved.