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Line 1 (Budapest Metro)
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The Metro 1 (Officially: Millennium Underground Railway or M1) is the oldest line of the Budapest Metro
system.
Known in Budapest
simply as "the underground" ("a földalatti"), it is the second oldest underground railway in the world (the first being the London Underground
's Metropolitan Line
), and the first on the European mainland. It was built from 1894 to 1896. In 2002, it was listed as a UNESCO
World Heritage Site
.
, has been in constant operation since 1896.
The original purpose of the first metro line was to facilitate transport to the Budapest City Park along the elegant Andrássy Avenue
without building surface transport affecting the streetscape. The National Assembly
accepted the metro plan in 1870 and German firm Siemens & Halske AG was commissioned for the construction, starting in 1894. It took 2000 workers using up-to-date machinery less than two years to complete. This section was built entirely from the surface (with the cut-and-cover method). Completed by the deadline, it was inaugurated on May 2 1896, the year of the millennium (the thousandth anniversary of the arrival of the Magyars), by emperor Franz Joseph
. One of these original cars is preserved at the Seashore Trolley Museum
.
The line ran underneath Andrássy Avenue, from Vörösmarty Square
(the centre) to City Park
, in a northeast-southwest direction. The original terminus
was the Zoo (with extension to Mexikói út in 1973). It had eleven stations, nine underground and two overground. The length of the line was 3.7 km
at that time; trains ran every two minutes. It was able to carry as many as 35,000 people a day (today 103,000 people travel on it on a workday).
The Metro 1 (Officially: Millennium Underground Railway or M1) is the oldest line of the Budapest Metro
Budapest Metro
The Budapest Metro is the rapid transit system in the Hungarian capital Budapest. It is the second-oldest underground metro system in the world after the London Underground. Its iconic Line 1, dating from 1896, was declared a World Heritage Site in 2002.-Lines:The Metro consists of three lines,...
system.
Known in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
simply as "the underground" ("a földalatti"), it is the second oldest underground railway in the world (the first being the London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
's Metropolitan Line
Metropolitan Line
The Metropolitan line is part of the London Underground. It is coloured in Transport for London's Corporate Magenta on the Tube map and in other branding. It was the first underground railway in the world, opening as the Metropolitan Railway on 10 January 1863...
), and the first on the European mainland. It was built from 1894 to 1896. In 2002, it was listed as a UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
.
History
M1, the oldest of the metro lines operating in BudapestBudapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, has been in constant operation since 1896.
The original purpose of the first metro line was to facilitate transport to the Budapest City Park along the elegant Andrássy Avenue
Andrássy Avenue
Andrássy Avenue is an iconic boulevard in Budapest, Hungary, dating back to 1872. It links Erzsébet Square with the Városliget. Lined with spectacular Neo-renaissance mansions and townhouses featuring fine facades and interiors, it was recognised as a World Heritage Site in 2002...
without building surface transport affecting the streetscape. The National Assembly
National Assembly of Hungary
The National Assembly or Diet is the parliament of Hungary. The unicameral body consists of 386 members elected to 4-year terms. Election of members is based on a complex system involving both area and list election; parties must win at least 5% of the popular vote in order to enter list members...
accepted the metro plan in 1870 and German firm Siemens & Halske AG was commissioned for the construction, starting in 1894. It took 2000 workers using up-to-date machinery less than two years to complete. This section was built entirely from the surface (with the cut-and-cover method). Completed by the deadline, it was inaugurated on May 2 1896, the year of the millennium (the thousandth anniversary of the arrival of the Magyars), by emperor Franz Joseph
Franz Joseph I of Austria
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I was Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia, King of Croatia, Apostolic King of Hungary, King of Galicia and Lodomeria and Grand Duke of Cracow from 1848 until his death in 1916.In the December of 1848, Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria abdicated the throne as part of...
. One of these original cars is preserved at the Seashore Trolley Museum
Seashore Trolley Museum
The Seashore Trolley Museum, located in Kennebunkport, Maine, United States, is the world's oldest and largest museum of mass transit vehicles....
.
The line ran underneath Andrássy Avenue, from Vörösmarty Square
Vörösmarty Square
Vörösmarty tér or Vörösmarty square is a small but popular square in the Budapest city centre at the northern end of Váci utca.At the centre of the square facing west is a large statue of poet Mihály Vörösmarty, on the pedestal of which people tend to congregate...
(the centre) to City Park
City Park (Budapest)
Városliget is a public park in Budapest, Hungary close to the city centre. It is located in District XIV of Budapest. Its main entrance is Heroes' Square , one of Hungary's World Heritage sites.-Name:The area was formerly called Ökör-dűlő, meaning "Oxmeadow"...
, in a northeast-southwest direction. The original terminus
Terminal Station
Terminal Station is a 1953 film by Italian director Vittorio De Sica. It tells the story of the love affair between an Italian man and an American woman. The film was entered into the 1953 Cannes Film Festival.-Production:...
was the Zoo (with extension to Mexikói út in 1973). It had eleven stations, nine underground and two overground. The length of the line was 3.7 km
1 E3 m
To help compare different orders of magnitude this page lists lengths between 1 kilometre and 10 kilometres .Distances shorter than 1 kilometre-Conversions:1 kilometre is equal to:* 1,000 metres...
at that time; trains ran every two minutes. It was able to carry as many as 35,000 people a day (today 103,000 people travel on it on a workday).
- 1896: Gizella tér (today Vörösmarty térVörösmarty tér (Budapest Metro)Vörösmarty tér is the southern terminus of the yellow M1 line of the Budapest Metro under Vörösmarty Square.-References:...
) - Artézi fürdő (today Széchenyi fürdőSzéchenyi fürdo (Budapest Metro)Széchenyi fürdő is a station of the yellow M1 line of the Budapest Metro, located below the Széchenyi Medicinal Bath. It was an overground station from 1896 until 1973, when an underground station was built....
) - 1973: Széchenyi fürdőSzéchenyi fürdo (Budapest Metro)Széchenyi fürdő is a station of the yellow M1 line of the Budapest Metro, located below the Széchenyi Medicinal Bath. It was an overground station from 1896 until 1973, when an underground station was built....
- Mexikói út
Stations and connections
| Station | Connection | Buildings/Monuments |
|---|---|---|
| Vörösmarty tér | 2, 2A | Vigadó Vigadó Concert Hall Vigadó is located on the right-hand side of the Danube in Budapest, Hungary. Although the acoustics of Budapest's second largest concert hall are lacking, the building itself, designed by Frigyes Feszl in 1859 makes a bold impression along the Pest embankment... , Café Gerbeaud Café Gerbeaud ----Café Gerbeaud, situated at Vörösmarty tér 7 in Budapest, the capital of Hungary, is one of the greatest and most traditional coffeehouses in Europe. Today still, it shines in Gründerzeit style with its stucco, the grand chandeliers, the panelling made of exotic woods and its furniture... , Ministry of Finance |
| Deák Ferenc tér | M2 Line 2 (Budapest Metro) The Metro 2 is the second line of Budapest Metro. It connects the western Déli pályaudvar, and the eastern Örs vezér tere. Daily ridership: 451,627.-History:... , M3 Line 3 (Budapest Metro) The Metro 3 is the longest line of Budapest Metro. It connects the northern Újpest, and the southern Kőbánya-Kispest. Daily ridership: 626,179.-History:... 9, 16, 105, 109 47, 49 |
Town Hall, Metro Museum (Földalatti Vasút Múzeum) |
| Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út | 105 | St. Stephen's Basilica |
| Opera Opera (Budapest Metro) Opera is a station of the yellow M1 line of the Budapest Metro, in front of the Hungarian State Opera House.... |
105 | Hungarian State Opera House Hungarian State Opera House The Hungarian State Opera House is a neo-Renaissance opera house located in central Budapest, on Andrássy út. It is home to the Budapest Opera Ball, a society event dating back to 1886.-History:... |
| Oktogon Oktogon (Budapest Metro) Oktogon is a station of the yellow M1 line of the Budapest Metro under Oktogon. The station is located at the junction of Budapest's Grand Boulevard and Andrássy Avenue .... |
4, 6 105 |
Theaters (Operette, Mikroszkóp, Miklós Radnóti,...) |
| Vörösmarty utca | 73, 76 | House of Terror House of Terror House of Terror is a museum located at Andrássy út 60 in Budapest, Hungary. It contains exhibits related to the fascist and communist dictatorial regimes in 20th century Hungary and is also a memorial to the victims of these regimes, including those detained, interrogated, tortured or killed in the... |
| Kodály körönd Kodály körönd (Budapest Metro) Kodály körönd is a station of the yellow M1 line of the Budapest Metro, under Kodály körönd. Like the square, the metro station takes its name from Zoltán Kodály who once lived in one of the buildings on the square.... |
105 | |
| Bajza utca | 105 | |
| Hősök tere Hosök tere (Budapest Metro) Hősök tere is a station of the yellow M1 line of the Budapest Metro under Hősök tere. It was formerly called Aréna út Station.... |
20E, 30, 30A, 105 75, 79 |
Museum of Fine Arts Museum of Fine Arts (Budapest) The Museum of Fine Arts is a museum in Heroes' Square, Budapest, Hungary, facing the Palace of Art.It was built by the plans of Albert Schickedanz and Fülöp Herzog in an eclectic-neoclassical style, between 1900 and 1906. The museum's collection is made up of international art , including all... , Műcsarnok (Hall of Exhibitions) Kunsthalle Budapest Kunsthalle Budapest is a contemporary art museum in Budapest, located in Heroes' Square, facing the Museum of Fine Arts.... , Városliget (City Park) City Park (Budapest) Városliget is a public park in Budapest, Hungary close to the city centre. It is located in District XIV of Budapest. Its main entrance is Heroes' Square , one of Hungary's World Heritage sites.-Name:The area was formerly called Ökör-dűlő, meaning "Oxmeadow"... , Hősök tere (Heroes square) |
| Széchényi fürdő Széchenyi fürdo (Budapest Metro) Széchenyi fürdő is a station of the yellow M1 line of the Budapest Metro, located below the Széchenyi Medicinal Bath. It was an overground station from 1896 until 1973, when an underground station was built.... |
72 | Széchenyi thermal bath, Zoo and Botanical Garden Budapest Zoo & Botanical Garden Budapest Zoo & Botanical Garden is the oldest zoo park in Hungary and one of the oldest in the world.It has 733 animal species and located within the Városliget Park.... , Vidámpark (Fun Fair) |
| Mexikói út Mexikói út (Budapest Metro) Mexikói út is the northern terminus of the yellow M1 line of the Budapest Metro. Located in the Zugló district of Pest, the station was opened in 1973 when the line was extended from the original terminus at Városliget .The station provides onward connections with the following BKV services:*... |
3, 69 74, 74A 25, 225, 32 |