Kaján Imre (szerk.): Zalai Múzeum 21. Emlékkötet Mindszenty József tiszteletére. Muzeológiai tanulmányok Zala megyéről (Zalaegerszeg, 2013)

Muzeológiai tanulmányok - Farkas Tamás: A zalaegerszegi vasút jelentősége működésének első évtizedeiben, 1890–1914

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Farkas Tamás

The importance of the Zalaegerszeg railway in the first decade of its operation

Finally the county seat also became involved in the country’s rail network after the Zala railway was opened in the autumn of 1890. The first years were devoted to corrections: following primarily the needs of the town the timetable was changed, the station was enlarged, and its operation was reorganized. New stations were opened according to traffic demands.

For a short time a private corporation was also established for the Zala railway of local interest, but after exactly five months of self-operation it merged into Danubian Rail of Local Interest Co., having been united with the neighbouring railway companies. For this reason, although there are traffic data about the early phase of the operation, the matter of the profitability just in terms of the

line has not been seen clearly. The Millennium train monograph provides a detailed description about the currently established line operation. With the help of it a clear picture emerges about the economy of Zala county travelling back to the end of the 19th century.

One of the outstanding elements of the activity of Gabor Baross, Minister of Transport, was the zone tariff, which was introduced early in the Zala vicinal, and although it was amended several times in the course of operation, its fundamental goal to increase the traffic was reached.

The Ukk-Csáktornya rail line was really of local interest, this may be due to the fact that it is still working in spite of the railway operations becoming uneconomic and the severing of the line after the Treaty of Trianon.

Translated bv Lívia Simmer