Keleti Pályaudvar
Keleti was the most international of Budapest's railway stations. Trains from Vienna arrived and departed from here carrying the well-dressed Viennese who could be picked out from a good distance; Russians arrived on the Trans-Siberian express as did - occasionally - Russian army officers. The station was also a meeting point for Hungarian army conscripts where they took their leave from their parents before being transported to their new barracks.
The area around the station was populated with gypsies selling watches and watch batteries as well as people selling shoelaces (something rarely to be found in a shoe shop!). The station was also a magnet for people dealing in illegal currency exchange.
In front of the station was an area below street level where people would sit in the sunshine whist waiting for their trains, or to read the evening paper (the Esti Hirlap), while the number 67 and 44 trams trundled around them above. Some men would sit here to play chess, usually surrounded by onlookers.
The area around the station was populated with gypsies selling watches and watch batteries as well as people selling shoelaces (something rarely to be found in a shoe shop!). The station was also a magnet for people dealing in illegal currency exchange.
In front of the station was an area below street level where people would sit in the sunshine whist waiting for their trains, or to read the evening paper (the Esti Hirlap), while the number 67 and 44 trams trundled around them above. Some men would sit here to play chess, usually surrounded by onlookers.
Nyugati Pályaudvar
Nyugati station then, as now, was a meeting point and transport hub mainly due to its location in the centre of Pest. Many commuters arrived here from the suburbs, villages and towns to work in the city.
Opposite the station, the newly-built Skála had been built in 1976 - this was soon a popular shopping destination. Very close by to the station was the only post office also open at weekends and late into the evenings making it a busy area.
Opposite the station, the newly-built Skála had been built in 1976 - this was soon a popular shopping destination. Very close by to the station was the only post office also open at weekends and late into the evenings making it a busy area.
Déli Pályaudvar
Déli station was built in the 70s. Its name (southern) came from the fact that it served the south of the country. Many people travelled from here to Lake Balaton, and in the summer the station was overrun with families on their way to their summer homes as well as children going to a vast range of summer camps (many organised by the Little Pioneer movement).
Tube stations
The two Russian-style tube lines were characterised by their cleanliness and drabness - no advertisement of any kind was to be found either on the stations or in the trains. In the 80s, the carriages on line 3 (the blue line) were new, while those of line 2 (the red line) were old and rusty.
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